What are your reasons?

As I walked to Mr. Y's fifth grade class a bit of sadness filled my heart. This was going to be the last p4c discussion I have with them. But I was hopeful that this would be a great discussion.

Right off the bat I knew this class was going to improve. About four months ago when I first went to this class, we would sit in the circle on the outside of the desks. Students shared their thoughts as usual and I tried my best to dig deep into the surface every time I was with them.

This last p4c was different.

We sat in circle without the desk being in front of us. The class also wrote their thoughts on paper before sharing, something I did not anticipate to be doing. I was very amazed at how well everyone was working and I just knew this discussion would be my best.

"WATR terrorist kill people?" This was the question the class voted on. In my head I was thinking where will the conversation go?

I think terrorist kill people for revenge. –Steven

            A student asked Steven, what do you mean by revenge. And his response was when you want something bad to happen to someone because it may have happened to you.

I think terrorist kill people for political reasons. -Owen 

A student asked Owen, what do you mean by political reasons. Owen’s response: Political reasons are like when you they want rights to go their way.

I think terrorist kill people because they were treated wrongly and they want others to feel that way. –Nala

I think terrorist kill people because they are jealous and want to act cool. -Cammie

As we heard more about why terrorist kill people, it made me wonder who are the "they" we are defining them by? Mr. Yung was able to get the ball before I could to ask this. "What do we mean by a terrorist?" Mrs. Laboy had also asked what is the reasoning behind people who are terrorist.

When it was finally my turn- I was so ready. “Can I just say I amazed that I'm sitting in a fifth grade class wondering about terrorist? Because when I was in the fifth grade I don't think I ever thought about terrorist. But since it has been coming up and we are more aware of it, I'm glad to see that we know about it.”

More questions we discussed were:

·         Can it be one incident that causes their actions?

·         What would a terrorist have to do to be a terrorist?

·         Are video games inspiring people to become terrorist?

Wow this was such a great discussion and students’ were able to share what they really thought! It’s sad that this is my last time with them! Look at all the possibilities that could happen next semester!

Thank you Mr. Y and his fifth grade class for letting me have this opportunity to share my knowledge with you folks. I am grateful to have been part of such a wonderful class and create a community with you folks. Have a great rest of your school year and see you later!

Too Comfortable, Or Just Right

It was me and Colby’s first week back to Mrs.T’s class this discussion with them was one I am not going to forget. Not only was Colby new to the class but there was also a new student(Irene) who knew absolutely nothing about p4c. In my mind I had an idea that this student would just sit back and relax and not participate, but I was wrong. The question that we had a plain vanilla on was “Would you rather stay young or grow up?”

I never thought that her hand would be the first to go up but I was so curious what her answer was because this was her first time having a plain vanilla, so of course I passed the community to her first. Irene’s response was “ I would want to grow up so I can experience life…” The message I got from the students was that they would want to feel young and also have the freedom that comes with being an adult. After hearing their responses, I asked “Why do we feel like we need more time?

Jaden said, “...we cannot escape death” and another student said, “ dying isn’t bad because since I’m Catholic, I know that I will be with God when I die.” Our inquiry was getting really deep and I liked where we were heading. It was pretty amazing seeing how everyone was answering the question from different point of views; they connected their answers to songs, religion, personal experiences, and so on. Unfortunately, the discussion couldn’t go on any further because of the short amount of time we had, but I am glad that we put that time to good use.

I guess I am left here astonished with this new student feeling so free to share what she had to say. Maybe it was because I reminded the class about our rules or maybe it is because she felt welcomed. My first experience of doing p4c was very different because I just sat there and listened and overtime I felt comfortable to share, but this was different.Overall, this was a great first visit back to the fifth grade class at Maunawili and I am very pleased to see how much they have grown and haven’t lost the momentum from last semester. I can’t wait to see how their responses will improve over time.
-Cindy

Surprise! Reading Actually Helps

This week has been so much easier working with the kindergarteners. Since they are so young they still need work on not only forming a question but answering one as well. On previous visits I would go with either Maureen or Cindy and we would throw a question at them and the discussion would be very one way and we would desperately try to keep the conversation going by trying to relate to them as simple as possible. But I noticed from the second grade class that the kids seemed to be apart of the conversation a lot more from reading the book and not only did the seem to be apart of the discussion but they had started to use another source to help back up their reasoning so now instead of giving an answer with no evidence of where they got it from they now have some sort of evidence to help prove their point. In my opinion this is a break through that will help form their question making and answering skills and, even though they are not ready for a Plain Vanilla inquiry just yet, they are already trying to give counter claims as to why their class mate is wrong.

First Grade: Thanksgiving

What does it mean to be thankful?

