Learning is a risky business. It always begins with not knowing, and that's an uncomfortable experience for anyone. My teaching philosophy begins with the premise that learners need a space to be vulnerable; a place where they can experiment with new ways of thinking and make mistakes on the path to proficiency in a disciplinary skill or a body of knowledge. My courses encourage vulnerability by cultivating community and connection between learners, giving each learner agency with regard to the work they complete, and creating opportunities for learners to apply course content to their extracurricular lives. I do all this without “sacrificing" rigor. In my experience, learning is not limited by the difficulty of the material, but by a learner's willingness to take the risk of not knowing. Just as we, the instructors, determine the level of difficulty in our courses, we also have considerable control over classroom conditions that empower learners to take the healthy risks that lead to genuine learning.