I am in the middle of reading the autobiography of Nelson Mandela and wanted to share a little bit.
Here is a quote from the book.
Like all Xhosa children, I acquired knowledge mainly through observation. We were meant to learned through imitation and emulation, not through questions. When I first visited the homes of whites, I was often dumbfounded by the number and nature of questions that children asked of their parents— and their parents’ unfailing willingness to answered them. I’m my household, questions were considered a nuisance; adults impart information as the considered necessary.
(Mandela 11)
This is interesting, because in my classroom I want questions, lots of them. Questions are a way that I know students are engaged and thinking. I know that this was a different time and place, but it is still interesting to see how an entire culture viewed education and questioning.
How was questioning and education handled in your home growing up?