The book is to be launched at the Institute of Education at 17.30 hrs. Professor White puts forward proposals for radical educational reform arising from widespread current anxieties about the future of work and about its place in a fulfilled human life. The book begins with a philosophical investigation of the meaning of work, its value to the individual and its place in education.
Parents have a vital role alongside teachers.
Parental responsibilities concerning preparation for work are spelled out. Children need ethical stiffening against the temptations around them. Notions of 'noses to the grindstone' and ever more homework are challenged. Schools are for learning not only for working. Non-work forms of learning should be encouraged, for example, reading books for pleasure not always with a test or critical essay in mind.