March 1, 2026

Episode 134: The Wisdom of Being Unsure with Maggie Jackson

Show Notes

What if uncertainty isn’t weakness—but the doorway to deeper thinking?

In this episode of Schurtz & Ties, we sit down with journalist and author Maggie Jackson, whose books Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure and Distracted: Reclaiming Our Focus in a World of Lost Attention challenge some of our deepest assumptions about attention, expertise, and learning.

Schools often reward speed, correctness, and certainty. But Maggie argues that the ability to pause, question, and remain open may be the very thing that allows us to think clearly, connect with others, and grow.

We explore why focus is not simply the elimination of distraction, but the gateway to thinking. Maggie explains how attention works—not as a fixed trait, but as a skill that can be strengthened through practice. We also examine how uncertainty, when used intentionally, becomes a powerful tool for perspective-taking, empathy, and adaptive expertise.

This conversation challenges the instinct to label students as motivated or unmotivated, capable or incapable. Instead, it invites us to stay open long enough to understand what’s really happening when students lose access to thinking—and what educators can do to restore it.

As Maggie explains, uncertainty creates space. And in that space, new thinking becomes possible.

Uncertainty isn’t the absence of knowledge. It’s the beginning of wisdom in motion.