“Curiosity is deviant.”
That quote, from author Ian Leslie, was the topic of a recent episode of the Teach Different podcast, where educators Dan and Steve Fouts invite guests to have deep discussions about poignant quotes.
They hosted the Right Question Institute’s Sarah Westbrook for a conversation about Leslie’s statement, breaking down the concepts of curiosity and deviance and discussing their place in education.
“What interested me was the connection between asking questions and power,” Westbrook said. “When you think about the word ‘deviant’ or ‘deviance,’ to me that is pushing back against power, or challenging power structures or prevailing norms in some way.”
She noted that curiosity can sometimes be perceived as “something that deviates from the teaching plan and not as something that is core to it.”
As the conversation progressed, they dug into the complexity of Leslie’s claim from multiple angles and talked about the different ways curiosity and question-asking can be received depending on the culture or setting. They discussed other environments, such as medical and legal offices, where curiosity isn’t currently the norm and where it might be seen as critical to ask questions of the authority figure.
Ultimately, the conversation led to more questions: “How do you make curiosity the norm, not a deviation from the norm?”
Steve and Dan Fouts created the The Teach Different conversations podcast “to inspire all of us to think deeper, listen with more intention, and understand each other better.”
Other quotes they’ve discussed recently include, “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life,” by Muhammed Ali and, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,” by Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress.
You can listen to the “curiosity is deviant” episode and read a transcript of the conversation at teachdifferent.com.