Random 2: In pursuit of "Ignorance" - the ideal kind of education

 In elementary school, I always used to be ashamed about my ignorance. At that time, I was attending cram school for the middle school entrance exams, but whenever something came up that I didn't know, I'd just feel ashamed and feel stumped. When there was a math question I didn't understand, I'd freeze. No asking teachers, no nothing.

"Ignorance"

"Ignorance" is a word often used to criticize a person for his/her lack of knowledge, it also connotes being intentional in the dark. In any case, being ignorant is unimpressive.

 In his TED video "Pursuit of Ignorance," though, neurologist Mr. Stuart Firestein endeavors on the importance of "ignorance." He mentions "high-quality ignorance," which means "purely not being aware of something just yet." He talks about how most people regard science as fact-finding, a subject whose aim is to find and place the missing pieces of knowledge of humanity, but in fact, it is a subject whose "true objective" lies in finding what is still unknown. Mr. Firestein also notes that the part of "finding out what is still unknown" is what makes science exhilarating.

Later in the video, he connects this to education. He says, with William Butler Yeats' quote "Eduation is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire," that the educational system should also function to nurture the ability to question, of being "ignorance-literate." By "the filling of a pail" students are merely being stuffed with facts. But with "the lighting of a fire," the chain reaction of knowledge is set.


What allowed me to change from a educationally stumped girl into a fairly well-fairing person was my middle school experience. Frankly put, I had more opportunity to ask my teachers questions. My teachers taught me their subjects not just by telling me of something directly connected to it, but things such as real-life examples and side notes which set off the light inside me. The more I learned, the more things I knew I still didn't know. This experience made me feel like I just discovered the world.

I believe that the condemnation of ignorance still persists in the educational environment. To me, that is very undermining. Education shouldn't be something that fills pails and makes students believe that they have nothing more to learn. We're all born "ignorant" as babies, and what makes us believe that education has told us all we have to know?
The long term and short term goal was mentioned as one important aspect of leadership, but I think its importance perseveres here too.

The ideal kind of school is a place that nurtures, treasures, and produces quality "ignorance."