The Future Begins With A Question

November 5, 2026

From Dr. Lori-Anne Brogdon, head of school Last week, I traveled to Shenzhen, China, to attend our partner school, Vanke Meisha Academy’s Open House event. I had the pleasure and honor of serving as a keynote speaker and panel member for the day. The theme of VMA’s Open House was, “The Future Begins with a Question: How can curiosity become a lasting motivation for learning?” This was a particularly engaging question to discuss with others on the other side of the globe. Mounds Park Academy’s mission to “teach students to think independently, communicate effectively, and act with respect and integrity in a diverse community modeling intellectual ambition, global responsibility, and the joy of learning” is so deeply tied to VMA’s question.

A question brought up by an educator at VMA was, “How do we help students move from waiting for the teacher to give the answer to students asking their own questions?” As you might imagine, the topic of Artificial Intelligence was part of the conversation. It reminded me that educators, whether in Minnesota or Shenzhen, are grappling with similar questions about teaching and learning, especially as artificial intelligence evolves, affecting how we all learn, work, and communicate. A point of agreement in our conversations was the importance of teaching students to question information, consider alternative perspectives, make connections, and decide how to act. Remaining curious and engaged allows for flexibility in this quickly changing world. 

What if the most important skill we teach students is not how to find the right answer, but how to ask the next question and move the answer forward? When asked what features our program seeks to develop and strengthen within our students, I shared that curiosity, confidence, competence, character, and impact are qualities I see demonstrated daily throughout MPA. From our youngest to our eldest, students not only take time to ask questions and engage in discussion, but they also genuinely enjoy their time learning alongside one another. Whether through the combined efforts of the first grade and upper school student government running a blood drive together, or a group of robotics students testing their coding and machinery in the lobby, our students are flexing these skills daily.

What struck me most about my time at VMA was the similarity in questions both of our schools are asking about the future of education. While as educators and guardians, we cannot predict the opportunities or challenges our students will encounter, we can be intentional about the experiences we provide them today. We can create learning environments where students feel comfortable asking questions, take risks, reconsider their assumptions, and discover interests they never knew they had. It is this curiosity, coupled with the confidence to act on what they learn, that I hope remains with our students long after they graduate from MPA.