by Jessica Gombert, Geneva School of Boerne Grammar School Headmaster
“The world will never starve for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder.” – G.K. Chesterton
Opportunities to think and wonder about the things we observe is important in the development of students. Therefore, one of the goals at Geneva School of Boerne is to build a culture that shapes students into intentional thinkers. We desire them to make connections in everything they are learning and begin to ask thought provoking questions. We want them to not only engage in the learning but also transfer intellectual curiosity into any concept or situation. In Grammar School we have explored ways to help our students in this process by teaching them to reflect on what they are learning, create habits of exploring and to have more time to do so.
Harvard University has recently published an article based on a scientific study conducted to show how deep thinking can be taught in the classroom. We have incorporated the Thinking Routine of See, Think, Wonder into our day. Please read the article and watch the second video. It is my hope that Geneva parents will use these same words in discussions at home as, together, we develop habits of observing, analyzing and questioning and, quite frankly, giving our students time to wonder.