There’s No Telling What Your Kids Could Do
There’s no telling what your own kids could do. After a long life and 30 years in the public school trenches, I’ve concluded that genius is as common as dirt. We suppress our genius only because we haven’t yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women.
So says John Taylor Gatto in an Ode Magazine piece that laments the current educational system (emphasis mine).
People are wells of potential waiting to be realized. Anyone who has ever sat down and had a discussion with a child comes face to face with this fact at its most resplendent. Take a moment and think about the children in your life. They may be cousins, younger siblings, children, grandchildren, students, nieces or nephews. ”There’s no telling what your own kids could do”. Those words have a powerful ring to them!
School ought to cultivate in children the skill and passion to realize their potential. Education reform is often seen as an incremental, long term process. It needn’t be. Rather than focusing exclusively on incentivizing talent into local schools to increase average test scores over the next decade, why not focus your personal energy on more imediate changes? Changes that can impact the children in your life?
One of the most exciting aspects of our Philosophy for Children program is its immediacy. It isn’t something the elementary school down the street needs to search its budget to find room for certifications or consultant fees. It doesn’t require another decade of study, or huge adjustments to the curriculum. The only requirement is a modicum of time. Another question I am often asked is how much time does a philosophy class take? Roughly 30 minutes, twice a week is a good starting point. Philosophy doesn’t have to be taught as an independent component, it can be integrated into existing classroom activities. For example, teachers who set aside time to read and discuss stories can simply approach the discussion with the methods and goals of philosophy in mind. Philosophy can also be integrated into gifted and talented, afterschool, enrichment and literacy programs.
The ease of implementing a Philosophy for Children program means a tangible way to help the kids in your life realize their potential now. Which brings me back to the exciting words that prompted this post. ”There’s no telling what your own kids could do” right now. So let me ask you dear readers: Do you know any young philosophers?
Do their schools currently offer Philosophy for Children?
