Answer and question in our schools

I come from a long line of teachers. I'm in, on average, over 30 Corridor schools each year, as a guest teacher in the subjects of botany, geology, economics and life skills.

Schools should be communities where people are encouraged, not scared, to raise their hands and ask tough questions. Sadly, however, much too often in my experience, students and teachers (who ask reasonable questions of their administrators) are blacklisted as boat-rocking contrarians.

No one, not even core curriculum developers, has a monopoly on truth. Do we really want to nurture critical thinkers, as we say we do?

Healthy leadership welcomes dissent. It doesn't make someone feel like a troublemaker for having the courage to challenge authority with uncomfortable questions. That doesn't mean civil discourse needs to be sacrificed as we advance trust in the Socratic method, and build bridges, not walls. There's nothing wrong with a good squirm, or an awkward pause as a classroom processes the unknown. Learning is an endless, fun dig. At least it should be.

Three of the most important words a teacher can utter are, 'I don't know.” What we thought was true yesterday is often false today, not just in the more esoteric, subjective liberal arts, but in objective math and sciences as well. To suggest otherwise isn't research, but propaganda protecting narrow interests. We used to think our universe revolved around the earth. Turns out that was wrong.

We need to strive for less arrogance by admitting fallibility. We need to be secure enough to go to bed each night without having all the answers.

I end all of my classes with A-and-Q, not Q-and-A. I'm not here to give kids The Answer. I'm here to question. And then question the question. And then return tomorrow morning with, you got it, more questions. That's what school's supposed to be about.

Unfortunately, that's not what many teachers are taught. In my own training, for example, I was told to provide more answers at the end of every lesson plan. I respectfully disagreed with the overarching philosophy of that suggestion. My teacher did not welcome that disagreement. But that experience made me a better teacher.

My favorite students are the ones who are the most curious. They're the ones who teach me. They're the ones who, after I introduce a concept that I've been regurgitating for years, will raise their hands and say, 'But what if we assume the opposite?” And that's when I, the teacher, become the eternal student.

In this test-obsessed culture, I would suggest that we'd all be well-served to acknowledge knowledge as a dynamic, not absolute, pursuit. It's a question of priorities. Do we value a school garden space as much as a soccer field? Is music as important as algebra? Who gets to decide? We do. Public officials, at all levels, need to be reminded that we don't work for them; they work for us: the public!

The root of question is 'quest.” The journey can be the destination. Any questions?

' Scott Koepke is the founder and director of Soilmates, a garden education service for children sponsored by New Pioneer Food Co-op. He also serves on the board of directors for the Free Lunch Program. Comments: skoepke@newpi.coop