"Kids' views are often just as valid as the teachers'. The best teachers are the ones that know that"
About this Quote
Education works best when the conversation runs both ways. Children arrive in classrooms with fresh eyes, lived experience, and the most intimate knowledge of their own confusion and curiosity. Their questions map the terrain of learning better than any lesson plan, revealing where abstractions do not land and where examples resonate. When a teacher treats those perspectives as valid contributions rather than interruptions, the class becomes a place where knowledge is built, not merely delivered.
Morley Safer, a journalist who spent decades at 60 Minutes challenging institutions and the comfort of authority, understood that insight can come from unexpected places. His observation aligns with long traditions in pedagogy, from Dewey’s democracy of the classroom to Freire’s dialogic learning, which hold that students are not empty vessels but collaborators in meaning-making. Validity here does not confuse expertise; it recognizes that a student’s view is authoritative about what they understand, what feels relevant, what rings false, and how a concept intersects with their world. Acknowledging that validity gives teachers better data than any standardized test: formative feedback that sharpens instruction in real time.
The best teachers carry intellectual humility. They listen for the analogy that reframes a science concept, the critique that exposes an assumption in the curriculum, the story that ties a historical event to a student’s community. This is not classroom relativism; the teacher still holds responsibility for rigor and accuracy. But authority becomes ethical and earned, rooted in responsiveness rather than mere position. Students who are heard invest more, take greater risks, and learn to interrogate ideas without fear. That trust builds psychological safety, which accelerates learning and models the habits of a democratic society.
Safer’s point is ultimately about power and curiosity. When teachers honor the validity of kids’ views, they elevate learning from compliance to inquiry. The classroom shifts from a hierarchy of answers to a partnership in discovery, and everyone grows more knowledgeable, including the teacher.
Morley Safer, a journalist who spent decades at 60 Minutes challenging institutions and the comfort of authority, understood that insight can come from unexpected places. His observation aligns with long traditions in pedagogy, from Dewey’s democracy of the classroom to Freire’s dialogic learning, which hold that students are not empty vessels but collaborators in meaning-making. Validity here does not confuse expertise; it recognizes that a student’s view is authoritative about what they understand, what feels relevant, what rings false, and how a concept intersects with their world. Acknowledging that validity gives teachers better data than any standardized test: formative feedback that sharpens instruction in real time.
The best teachers carry intellectual humility. They listen for the analogy that reframes a science concept, the critique that exposes an assumption in the curriculum, the story that ties a historical event to a student’s community. This is not classroom relativism; the teacher still holds responsibility for rigor and accuracy. But authority becomes ethical and earned, rooted in responsiveness rather than mere position. Students who are heard invest more, take greater risks, and learn to interrogate ideas without fear. That trust builds psychological safety, which accelerates learning and models the habits of a democratic society.
Safer’s point is ultimately about power and curiosity. When teachers honor the validity of kids’ views, they elevate learning from compliance to inquiry. The classroom shifts from a hierarchy of answers to a partnership in discovery, and everyone grows more knowledgeable, including the teacher.
Quote Details
| Topic | Teaching |
|---|
More Quotes by Morley
Add to List
