With age, they say, comes wisdom.  I don't think this is always true.  Some of my greatest teachers have been children who possess a rare and special wisdom that is way beyond their years.  And, on the other hand, I've met a lot of grown-ups who still, it seems to me, foolishly worry too much about unimportant things.

As I read Gandhi's quote (in the image on the right) I, perhaps somewhat oddly, thought of the old phrase "garbage in, garbage out."  Mothers everywhere probably have something like that in mind when they urge their children to avoid junk food.  If you eat unhealthy food, your body won't be healthy.  You, to put it another way, reap what you sow.

Drawing from his many years of experience, p4cHI founder Dr. Thomas Jackson (Dr. J) shares some of his most memorable moments and significant realizations.  These stories provide us with a vibrant and oftentimes inspirational perspective on where p4cHI has come from, what it is, and, indeed, on what it could be.

Drawing from his many years of experience, p4cHI founder Dr. Thomas Jackson (Dr. J) shares some of his most memorable moments and significant realizations.  These stories provide us with a vibrant and oftentimes inspirational perspective on where p4cHI has come from, what it is, and, indeed, on what it could be.

One of the college courses that I've taught over the years is Introduction to Philosophy.  And one of the topics that we cover in this class is the Philosophy of Religion.  We consider the question of whether or not God exists, look at different conceptions of God, and think more deeply about the qualities that God might possess.

Drawing from his many years of experience, p4cHI founder Dr. Thomas Jackson (Dr. J) shares some of his most memorable moments and significant realizations.  These stories provide us with a vibrant and oftentimes inspirational perspective on where p4cHI has come from, what it is, and, indeed, on what it could be.

This week Dr. J shares a powerful story about what happened when students in a Fourth Grade class were deliberately excluded from an inquiry.  We learn what it is like to not be heard.

I was on a committee that was interviewing applicants for a job.  It is very important, the chairperson of our committee explained, for each of us to be objective.

Oftentimes people say that we need to be objective.  But it seems to me that what they really mean is that we have to be fair-minded.  I'm not at all sure that it is even possible for any one of us to truly be objective.  After all, each of us is a subject with our own set of unique experiences, tendencies, and strengths.

But even though objectivity is not a character trait, even though we as individuals may not be able to be objective, I do believe that objectivity is possible.  It is attainable through the deliberations of a community of inquirers.  While no single inquirer is objective, collectively the community of inquirers can be objective because the individuals can check each others' biases and correct each others' errors.  Thinking together, they can transcend the boundaries of subjective perspective.

Teacher is the boss and teacher knows the answer.  This phrase nicely sums up the traditional view of the teacher.  The teacher is the one who sets the rules, tells the students how to behave, and governs the class.  The teacher is the one in the know who can answer any question.

The p4cHI approach to education aims to turn this traditional view on its head.  Rather than claiming power, the p4cHI facilitator gives away power.  Almost immediately she abdicates her claim to epistemological authority because her knowing all the answers is an impediment to the students' genuine inquiry.  Then she begins the process of passing the authority to manage the classroom over to the students; her goal is for the students to govern themselves.

Drawing from his many years of experience, p4cHI founder Dr. Thomas Jackson (Dr. J) shares some of his most memorable moments and significant realizations.  These stories provide us with a vibrant and oftentimes inspirational perspective on where p4cHI has come from, what it is, and, indeed, on what it could be.

In this week's story Dr. J talks about the stages of development of the p4cHI community of inquiry.  

It was an hour before The Big Meeting and I frantically approached my co-worker.  "OK, I said, "what's our plan?  What's our strategy?  What are we going to say and what our we going to do?"

My co-worker was a bit older, a bit wiser, and certainly at that moment a lot calmer than I.  She looked at me with an amused look on her face, paused several seconds, and then leaned towards me.  "This," she said in a quiet voice, "is what we're going to do.  We are going to listen to them.  We are going to listen to them very carefully.  And then once we're done listening we will know what to do."