Stargirl with a side of Glee

I was reading a novel by Jerry Spinelli entitled Stargirl. It is a wonderful coming of age story about a young non-conformist who forever changes the people of small town Mica. Leo loves Stargirl; however, he is more concerned about fitting in and ends his relationship with her. As my small group of students began an amazing dialogue about the key themes of the book, it was no surprise that conformity was a topic of conversation. They talked about school uniforms, expected dress and even the expected work ethic at their school. No one was different at this school for fear of not being accepted. (At this point I will clarify that these students are not students in the US and this course was part of a global exchange through Meredith College. I was fortunate to have a small role in facilitating this class.) I then showed a brief clip from Glee where the Glee Club embraces their inner Gaga and performs Bad Romance. As we began to discuss the classic theme of conformity, I began to think about teachers I have encountered over the years. There will always be the idealistic Mr. Schuesters of the classroom and the cynical (and often very humorous) Coach Sylvesters. There are wise teachers like Archie (from Stargirl). But in many schools there are a few too many Charlie Brown kind of teachers.....the same old thing in the same old voice. Are we too comfortable with being regular old teachers? Are we, like the students of Glee and of Mica High, afraid to be different? What would happen if we were all a little more willing to teach outside of the box or be a little Gaga? Certainly I don't mean we should all show up in very theatrical costumes to teach class, but I sometimes wonder if we are all a little too comfortable being the monotone voice of Charlie Brown's teacher? Are we afraid of what our co-workers would think? Are we afraid that learning can't be "different"? What exactly makes us afraid to be different in our classrooms?