Deeper Questions for Self-Reflection

Fostering Intellectual Humility and Navigating Stigma in Education
Reflective Questions for Educators

This set of questions invites educators to reflect deeply on their teaching practice, embracing complexity and uncertainty while considering how the role of the teacher may be evolving. Encouraging a balance between openness and critical inquiry, these questions invite you to explore how stigma and fear may limit what is explored in the classroom. Perhaps most importantly, they ask how intellectual humility can be modeled without compromising rigor.

---

What questions or topics have you hesitated to explore, either for yourself or with your students? How might concerns about stigma or acceptability influence those boundaries?

In moments of uncertainty or when faced with unknowns, how do you demonstrate intellectual humility? How can you admit what you don’t know while still guiding and supporting your students confidently?

What might it look like to bring awe, ambiguity, and curiosity about anomalies into your teaching practice? How could embracing these elements shift not only school culture but also broader societal attitudes toward knowledge and learning?

How do you foster a safe environment for students to share unusual or deeply personal experiences and perspectives without fear of judgment or dismissal?

In a rapidly changing world, what kind of educator do you aspire to be? Are you preparing students primarily to recall facts, or to engage with uncertainty and complexity using courage, discernment, and empathy?

How do you balance openness to new ideas with healthy skepticism and critical thinking? What role does intellectual humility play in maintaining this balance?