I’m not sure if Jill Parkin was criticising publishers for making money (which I might support) or the value of philosophy for children (which I don’t).
Her narrow thinking illustrates perfectly why P4C should be a part of the curriculum.
She suggests that P4C is somehow removed from the daily “reality” of school life as she knows it but clearly she hasn’t bothered to research its success in empowering children and encouraging them to pose questions that people like Ms Parkin don’t want asked and might never have considered.
As a teacher trainer, I hope newcomers to the profession aren’t exposed to such a cynical, ill-informed teacher. Promoting one thing and dismissing another seems counter-productive.
Peter Fletcher 12 Trafalgar Road, Wigan
