Education is all about improving our skills, forging connections with other people, and trying to get a tiny bit closer to the truth about, well, pretty much everything.
However, getting at the truth of things, whether you’re in school or college (or even at work), can be more difficult than it would seem at first glance. Learning, whether in class or when you’re an adult, means constantly staying curious about things, trying out your hand at new hobbies and interests, and questioning what you find online. This can be even harder when you realize that even the adults teaching you can make mistakes.
Lenore Skenazy, the president of Let Grow and the founder of the Free-Range Kids movement, explained to me during a previous interview how to challenge authority figures in a friendly way if we believe that what they’re saying might be wrong. It’s as applicable to students in their communication with teachers as it is to employees who think their managers might have missed an important detail (or two!). Diplomacy and manners are incredibly important here; there’s no room for aggression because the end goal isn’t to get into an argument.
At the core of challenging anyone who might be spreading falsehoods lies diplomacy. You might not like what your local authority figure is saying. You might believe that they’re spouting utter nonsense. However, instead of being combative from the get-go, it’s best to calm down and try to find some common ground. Your mission should be to learn something together with them, not to prove that you’re the best and most knowledgeable person in the classroom/office.
“The key is to discover things together. If something sounds strange or unlikely, respond with curiosity—ask the person to tell you more, and how they found this information out, and where you should go if you want to delve into it further,” Lenore explained to Bored Panda.
“Then if the sources they give you seem dubious—well, probably so is whatever they gleaned from them. But if the sources seem legit, read them with an open mind. They may be right after all!” the expert continued.
According to Lenore, it’s not “cruel or crazy” to believe that someone out there might “have their facts wrong,” as absolutely everyone has made mistakes or been wrong about something in the past. Unless someone is very deliberately trying to deceive or manipulate you by spreading lies, it’s best not to get angry if you know for a fact that they’ve got a piece of info wrong.
