The right to question and correct teachers in school

We should all have the opportunity to question and correct people if we feel their facts are incorrect. It might seem like an obvious statement, but it's an issue that causes many autistic children major problems at school.

I couldn’t engage with my chemistry teacher at school because they made a mistake when I was in year 7, stating that "I" on the periodic table was the symbol for iron. I knew it was Fe but was not listened to. That one lesson brought an abrupt end to my interest in chemistry.

Recently, a visit to Hever Castle reminded me of this and it got me thinking how important it is for school pupils to be able to question teachers in a respectful way.

I adore history and always have done. It interests me and my brain adores absorbing the facts. On entering the castle the audio guide gave an introduction to the castle’s history, stating that Anne Boleyn had likely been born there. Instantly I became frustrated because I know that she was born at Blickling Hall, and whilst her exact date of birth is not known, the venue is not debated. This inaccuracy ruined the entire visit as I was having to question everything, which quickly became exhausting and overwhelming. 

It made me think about the number of autistic children I have known who have been told off for questioning what they had been told at school. They were thought to be being rude or disrespectful, as if they were in pupil at Miss Trunchball’s school. "I'm big and you're small, I'm right and you're wrong, and there's nothing you can do about it!”

I am not saying that teachers will always be right, I know when I was teaching I wasn’t, but it is how you handle such questionning. Admitting mistakes and being honest would leave the child feeling validated, knowing the correct information and also knowing that we all make mistakes. 

Questioning teachers is a really positive skill. Admitting you're unsure about a fact and involving the child in helping you look it up teaches them so much more than just the fact itself. Questioning a teacher is not meant to be disrespectful or done to highlight weakness. It shows a child trying to learn and wanting to know the correct and accurate facts. It's a skill we should be encouraging, not punishing.