This is the question I first posed when I entered Mrs. E's class. Answers like "when someone gives you food, you say thank you," "when my mom gives me something I want, I say thank you to her," and "appreciating what you have" were said as we went around the circle. Avery said it means to be appreciative and not taking things for granted. 

Afterwards, we went around the circle and shared what we were thankful for. Things like food, iPads, Sky Landers, Beyblade, soccer, my family, and friends floated around. 

But it made me wonder, why is good to be thankful? Lots of students raised their hands, wanting to answer. Amy said it is good to be thankful because if you are not thankful, then you will not get it again. Josh said that it is good to be thankful because some people do not get what you might have gotten, so you should say thank you for it. I said it is good to be thankful because you may never if things might get taken away from you or things may be gone. 

Students then related this to homeless people. Zaine said homeless people do not get everything, so we should give them things we do not need, because they will be thankful for it too. Kassey said that if we give homeless people something, then they would be thankful and be happy.

This was a new class I went to and I was amazed at the welcoming I received when I walked in. This class has not done p4c in a long time, so it was great to be in there and do some thinking about Thanksgiving, since it is Thanksgiving break this week.  

Kindergarten:Is It A Good Idea Or Bad Idea?

On November 23rd, Logan and I visited the Kindergarten class at Maunawili Elementary School. Logan came up with the lesson plan which was reading a book and coming up with a question to have a discussion. The book Mrs. T chose was called Jamaica's Find, and the kids really enjoyed listening to her read this book.

Jamaica's Find is about a girl named Jamaica who goes to the park on a regular basis and finds things on every trip she makes. One day Jamaica went to the park and she found a stuffed dog, she took it home to her mother and she had a liking in the stuffed animal and wondered where she had gotten it from. Jamaica felt guilty about keeping this stuffed dog that she brought home from the park so the next day she took it to the lost and found. That same day Jamaica sees a girl with her mother at the park and decided to ask her to play, but the girl said she had to find something before they play.

Jamaica realized that the girl may have been the potential owner of the stuffed animal and asked if that was what she had been looking for, and it was. 

The moral of the story was to be honest and if you found something and it doesn't belong to you, then you should give it back. After Mrs.T finished reading the story, we posed the question "Is it a good idea or a bad idea to keep something that doesn't belong to you?" Many of the students told us that it was a bad idea because the owner might get sad about loosing the item they had found. Then I asked how they would feel if they lost something and they saw the person with the item they had lost. Mario answered "I would go up to the person and ask them nicely to please give it back." Other students said that they would tell a teacher or an adult that they know who took their lost item.

Overall I thought this inquiry went pretty well because I know that kids sometimes have a hard time sharing and trying to control their behavior when it comes to conflicts between kids their age. Hopefully if a problem arises like this one, they will know how to solve it in a calmly manner. The fact that the kids are able to understand these types of situations is really surprising to me because they are only five or six years old with little experience. 

The philoSURFERS on World Philosophy Day

Today, the third Wednesday of November, marks the tenth celebration of World Philosophy Day. Since 2005, UNESCO has taken the lead in promoting value of philosophy has on humanity and  the communities in which we reside. Considering the philoSURFERS have dedicated their time and efforts to achieving this aim on a daily basis by supporting teachers in bringing philosophy, specifically p4c, to life in classrooms, we thought it would be a great time to write a post concerning philosophy's importance. In just a few minutes, the philoSURFERS put together this post to share why people should even care about philosophy.

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People should care about philosophy because philosophy is a part of life. Everyone thinks about things they care about and we make decisions everyday. If a questioning attitude is a part of life then we should all care about philosophy. Our questions need to be answered, and by doing p4c we get answers to things we wonder about from others around us.

Philosophy has helped me look at the world with a different mindset. Before I was introduced to p4c I never really thought anything through. For example, I never really gave any thought to decisions I would make, my future, or problems happening right before my eyes. Philosophy has allowed me to think at a deeper level, understand others more, and helped me discover myself. I have discovered myself throughout high school through philosophy by being taught in an environment where we talk about things that really matter to us. An example of this is being in Mrs.U's class and constantly talking about careers we are looking into and that helped me really think about my future and think about the classes I need to take, and set goals I need to set for myself.

Being a philoSURFER and having the opportunity to spread philosophy to other students and teachers is great because they now understand the importance of philosophy. This role doesn't stop at school grounds, it continues into my personal life. For example, I talk to my family about things that we discussed that day when we have plain vanillas and I also talk to my friends about what's happening.

