College Principal
I have recently been thinking a lot about what we are teaching our students about how we can learn with depth and nuance. In our fast-paced, information-driven world, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking we know everything—or at least enough. But one of the most valuable lessons we can teach our students is that we don’t know the things we don’t know. This simple truth serves as a reminder of the vastness of human experience and knowledge, and it calls for intellectual humility. Without conscious effort, we often make assumptions about what’s in other people’s heads—their thoughts, motivations, and feelings—without actually engaging with them or understanding their perspectives. As the Greek poet Simonides once noted, “We cannot understand other people’s minds unless they tell us.”
Conjecture—making assumptions without full understanding—can be a dangerous habit. It leads to misunderstandings, misjudgments, and divisions in our communities. Our young people are growing up in a world where sound bites, social media, and algorithm-driven bubbles create an echo chamber of beliefs. It’s easy to only hear the things that reinforce what we already believe, and this creates a binary view of the world—right or wrong, good or bad, with little room for nuance or growth. In this environment, it becomes even more essential to develop the skills of listening and engaging with others in a way that allows for the possibility that we, ourselves, might be wrong.
Our College Head of Jewish Life, Shterny Dadon, recently introduced me to the work of psychologist Adam Grant, who encourages us to “listen as though you’re wrong.” This is a profound shift in how we approach conversations. Instead of listening to defend our own viewpoint or to prepare a counter-argument, we should listen to understand, to learn, and to challenge our own beliefs. When we approach conversations with the humility that we don’t have all the answers, we open ourselves to learning from others, to seeing the world through a different lens, and to growing as individuals.
It’s crucial that we encourage our young people to question everything they hear, not out of cynicism or distrust, but out of a genuine curiosity about the world. When they learn to ask thoughtful questions and to critically assess the information they encounter, they become better equipped to navigate the complexities of life. This also helps them develop respect for differing viewpoints. To truly engage in respectful dialogue, we must respect the person we are speaking with—acknowledging that they, too, have experiences and insights that may be valuable.
As educators and leaders, we have a responsibility to raise our students with these critical thinking skills. The ability to listen carefully, to respect others in conversation, and to approach every interaction with the knowledge that they may be wrong is one of the most important skills we can instill. It’s not about admitting defeat, but about fostering a culture of learning and intellectual humility.
The world may often present itself in black and white, but life is lived in shades of grey. By teaching our young people to question, to listen, and to respect the views of others, we are equipping them to not only succeed in their own lives but to contribute meaningfully to a more thoughtful, compassionate world.
Warm regards,
Raquel Charet
College Principal
