In the midst of a quick lesson on Figaro’s Aria from Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, we asked the middle schoolers, “Where is Seville?”

Just a simple, boring question, meant to establish some context.

However, the answer was interesting. It was not incorrect per se, but demonstrated intriguingly faulty reasoning.

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The body of collective human knowledge has its origin in good questions.

Questions like “Does the sun actually revolve around the earth?” and “What will happen if I take a bite of this thing that looks like food?” have helped humans to develop an ever-advancing civilization.

At its core, science is a systematic framework for asking and answering questions and organizing the knowledge gained therefrom.

It’s tempting, when there’s a good question, to simply look up the answer. It’s never been easier to do so.

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Asking for help is one of the hardest things we have to do to overcome a culture of being afraid to look dumb. It is an act of courage and a move toward growth.

Often, the starting point is simply, “I don’t get it” or “I’m stuck.” And because I understand the strength it takes for most of us to reach out and ask for support, I will always engage with these implicit questions as best I can when it is asked of me.

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In the classroom, if we expect the bell curve, that's what we get. You plant and cultivate a garden of average daisies along with a handful of roses and the unavoidable crop of weeds.

It’s a framework that many teachers and even parents are comfortable with. However, all of the individual human beings in this scenario are potentially suffering.

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