Do you ask enough Whys?
I was in Grade 8, Nidhi was a new joiner in our batch who had shifted recently from a school in Delhi.
I categorically remember that sunny winter afternoon – we were reading a science article together from a newspaper during the recess break. Suddenly, she wanted to go to the teacher to get clarification on one of the points in the article.
I remember our approach to the staff room to question the teacher.
“But is it not already clear”, I inquired on the way. She then asked a deeper why, and it struck me. It struck me that I was just accepting the statements in that article as facts, I was not questioning, or trying to dig deeper.
The 8th grader me, suddenly realized a trait that differentiated us both – “the spirit of inquiry”. I can still see myself stopping at the staff room door, absorbing the truth in that moment. The moment that sparked in me “the spirit of inquiry and a desire to dig deeper”.
Nidhi shifted back to her old school in a few months but left me with a deep lesson for life, changing the way I approached my education, and led me to a career in Science!
We lost contact but the memory stays fresh with me!
What triggered the memory?
My meeting with some extremely talented and passionate social entrepreneurs last week for “Stories for Impact”, a story coaching for nonprofits workshop by Story Beetle.
Some of these dynamic change makers are working to kindle the spirit of inquiry and scientific temperament through STEM learning and other pedagogical approaches in kids across India, working especially with underprivileged children.
Henna Khan Rinsa Perapadan Aditya Kavia, Yasin Khan you are doing some amazing work, building the future of our nation!
#storytelling #pedagogy #storybeetlediaries #storycoaching