2 Comments

1. 

   Stanley Sterenberg on June 18, 2021 at 2:19 pm

   As a former teacher, I once created a poster with the following message: “The answer to the question ‘What do you think’ is not allowed to be ‘I don’t know.'” This was an attempt to steer students away from the “knee jerk” — “I don’t know” — response. It’s important to recognize, however, that the genesis of that response is one of the most universal of all human reactions — the fear of embarrassment. And so the task, for those interacting with “I don’t know” kids, is to provide a “safe” environment for listening to, and valuing, any other response. Telling people what we think makes us vulnerable — and so that trust needs to be honored!

   • 

     Richard Selznick, Ph.D. on June 18, 2021 at 3:15 pm

     Ever wise.

     My only push back is that I see many kids, starting at a very young age, where it seems by observation of how they handle a problem or task, that there is a type of impulsivity to their thought process/response.

     I think with good individual tutoring/training (over time), they can be trained to wait a few seconds before responding, and to practice, “hmmm, let me think about it.”

     For the kids I see this is enormously challenging and it turns into nagging on the parent part which then shuts the child down even more.

     It’s a very challenging dynamic as you note.

     thanks for the check in. Always like to get your input.