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“Throw your precious opinions out the window!”

Jan 27, 2022 | Spotlight on English

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.

PAW 2025 Includes Innovative Ways to Engage US Students in Lessons Learned

PAW 2025 Includes Innovative Ways to Engage US Students in Lessons Learned

Last week, D-E’s Upper School (US) students were immersed in our annual Projects & Assessments Week (PAW). “Over the course of the week, students engaged in a mixture of traditional exams and less traditional, but equally important, projects and workshops,” said US Principal Kim Lalli. “The goal is for students to have a variety of experiences that reflect the dynamic nature of our curriculum and give them a chance to demonstrate just how much they have learned so far this year.” Those experiences included going on trips to a DNA lab and the iFLY indoor skydiving facility. There were also some cross-divisional and cross-disciplinary opportunities for students to engage in. For example, students in Science Department Chair & Physics Teacher Tara Weinstein’s Honors Physics class worked with 3rd and 6th graders to design age-appropriate games as part of their PAW project. In addition, Paul Edwards, an Art & Design faculty member, gave a lecture on artistic influences during the Harlem Renaissance to the History class taught by Diane Christian. All in all, it was a stimulating week for our US students ahead of the spring break!

Community Is the Focus of the Middle School’s Diversity Day

Community Is the Focus of the Middle School’s Diversity Day

For the recent annual Middle School (MS) Diversity Day, now in its 6th year, MS students at D-E spent the day attending special activities and a variety of community-building workshops on topics of interest to D-E faculty/staff and affinity groups. MS Principal Jonathan Davis said it’s an event that is “grounded in our mission of meeting the challenges of a changing world and making it better.” The day began in Schenck Auditorium with guest speaker Eboné Bell, a prominent media figure who advocates for LGBTQ women, who spoke on creating intentional change. Students then dispersed to attend two of 16 available workshops, which included sessions on European folk songs, spoken word poetry, piñata making, hamantaschen baking, and the origin of beans. There was also a yoga class, a global dance party, an Advisory scavenger hunt, and a jubilant Holi celebration on Graham Field to wrap up the day. “Middle School is all about finding your place in the world and creating your own identity,” expressed Mr. Davis. “This is an opportunity for our students to know who they are and to give others the space to be who they are.”

Community Is the Focus of the Middle School’s Diversity Day
PAW 2025 Includes Innovative Ways to Engage US Students in Lessons Learned
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