Good Question

Hi friends,

We recently came across a video of a speech given by Dean James Ryan of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In it, he discusses the “beauty and power of good questions.”

At Girl Group Enterprises, we are constantly encouraging our participants to engage with the world and themselves. Asking questions is a big part of our process. How can we get to know ourselves or others without asking questions?

In this time of media saturation, where we feel we can get to “know” someone by scanning their Facebook or Instagram feed, it is not unusual for us to hear kids say, “asking questions is creepy.” “Why would I ask questions? I’m not a stalker…”

Asking questions provides a point of entry. Asking questions deepens our experience. Asking questions allows us to expand our world, make connections and see our points of similarity and difference.

In Girl Group, we encourage our girls to use questions as a bridge to knowledge, compassion and connectedness.

“I wonder…” is a great opener. We use it in writing exercises and as a way to go deeper into our exploration of our relationships with ourselves and others.

James Ryan asks this question as well. “I wonder why…”

This question can be applied to the way things work; to the way we respond in emotional or organizational ways; to the unraveling of motivations and histories.

“I wonder…”

To get you started, Dean James Ryan suggests:

I wonder why…

Couldn’t we at least…

How Can I help?

What really matters?

We are in this together!

Tanya and Wesley