Today's Philosophy topic was Discrimination which turned out to be a very lively and interesting discussion. We started out thinking a lot about the recent Bart shooting in East Oakland and whether or not that constituted discrimination or just an accident. People shared some personal examples of being discriminated against--gender differences in PE class, teachers calling on some students and ignoring others, and being the only non-white flower girl in a wedding.
This was a perfect discussion following our debate about whether or not Philosophy should even be taught in school. The overwhelming opinion was that philosophy is important for developing minds because it gives young people the opportunity to actually discuss moral issues, complex ideas, and think about subjects that may have no right or wrong answer. Today's conversation gave students the opportunity to do exactly that.
Don't forget the old work that many of you still need to turn in.
emma