Make It A Great Day - Ask Good Questions!

"Make it a great day; ask good questions!" Those are typically the last words out of my mouth as I drop Seth off at school. Last Spring, I heard a piece on NPR that made me shift from the standard "have a great day" into this, more purposeful version. It subtly reminds us that we are, in fact, the sole person in charge of our day. Regardless of the circumstances, we have the opportunity to make it a good day or a bad day. It is my hope that those little words stick with Seth throughout the day, helping to shape his attitude and outlook in the classroom and with friends.

This realization came to me after hearing a piece on NPR discussing the Nobel Prize winning physicist, Issac Isador Rabi. Despite the fact that I have no idea who he is or what he did (until now...thank you Wikipedia), I remember one piece of the segment. Rabi attributes a great amount of success to his mother. He remembers that as a child, his mother refrained from immediately asking him if he answered questions correctly at school, his grades on assignments, or if he had completed his homework. Instead, she would ask him the same question every day - "Did you ask any good questions today?"
 

Issac Isador Rabi - he asked good questions

That stopped me in my tracks. What a simple, yet powerful statement from a mother. I've read that kids ask an average of 120 questions per day, as compared to an average of 5 from adults.Not only was Rabi's mother encouraging him to ask questions, she was reminding him that they needed to be the right questions. What a great way to shape your child's frame of reference.

So, today I challenge you to ask a great question! What will it be?