“In nature study any teacher (parent) can with honor say, “I do not know”; for perhaps the question asked is as yet unanswered by the great scientists. But she should not let lack of knowledge be a wet blanket thrown over her pupils’ interest. She should say frankly, “I do not know; let us see if we cannot together find out this mysterious thing….She thus conveys the right impression that only a little about the intricate life of plants and animals is yet known; and at the same time she makes her pupils feel the thrill and zest of investigation. Nor will she lose their respect by doing this, if she does it in the right spirit…..The chief charm of nature study would be taken away if it did not lead us through the border-land of knowledge into the realm of the undiscovered.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 3-4
