That philosophy guides the Ethics Department Chair, Sr. Joseph Murphy, for his first-time tenth grade students. Sr. Murphy explains that, “they [students] think of opinions somehow like it’s property that they ‘own it’ somehow, but they really don’t own it fully until they can argue for it. Knowledge in a certain sense is a process, and you have to arrive at a conclusion through a process.”
Over this past Summer 2021, Ethics Department Chair Sr. Joe Murphy contributed a chapter within the anthology Intentional Disruption: Expanding Access to Philosophy (2021) published by Vernon Press. The anthology edited by Stephen Miller outlines how educators in philosophy have implemented the discipline at the pre-college level.
Students are always “in process” in class, formulating their ideas, at times, only in Spanish. Joe Murphy’s chapter “Once a Philosopher-In-Hiding: Teaching Philosophy in Spanish in the USA” details his journey from being the language department chair to trailblazing the now expansive ethics department curricula. He is one of few educators to integrate second language education with philosophical inquiry emphasizing that, “language is a way that we identify ourselves. When we talk and when we use language, it’s one of the ways that we make sense of the world.”
Philosophical education in high schools is often attributed as “critical thinking”. Sr. Murphy argues that what precedes the idea of “critical thinking” is first philosophical inquiry. He has seen what it provides in little moments: parents amazed with how their children have learned to discuss hard questions over the dinner table. Sr. Murphy hopes and implores other schools, administrators, and philosophers-in-hiding to take the leap. After all, they will become the philosophers and leaders of our future.
D-E Assemblies Recognize Arab, Persian, Muslim heritage, Ramadan, and Eid
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6th Grade “Rome Day” Recap
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Science Department Spotlight: Making Universal Connections
The next installment of our community “Spotlight” series is an exploration of the Science Department—a natural fit as the season shifts to spring! “Science is all around us…
Critical Mass Varsity Robotics Qualifies for Worlds!
Congrats to our Bulldog Bots, who are heading to the World Finals! Over the weekend, our Upper School Robotics Team, Team #207 Critical Mass, qualified to compete in the FIRST World Championship, which will take place Wednesday, April 29, through Saturday, May 2, at...
TEDxDwight-Englewood School 2026 Centers on the Human Experience
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MS Creative Writing and Art & Design Students Learn About ‘Narrative in Art’
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First Graders Present Their Houses and Homes
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D-E Winter Track Athletes Competing in Nike Indoor Nationals!
CHEERS to D-E Varsity Winter Track athletes Tade Adeyeri ‘26, Adesola Afonja ‘27, and Grace Dalgetty ‘26! All three qualified for the prestigious Nike Indoor Nationals! Tade competed earlier in the Boys Triple Jump Emerging Elite competition. Adesola will compete in...
D-E Celebrates Pi Day!
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Fourth Grade UN Field Trip Fosters Global Understanding
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