“Good questions work on us, we don’t work on them. They are not a project to be completed but a doorway opening onto greater depth of understanding, actions that will take us into being more fully alive.” – Peter Block

So many nights, I come home from my classroom with one of those difficult questions at work on me. One of those questions of practice that makes you think and rethink lesson plans, table groups, schedules, and whatever other things may be blocking desired outcomes. Inquiry allows me to explore these deep questions and react to them with more than just my instinct. Having some sound methods of gathering data and analyzing it opens the door to understanding phenomena in much greater depth. Exploration that often leads to more questions. Exploration that brings more depth to my practice, making me more capable of creating change. Taking away from that vulnerable feeling that there is nothing I can do or that I have tried everything. Inquiry helps me maintain my agency and keeps me focused that all students can achieve at rigorous levels. This inquiring habit of mind is exactly what I am trying to instill in my students and it is exactly what keeps my practice vibrant and full of life.