A few weeks ago I started a philosophy course.

I asked my friend who is fourteen and my tutor who’s an adult if they wanted to come as it’s a course for all ages.

I was pleased that they could both make it.

My friend and I were the only young people who attended the course.

In the first session I noticed some adults talking to each other when someone was already speaking and their mobile phones going off now and again.

It reminded me of when I used to go to school (I home educate now).

The teachers at school were telling a lot of their pupils off for having mobile phones and for talking over other people.

It amused me that adults could behave the same as the average young person.

This made me think that perhaps a lot of people of all ages behave similarly in particular situations.

I wonder if some school teachers might be disruptive themselves if they were attending classes as students, like some of the adults in my philosophy class.

Now and again I felt like an outsider in the group. For example, someone new came into the class and he introduced himself to everyone in the room except me and my fourteen year old friend.

I also found that we got patronised now and again, it felt like some people didn’t take what we said seriously because of our age.

I can cope with that though, it will not put me off attending the class because I gain many things from the group discussions.

My mum and I both agree that there is a general lack of communication between adults and young people in our society.

I think it’s healthy for people of different age groups to interact.

If we are doing something we are interested in and are communicating at the same time we will get to know one another and find we have some things in common and perhaps learn valuable lessons from each other.

This is different to parents trying to behave like teenagers and trying to fit in with their sons or daughters friends.

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