"Of course you know the answer, you're the teacher."

I've been told this many times over the course of my work as an educator, almost as a sort of protest against my "difficult questions".

The thing is, when I probe further, my learners often know at least some part of the answer.

It makes me wonder why they aren't willing to offer what they already know, even as a partial answer.

There is the obvious fear of ridicule, cultivated through a system that sees failures as wholly bad and celebrates only the best successes.

Which means that they don't yet feel safe to try.

Though the time I usually have with my learners is short, hours compared to the years they've been in 'the system', I'm constantly trying to improve the speed and efficacy at which I can make my learning spaces safe for them.

I've managed to shorten it to an average of just over 2 sessions of about 1.5 - 2 hours, which means they will have spent about 3 - 4 hours with me before we start feeling comfortable with each other.

I used to need at least 3 sessions (about 6 hours) before I get to this point, but experience is a great teacher.

And I'm determined to learn from her as much as I possibly can.