Dear Krisy :

I agree with you when you said,”If a student has a passion otherwise, by all means, let that student be free to follow it. ,” because if there’s is one belief that I have about inquiry is that you have to start with you. That is where the natural engagement and motivation lies!

One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “You don’t usually open your heart to a group of strangers when you are 14 years old.” I think this is true because it takes a great deal of bravery and vulnerability to let others in for so many people. I think we are all trying to figure ourselves out and sometimes we do not want to reveal our thoughts before we ourselves have solidified them. I have learned that it is when I share that I actually do begin to iron out my initial thoughts taking me one step closer to whatever it is that I want to learn. That being said, I think this experience will offer the kids an opportunity to begin to put themselves out there with some freedoms that will help them begin to figure out what they want to know about – whether it’s about justice, themselves or both.

Another idea that I connected to was the importance of modeling “good” questions. This stood out for me because like you, I also tried out the Question Formulation Technique with my students this year and had a lot of fun with it. I found that students were intrigued when the information was presented to them in this way and ownership over their learning increased.

Thanks for your sharing your ideas. I always appreciate what you have to say because often it gets me thinking in new ways. I am excited to be working with you this summer!

Marina