-Cindy

The reason I care about philosophy is because it’s a simple way of expression that really helps others to feel more comfortable with new people around them. In today's society I think that people are more focused on their looks than whats actually inside and philosophy is a great way to help erase that way of thinking. There have been so many times I've judged someone just by the way they looked, but when we have an inquiry together their input and questions paint a whole new picture in your mind that you forget about your first impression. Philosophy allows you to really listen to others. Sadly, most people do not get too many experiences in doing philosophy. 

However, I like to think we are trying to change this.  Actually, we’ve been doing something about this since freshman year when we first started doing p4c. Since then, I have loved doing philosophy, not only with my peers, but with the elementary students, as well. Given our positions as philoSURFERS, we have chances has given to learn more and to teach others that are not to familiar with philosophy and philosophical thinking.  It is for this reason, I can’t wait to continue my experience with Dr. Miller and the rest of the students and schools we work with.

-Logan

Many adults, teenagers, and children do not get the opportunity to express themselves or say what they feel, but I believe when philosophy is introduced to these individuals, they will feel more comfortable in expressing themselves. For example, I was introduced to philosophy during my freshman year in my Ethnic Studies and Philosophy class at Kailua High School. At first, I was a bit scared because the students in my class were not people I would really open up to. The individuals in my class did not seem open-minded, therefore, I was not comfortable in speaking my mind. I knew they were quick to judge. At that time I was also shy. The dynamics of everyone in the classroom did not make me feel safe. At one point, I really considered switching into a different class. However, after talking to various teachers, they told me to give it some time. Staying in that class was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. I soon learned to say what I wanted even if people were still going to judge. More and more philosophical discussions really helped me to open myself up and share my thoughts and ideas. 

I am currently interning as a philosopher in residence, a philoSURFER, and I enjoy doing philosophy. I have been doing p4c for four years in my classes and interning as a philosopher in residence has opened my eyes to seeing how powerful philosophy can be in the classroom. Elementary students are excited and eager to have discussions where we can talk about almost anything. Philosophy is a way to think philosophically and share your thoughts, ideas, and wonderments without being judged, this is why the world needs philosophy. 

-Maureen

Pausing to Reflect on Our First 14 weeks of the philoSURFERS

After 14 weeks, what are three things we’ve learned so far?

After 14 weeks of being a philoSURFER, I have learned that I can really work with kids. I want to be an elementary school teacher and this experience has made me excited for my future. I have truly appreciated what elementary teachers do with their students because they are not as easy to handle. When I first went a kindergarten class, they were very “rascally,” but as time progressed they were able to sit in a circle for over 30 minutes. Same thing happened in a third grade class. I have also learned how to create lesson plans for a class. Normally, high school students do not create the lesson plan, but the teacher does. Well in in my case the role has reversed. I have learned more about philosophy for children and how to support teachers while doing so. I think I have been doing a very well job at supporting the teachers and the kids seem to enjoy doing p4c. 

-Maureen

I have learned that just by giving a kid a chance no matter how old or what grade they are just by giving them the time to think they have the ability to blow your mind. Being with the younger kids sometimes they need a good question to spark the flame within them but once its lit they are able to go on and on about the question. The learning process is really a two way thing and i'm learning so much from these kids and I can't wait until next semester when new philoSURFERS come and experience this with me.

-Logan

After doing this internship for 14 weeks I’ve learned patience, creativity, and to keep an open mind. I have learned patience with trying to work around some of the rascals within classrooms and patience in seeing growth in different classes. I learned creativity with trying to make different games and lessons that would help the students understand the purpose of p4c better. Lastly, I have learned that keeping an open mind to things makes you see things more clearly. 

-Cindy

After 14 weeks, what are three challenges we have experienced?

The challenge I have experienced is that my internship will soon be ending. This makes me sad because I have really enjoyed being a philoSURFER and I want to continue. But I have things I need to take care of. Having a great connection with all my students has truly opened and validated myself in becoming an elementary school teacher. The bond that I have with the students will never be irreplaceable, but I truly hope whoever my replacement will be, that they will take care of not only the student and the teacher. Along with my internship almost ending, I’m also challenged with teaching the teacher about p4c. I know that we are the experts but I feel scared because I know I have to teach them as much as I can since I will be leaving soon. This may be a silly a challenge, but it has also been a challenge to remember student's name, I mean we do serve over 500 students. 

-Maureen

One of my main challenges has been working with the kindergarteners as well as other younger grades. I just don't have that many experiences with children this young. Another challenge would be lesson plans but what's challenging is that sometimes it's hard to know if I have used the lesson plan in the "right" way.

-Logan

One of the challenges that we faced was when it would get hard to hold the attention of the class, especially the kindergarten and first grade classes on a hot day. Another challenge we experienced was the lack of communication with the teachers we worked with, which made making lesson plans a bit challenging. I think the most challenging thing for us to figure out is how to keep our classes moving forward in p4c.

-Cindy