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 story Dr. J pays homage to Dr. Seuss and also shares the deep lesson that began when a class of Second Graders discussed a seemingly simply question:  Do you talk to yourself? 

Why is p4cHI valuable? This question is a "Qq." It is a question within a question. The outer question "Why is p4cHI valuable?" assumes the truth of the inner question "Is p4cHI valuable?" In asking why p4cHI is valuable we are assuming that it is, in fact, valuable. But is this true? Is p4cHI really valuable?

I, like many people, knew the answer to this question almost immediately when I first saw p4cHI in action. YES!!! But, while I knew, I didn't know how I knew. I couldn't articulate the value that I saw.

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 story Dr. J tells us about a discussion in a First Grade class. The tragic death of a young boy's father prompts a profound and moving inquiry.

I always feel uncomfortable talking about Hawaiian concepts. I am not Hawaiian. Nor am I fluent in the Hawaiian language. While I have lived in Hawai‘i for the greater part of my life, I am (and always will be) in a very real sense foreign. And history has shown that all too often foreigners have usurped Hawaiian culture and concepts and have distorted them into a degraded and nearly unrecognizable form.

Despite my discomfort, I still, like a humble and admittedly ignorant student paying homage to his teacher, sometimes speak of Hawaiian concepts. I do this because I have learned that deeply embedded within the culture and concepts of Hawai‘i is profound and much-needed wisdom. The Hawaiian elders of yesterday and today have something very important to tell us, but, more often than not, we don't listen to them.

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 and his First Grade philosophers explore the spirit of Christmas as they delve into an intriguing question: Could Santa Die?

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.

Why didn't the Tooth Fairy, a First Grader wonders, take my tooth?  In this week's story Dr. J marvels at the imagination of children as they deliberate this vexing question.

In 1991 I enrolled as a graduate student in the Philosophy Department at the University of Hawai‘i.  Philosophy graduate school changed me.  Some of these changes were obvious.  I grew my hair long and started walking around without any shoes.  But some of these changes were more subtle.  I became a better, less sloppy, and more careful thinker.

"I remember this," a veteran teacher once whispered to me as we sat through a rather tedious presentation of the latest and greatest best educational practice.  "We did this 30 years ago."

If you study the history of education in the United States, you'll notice a series of pendulum swings.  Educational policy and practices seemingly go too far in one direction and then society reacts and the pendulum wildly swings too far in the other direction.  We are, it oftentimes seems, a society that is drawn to the extreme poles of action/reaction and either/or.

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.

What can one do to deal with scary ideas like monsters under the bed and divorce? In this story Dr. J tells us about the thoughts of a class of Kindergarten students.

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 story Dr. J reflects on what makes a p4cHI inquiry special.  A p4cHI inquiry is special, he concludes, because it arises out of the interests of the children and because no one, including the teacher, knows where the inquiry will lead.