Why I Teach Children to Question Authority

If you would be a real seeker of truth, it is necessary that you at least once in your life doubt, as far as possible, all things. ~René Descartes

On the first day of school, the day I meet many of our two-year-olds for the first time, I make sure our box of plastic farm animals is handy. As the kids arrive I greet them, then introduce one of the pigs by holding it up and saying, “The pig says, ‘Moooo.’”

Most of them laugh, “No, the cow says ‘Moo!’” or “The pig says, ‘Oink!’” Some squint at me like I’m crazy, often glancing up at their mothers as if to say, You’re leaving me with this guy? In fact, I tend to do a lot of this sort of goofing around. I might, for instance, sing the Alphabet Song with the letters in the wrong order, “D, N, Q, P, T, R, A . . .” Or maybe I’ll insist that the carrot sticks are candy, or that the book we are about to read was printed upside down, or that I’m hearing with my nose. You see, I want children to really listen to me and if I say something that doesn’t match up with what they already know to be true I want them to call me on it.

That’s right, it’s an overt attempt to cause the children in my care to question my authority. I want them to know that not only is it their right, but their responsibility to say something when what they hear doesn’t match what they already know. You see, I…