Am I the smartest guy in the classroom? I mean, shouldn’t I be? After all, I am the one getting the paycheck. But am I the smartest guy? Many folks in education believe that the most important thing in the classroom is to have the answers. The more correct answers you have – the smarter you are – AND the one with the most answers in the classroom is clearly the smartest one in the room. But I differ! I think that “answers” are highly overrated. I mean, if you just want answers why don’t you use Google or a hundred other websites. Teaching answers only takes you so far – and often the answers of today become out-of-date tomorrow. Isn’t that the basis behind the common student complaint, “I am never going to use this.”? I think they are right. Really, what are all of those answers ever going to do to help feed your face or prepare you for your future?
I have an alternate measure of smarts! I believe that the QUESTION is far more valuable then the answer! Questions never become obsolete. Questions are the souce of all creativity, spiritual growth, and scientific exploration. I am never proud to have a class of students that know the “answers”. My goal is to have students asking better, richer questions leaving my class then the first day they arrived at the door.
In my world, the SAT test would test your ability to ask questions and not to regurgitate answers. You could say I am in the “Jeopardy” school of education. Give me those things called “answers” and let me work on the really important things – the QUESTIONS.
Am I the smartest guy in the room? If it comes to answers – – check Google on the computers at the back of the room. They are going to know WAY more then I. But it is worth being a part of my class in that I am a connoisseur of the question. Students, my years of study place me in front of the class because I know better, richer questions then your young minds. Listen to my asking.