Does strawberry milk come from pink cows? How does the electoral college actually work? Is there such a thing as a stupid question? As much as our teachers, mentors, and parents have told us that we shouldn’t be afraid to ask, we’ve all felt that anxiety and shame in asking what we’ve deemed a “stupid question”.
In the 1980s a group of teachers realized that many of their students were staying silent in class, so they decided to create Ask a Stupid Question Day! One day a year, their students were encouraged to bring every question on their mind to the table without criticism or embarrassment. While this should always be the case, it seemed like a good place to start getting students more comfortable with speaking out!
Asking brave questions is the only way we learn, and it’s the reason we live in the world that we do! It’s the reason that we learn new things about the ocean and its inhabitants every day. Didn’t you know that scientists are just big nerds who have the audacity to sit around and ask questions all day? You can celebrate this day by getting together with your friends (virtually if you need to) and asking all the questions that sit in the recesses of your mind. You can even write them down and pull them from a bowl anonymously! Can you imagine the things you’d learn just by hearing your friend’s most fascinating inquiries? Celebrate with us here at Shark OFF on the last “school day” of September, which is this Thursday the 30th. Ask us anything you want via Instagram @thesharkoff!