All life is for enjoying, even childhood, contrary to the belief of some parents. In today’s exam-ridden, qualifications-desperate world you might wonder about that. “So much to learn,” I heard a teacher say the other day. ‘Piffle’ was my thought but I was too polite to utter it. What is AI for if it is not to be the fount of much knowledge? But teachers – indeed, entire industries – depend on teaching to stay in business. What should they be teaching today?
There is much discussion about children’s access to information and AI resources that could be harmful. The simple solution a government sees is to ban access to the media that cause this anxiety. Partial bans – during school lessons – are sensible if the purpose of the lesson is to help children think. Total bans from the internet need to be handled with care. Growing up is learning and learning involves making mistakes and discovering things we’d rather not have to know..
An ideal childhood used to be one to run about and shout, free from worry about ‘adult’ things. Since that belief, the word ‘adult’ has changed its meaning. Sometimes it now means pornographic. We do not want children growing up thinking that pornography is an acceptable way of living. If we don’t tell them about it, how can we teach them our values? Judging when to do so is the key to all successful teaching. That varies from child to child. Values must come before value. Standards need to be in place before declining standards are disclosed.
Whatever the legislation or guidelines about what should be taught and when, we need to consider three points at all times. (1) Children are resourceful. If information is available they will find it. Restricting them risks driving the search underground with the unsavory implications that involves. (2) We want parents to become more responsible for bringing up their children, not less. Every time we impose societal disciplines we allow parents to be less responsible.
(3) The world depends on diversity to maintain its current amazing concept of humanity. Process, order, legislation and AI can move it away from this definition. At present we don’t have an acceptable alternative that most people will support. Regimentation of education tends to produce identical personalities, not usefully diversified ones. As with everything in life there is a balance. The last few years swing of the pendulum towards conformity may be on the turn, mainly for reasons of complexity and cost. That could be good news.
Bringing up a child involves teaching the most difficult things a human has to learn – the dependence on independence and the balance between the two. Give a child independence and you have bestowed the greatest gift humans have. Enable the same child to understand the dependence it has on society and you have made the child a potentially worthy leader.
If ever there was a time in the history of the world when good leaders were needed, now must surely be it. Unless we educate them we will never have them.
Humans are in charge of life. The decisions each of us makes about the next generation will decide the future of the race.
It is firmly in your hands.
Good morning
John Bittleston
Please tell us your views at [email protected].
They are how we will all learn.
07 February 2026
