An American professor called Bill Ayers says that children today need to choose the right parents!
What he really means is that if your parents are well off and know important people, then you have more choices and better chances than if your parents are not well off and don't know important people! And he thinks this is wrong, as we are supposed to live in a 'democratic' society where everyone has equal chances and choices in life.
He wants all children and students to ask more questions about who they are, where they are going, and what choices they have. He wants you to make judgements based on evidence and argument, and to think for yourselves.
Do you think that school encourages you to do these things, or holds you back? Does your school teach you to obey and conform, or to be imaginative and creative? Perhaps there's a mix - if so, is it a good one and does it work for you?
Bill wants an end to sorting people into winners and losers through standardised tests in schools.
He says we all need to think about, speak up and speak out about the life situations we find ourselves in.
What do you think about school testing, and about winner and loser labels for schools and individuals?
I'm going to ask my philosophy group if they would like to take on this debate next week!
This is fom the area of philosophy called political philosophy.
Source: The Times Educational Supplement (a newspaper about education) 20.03.09 'Comment' section. Written by Professor Bill Ayers, University of Illinois, Chicago USA
