I wonder ...

I wonder ...

Dean Ryan’s second question — “I wonder …” — is one of my favorites because it challenges us to keep the embers of our curiosity alive in all that we do. Last year, two young lads from our Lower School came breathlessly into my office asking if I would still be there in a few minutes because some of their friends needed to talk with me. I don’t encounter search parties very often so I was intrigued by the urgency of their request. A few minutes later, two second grade girls came in and asked if we could build an ice rink on campus. “I have a friend whose school just built a rink,” one of them explained.

"Hmmm …" I said, "Where’s your friend’s school?"

"Colorado," she replied without a hint of incredulousness in her voice. Her eyes betrayed her, however. What’s this guy thinking? I go to school, my friend goes to school, he built an ice rink at his school, I want to build an ice rink at my school.

Over the course of the winter and spring, the girls and I have had several great conversations about what it would take to build an ice rink at Poly. On a legal pad we keep in my office, they have sketched what the rink should look like, they have worked on a budget (skates, nails, air conditioners to chill the ice), and they have offered several naming suggestions that are creative variations of their own names.

While all of us recognize that we probably won’t be able to pull this off, we have had fascinating discussions. The girls' sense of curiosity and resolve has been inspiring. Who wouldn’t be inspired by two young people tenaciously and creatively wrestling with something they are passionate about? And I am always humbled by reminders of the awesome responsibility we have as teachers and parents to make sure we nourish the “I wonders” our students bring us every day.

Before the girls left for the summer, we talked about their building a scale model of the ice rink over the summer. Who knows ... maybe we will have figure skating and ice hockey here by the time they graduate.

JWB
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