Monday, August 08, 2016

Unanswered Questions

"The power to question is the basis of all human progress." - Indira Gandhi


"That is a good question for you to ask, not a wise question for me to answer." -Anthony Eden


"It was not easy to get all my questions answered, frankly." -Richard Ben-Veniste


"If somebody's not prepared to answer the question, you can keep asking." Martin Bashir


"It's a very good question, very direct, and I'm not going to answer it." -George H. W. Bush


"Sometimes attaining the deepest familiarity with a question is our best substitute for actually having the answer." - Brian Greene

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Many questions I pose remain unanswered.

It is frustrating to ask a question only to be left unanswered.

I wonder why questions are left unanswered.

If someone asks a question, why wouldn't you answer it?

Sometimes when my children ask me questions. I don't answer right away. I usually don't answer for two reasons. First, I hope the question will disappear since I may not agree with the question's point, and don't want to be put in a difficult situation that could create havoc. And sometimes I don't answer because I simply don't know the answer.

Professionally I typically answer all questions. If I don't know the answer or if it's a difficult question, I may answer with an "I don't know" or "I have to think about that."

I ask a lot of questions. In fact, I really enjoy questioning and trying to figure things out. I like working to change and make things better, and typically that effort results in lots of questions.

If you're one of those people who typically leaves questions unanswered, I'm wondering why you do that? What's the rational behind the unanswered question? Help me to understand.

When my students ask me questions, I usually answer in one of three ways. I may answer the question right away. I may say, "Let's talk about that at recess when I have more time," or I may say, "Let me think about that and get back to you." I typically get back sooner than later.

I'll think more about questions left unanswered and the possible rationale. If you can offer insight, I appreciate your time.