Encouragement

What Do You See? A Classroom Lesson on Moral Courage That Still Haunts Me

by Stephen A. Peterson
06/08/25
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What Do You See?  A Classroom Lesson on Moral Courage That Still Haunts Me

© 2025

by

Stephen A. Peterson

“Never let anyone tell you not to trust your own eyes.”

More than fifty years ago, I sat in a Catholic high school classroom in Indianapolis. At the time, it felt like just another English class. We were reading The Diary of Anne Frank, and that day’s lesson involved watching a film adaptation. Sister Rita Clare, our teacher, told us to take notes during the screening.

Five minutes in, she dimmed the lights and started the film.

Ten minutes later, she abruptly turned the lights back on. The sudden brightness was not just jarring—it signaled something deeper.

She looked around the room, then called out:
“Donald O’Connor, why are you not taking notes?”

The Accusation That Wasn’t True

It was a strange question, because Don was taking notes. I saw him. Many of us did.

But in that moment, no one spoke up. We were high school seniors—old enough to recognize injustice, but not yet brave enough to challenge authority. Sister asked if anyone wanted to stand up for Don. Only two of us muttered soft defenses—half-hearted at best. They did not go anywhere.

Then she instructed Don to go to the principal’s office.

Without a word, he left.

When the door closed behind him, Sister Rita Claire asked us calmly:
“How many of you saw Don taking notes?”
About a quarter of the class raised their hands.

Then she asked:
“So why didn’t you say anything?”

The Truth Revealed

She waited, letting the silence hang in the air. Then she told us the truth:

Don wasn’t in trouble. The accusation was staged. It was all part of a lesson.

“Before and during World War II,” she said, “leaders around the world knew about the concentration camps. They had evidence—but did nothing. Their silence allowed horrors to continue.”

She brought it back to our reading of Anne Frank and to history:
“Silence is not neutral,” she said. “Silence enables oppression.”

Then she made it personal:
“Today, even here in America, after nearly a century, people of color still face exclusion and injustice. And in many parts of the world, it’s the same story—different names, different systems, same outcome. Whether it’s Nazism, Communism, or systemic racism, it survives because people stay quiet.”

The Lesson That Stayed With Me

That day, Sister Rita Clare taught us more than literature. She staged a moment that mirrored a moral crossroads we’d all encounter in life: Would we speak up when it mattered—or stay silent because it was easier?

We had failed that test.

And that failure stuck with me—not to shame me, but to remind me that truth needs witnesses. That knowing right from wrong is not enough. That conscience requires action.

Even now, decades later, in an age of misinformation and political manipulation, I hear her voice: “Never let anyone convince you not to trust your own eyes.”

Why I’m Telling This Now

Because the world has not changed as much as we would like to think.

We still see people silenced, scapegoated, and excluded. And far too often, we still hesitate—afraid to speak, afraid to act, hoping someone else will step up.

I am sharing this now for anyone who has ever stayed quiet when they should have spoken. For anyone who has felt that moral pull and ignored it. And for everyone who needs to be reminded that courage is learned—and it begins with telling the truth, even when it is uncomfortable.

Truth needs defenders. And silence is never neutral.

If this story resonated with you, share it. Or better yet, tell someone your own story about standing up or staying silent—and what you learned. We all need reminders. We all need practice.