It’s a big deal, and it’s kind of come in fast and furious, so it’s natural (and advisable) for parents to ask “How is this going to affect my kid as a learner?”

Are you afraid that our beloved books are going the way of the dodo?

Well, we are not. That’s not to say that print media hasn’t taken a few lumps in the past couple of decades. It’s definitely been a rough go for our papery friends, but rather than panicking and stowing them away in hermetically sealed containers, we choose to take a different view.

Whether it’s mentally, emotionally or socially, we want our kids to be ready to make the most of their time on the world stage, and there’s no better (or more fun) way to do that then to engage them as wee philosophers.

When we encourage our children as wee philosophers, we are essentially supporting them in learning how to think, instead of just what to think. We’re setting them up for success not only at school, but also in their professional and personal lives. We’re recognizing and encouraging a very human practice, one that’s been in play for tens of thousands of years. It’s a bit much to be squeezed into a subject area, isn’t it?

It’s the hope of pretty much every parent and educator that school will have room for activities and lessons that foster vital 21st century skills, and that cover important issues. We want our learners to have the most enriching educational experience possible, to be prepared for life outside the classroom, and to become effective global citizens. It’s more than a little disappointing when we hear important pieces of that experience are going away.

As anyone who’s done philosophy with small children (or with big people, for that matter) would, we found this pretty familiar and appealing. Done properly, philosophical education demands that learners consider a variety of ideas, and that they carefully scrutinize exactly what’s being asked of them in the first place.

It’s really never too early to think critically about what makes someone “other”, and about how to bridge the distance.

In an era like ours, thinking skills are invaluable. To quote a Malay proverb “A tree with strong roots laughs at storms.”