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The Sunday Magazine

Young minds wrestle with big philosophical questions

Who am I? What is happiness? What is real? B.C.-based teacher Tiffany Poirier puts philosophy in the classroom along with the three Rs.
CBC Radio ·
The toga-clad thinkers of Grade Six at Prince Charles Elementary School in Surrey, British Columbia

Imagine a Grade 6 classroom where the students are told there are no answers — only questions. That was the magic of Room 121 at Prince Charles Elementary School in Surrey, B.C.

The teacher, Tiffany Poirier, is on something of a crusade to bring the study of philosophy to young children.

And kids light up when they're given a chance to wrestle with the big questions of life.  

We decided to ask ourselves a couple of deep ones: If not now, when? And why not? 

That classroom deserved a visit.  

Here they are, the toga-clad thinkers and their teacher, Tiffany Poirier.

Click 'listen' above to hear Yvonne Gall's documentary.

This documentary first aired in 2013. Tiffany Poirier is now a district vice-principal in the Greater Victoria school district and speaks across the country about bringing philosophy to children.  

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