Ignorant vs. Stupid
Never be afraid or ashamed to admit you don’t know something.
The other day my husband asked my older daughter (11.5) if she knew what a particular word meant. It was conversational and light and happened in response to her asking us a question about a clue on Jeopardy! — his asking was not part of a lecture. She knew what the word meant, so they continued their conversation. My younger daughter (7.5), who had not been involved in their discussion, interrupted and said, “I don’t know what that means.”
How fantastic she felt comfortable doing this!
Neither of my daughters have any problems with admitting when they don’t know something. They also never hide what they do know (yet they don’t gloat). They are who they are, and they aren’t ashamed of themselves or their knowledge (or lack thereof). It would never occur to either of them to ever hide who they are. Keeping their self esteem intact is highly important to me and it is one of the many reasons we chose to Unschool them.
According to dictionary.com (my current dictionary of choice):
- ignorant means “lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact”.
- stupid means “lacking ordinary quickness and keenness of mind; dull”.
Many people mistake these two words. To me, the distinction is highly important. As an Unschooling mother of two, I realize how important not making my children feel stupid is. Every person on Earth is at a different place in their knowledge core.
There is nothing wrong with being ignorant about a topic. However, pretending you do know something when you don’t — well, that’s just stupid. 
It closes you off from actually becoming smart, how ironic!
Be smart and admit your ignorance. It’s the best way there is to become knowledgeable. Once you know what you don’t know, you’re on your way to knowing it.
