In times when silence and comfort are imposed by pressure, education has the responsibility to restore the value of truth. Not just any imposed truth, but the one born from justice, human dignity, and a commitment to the most vulnerable. Many of us involved in education know that teaching is not only about transmitting knowledge, but also about shaping people who have the courage to speak out for what is right—even when doing so comes with difficult consequences. That is why we also know that many committed people are needed to uphold this invaluable principle.
Those of us who have participated in dialogic literary gatherings may have read and discussed Antigone by Sophocles. This work is a timeless symbol of such courage. She defies the king’s law to fulfill a deeper moral duty: to bury her brother. Her act is not only personal—it is also political and educational. Antigone does not hide, does not remain silent, and does not make pacts with lies. And for that, she is punished. But for that reason as well, she is free.
We do not want many Antigones who end up as she did; we want to educate so that society responds in a way that, when people—like Antigone—stand up for justice, they are not left alone and not cruelly harmed. In the field of education, we must not only teach the truth, but also defend those who defend it. When students, teachers, or families raise their voices against injustice, we cannot look the other way. Nor can we when others do so. Only if we protect the truth—and those who bravely uphold it—will we be educating citizens capable of building a truly democratic society.
Educating from truth is the first step toward never losing freedom.
Article translated from Periódico Educación
PhD in Education - Adjunct Professor at the University of Valencia.
For 23 years, she was a teacher of therapeutic pedagogy and primary education, and for 8 years, the director of CEIP L'Escolaica.