At the end of one of my photography classes the other day, I asked if there were any questions. During the minute or two that I waited, I was greeted with silence. I told the class that their silence may be due to their shyness, their total understanding of everything I taught, or their confusion. I did point out in a friendly way that "teachers don't drive the best learning; curiosity does."

I call this post "Curiosity" because when I watched my son (the teacher) coach his second cousins on the use of a fascinating puzzle, I realized that the learning was pure: it was based solely on a desire to understand. It certainly wasn't based on fear of the disapproval of the teacher, the disappointment of the parents, or the assignment of a grade to the task at hand. It was all about wanting to know more. . . .

Canon 5DIII 1/250s f/5.6 ISO1000 45mm