“Because I said so!” If you have ever uttered those words to your child, chances are good the question which preceded it was, “Why?” Children have a natural curiosity about life – no matter how seemingly mundane. Let’s tie your shoes. Why? Please pick up your toys. Why? Look, it’s raining outside. Why? Could it be that our Creator designed us in such a way that we desire to know…to gain wisdom? Could we inadvertently crush this desire to know and gain wisdom? Yes, and yes.

Wonder and Discovery

In Grammar School, we want to take this innate desire to know and encourage it by creating moments of wonder in our classes. Through this wonder and desire to know, we can ultimately point students back to the one true creator of everything – God! Take math for example – we might show a picture of an apple cut widthwise and an apple blossom and ask what they see. What do you see? Try it.

How many seeds are there? How many petals do you see? Are these the same or different? Is there symmetry? What is symmetry? Do all apples have only five seeds? Depending on the grade, this may be a launching point for a math lesson about number sense, equal values, symmetry, patterns, and the overall order and beauty of God’s creation – even in math!

In reading, we might wonder how many words we can rhyme with “cat” or use context to wonder about the meaning of an unfamiliar word. We might use our imagination as we read stories and try to put ourselves into the place of Lucy as she steps out of the wardrobe onto the snow-covered ground. We might take a bite of Turkish Delight and wonder why Edmund would betray his family for this dessert.

So, how could we (both parents and educators) inadvertently crush a child’s desire to know and gain wisdom? By not expecting them to do hard things: supplying students with answers before they’ve had time to wrestle with the material and/or listening to and sympathizing with complaints about difficult work; overscheduling children so that there simply isn’t enough time to wonder; and by allowing phones/screens to become the primary source of entertainment for children…to name a few. Trust me, this isn’t meant to scold – I’m guilty of all of these!

Ignite Life-Long Curiosity

However, if as Socrates suggests (and I agree), “Wonder is the beginning of wisdom”, we should resist simply supplying answers and resolve to guide students to discover knowledge for themselves. By creating these opportunities to wonder in the grammar school (and at home), we can move beyond simple answers (e.g., “because I said so”) and ignite a life-long curiosity in students to search for knowledge that isn’t always plainly seen – yes, even when it is hard.

To be clear, we don’t wonder for wonder’s sake or seek wisdom for wisdom’s sake. We have an ultimate goal of discovering the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Don’t take it from me – Paul epitomizes our goal nicely: “That they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”
(Colossians 2:2-3)

So, next time you’re tempted to give your child the easy way out, pause and give them the opportunity to…wonder first. I commit to doing the same!

Preschool, prospective JK and K parents are invited to join us on Saturday, January 17th for our annual Teddy Bear Picnic! Click below to RSVP.