Thirty years of P4C: #11 — Steve’s story

In today’s story, he talks of how he got involved in philosophy for and with children, and the joy of chance encounters with former students who benefited from philosophy in education.

Back in 1992, I happened to see the TV documentary “Socrates for 6-year-olds” about the work of Matthew Lipman and his associates in New Jersey. I responded to an invitation that rolled up in the credits to find out more and I ended up at the founding conference of SAPERE. I was joint Head of English in a secondary school (11-16) at the time and I arranged for myself and several other members of the department to have training so we could use the Lipman method and materials with students.

We ran the programme over a two-year period with pupils aged 11–12, doing an hour every week in groups of 15. That group size was ideal. I also went into a few of the primary schools in the area and did some sessions with children using picture books.

I was impressed by the routines and materials of P4C, the ethos of respectful dialogue and the emphasis on reasoning and reflection. The inner-city school I worked in was challenging but the experience of P4C made a great impact on me and many of the students. I still live in the area near the school and, over the years, I’ve sometimes met old students who have positive memories of those sessions.

One encounter stands out in my mind. I was shopping at a local supermarket and, when I was ready to pay, the young man at the checkout said to me: “I bet this is your nightmare, isn’t it?” I was puzzled.

“Pardon?”

“Your credit card in my hand,” he said. Then he reminded me of his name and asked: “Do you remember when we did philosophy in year 7?” He was probably 18 at this time so he was recalling school lessons 7 years earlier.

“Yes, of course,” I said. Other people behind me in the queue were starting to look impatient.

“Do you remember when we talked about whether or not everything has a purpose?” he asked.

“Vaguely.” Some eyes began to roll and people started to shuffle away to other checkout terminals.

The young man then started recalling what he and other people in the class had said. He seemed to remember much of the conversation in detail. He recalled distinctions made between the purposes of people, things and animals. He remembered asking whether purposes were the same as plans. The remaining people in the queue behind me looked as impressed as I did.

That classroom conversation all those years ago had made an impression on him and he obviously valued it.

A few years after the supermarket episode, I met another couple of graduates from our P4C programme for 11- and 12-year-olds. I had volunteered to teach a lesson on “Readers’ Theatre” at the secondary school my own children attended. As I was waiting in the office to be escorted to the classroom, two young teachers, a man and a woman, arrived to be interviewed for a vacancy in the science department. They were fresh out of college so this could be their first job. They looked at me for a while. Then the woman asked: “Are you Mr. Williams from Village Community School?”

“Yes.” I recognised them both as former pupils of mine. “How are you?” We had a short conversation and then, just before I left for my lesson, they told me how much they had enjoyed the philosophy sessions which, they said, had given them greater confidence in their abilities.

All the students I’ve met over the years around the local area have told me that the Philosophy for Children programme was a good experience for them in a variety of ways.

Reflecting on this, I think that philosophical enquiry with young people creates a dialogical and argumentative environment that has many potential benefits depending on the needs, abilities and personalities of the participants.

For some it may lead to improved reasoning abilities; for others it may provide opportunities to find their voice or discover issues that matter to them. Some may be calmed, others animated. Some may improve their language skills, others may be intrigued by intellectual puzzles and incongruities. Philosophising is important because it can fulfil such a variety of potentialities and contribute in so many different ways to wellbeing.