Questioning Everything

It begins in school. A teacher is standing at the front of the room and we are all sitting in too small desks in nice, neat rows. We learned to raise our hands if we have a question. If you observe a kindergarten class, almost everyone raises their hand when asked if anyone has a question. I remember bouncing up and down like a kernel of popcorn in hopes that my hand would be the highest and lead to being chosen to ask my question. By then, I had definitely forgotten my question, but I wanted the stage. That was for sure. 

Observing a middle school class looks completely different. When the students are asked if anyone has any questions, you’d be hard pressed to find someone brave enough to raise their hand and feel like a flag flying in a deserted island.The risks are too high. Your question could seem stupid, you may seem stupid or you could be made fun of for speaking up. 

The consequence is that we learn less, we understand less and make uninformed decisions. This happens later in life too. In a board room, PTA meeting or family dinner. One person speaks and the others listen, accepting the words as truth or disagreeing and not even considering asking a question. 

I’m not saying that we have to question every little thing but it is worth the risk to speak up. It shows that we are able to acknowledge how little we actually know and show our interest in understanding other points of view. 

The next time you are in a group discussion, try leading with a question. See if the ripple effect happens and if more people are willing to ask questions as well.

XX,

MG

TEA IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD