Why are you teaching us philosophy?

It is nearly August, and time to write my letter of introduction to the students I will work with this year.  Because I teach 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade Extended English, I tend to loop with many of my students.  So, in most cases, this letter is not truly a letter of introduction.  For my 7^th and 8^th graders, it is more of an update—catching up.  For my 6^th graders, it is truly introduction.  See “Really Get to Know Your Students,” September 18, 2022.

As I updated my information and began crafting this year’s letters, a common idea stood out in each of them.  “I believe that by reading and writing, we learn about people, about the world, and about life.  Reading and writing also teach us about ourselves.”  I hope this is true in all English/ELA classrooms.  True English Language Arts study must be more than simply reading things and answering comprehension questions.  There is more to it than identifying the main idea or theme.  It must be more than a formulaic set of writing assignments: information, argument, and some sort of narrative.  It must be better than teacher-led discussion, which really means more comprehension questions—just out loud.

The best days in my classroom are the days that we realize something about human nature together, we see ourselves in the things we read or write, and we notice our world in our words.  When these things happen, time seems to fly, yet also stand still.  It brings us together as a community.  It doesn’t happen in every class on the same day.  It can’t.  Each class is made of different humans who interact in different and complex ways.  But it does happen.  Let me put you into one such “day” in my classroom, a few years ago.

“Why are you teaching us philosophy?” Kiran asked.

“Because I can,” I answered.  And that is true.  It is also true that eighth graders—any students, really—need to think about who they are, what they do, and how they are perceived.  And my English class is just the place to do this.  On this day, my 8^th grade class was embarking on a unit of study that would lead to researching themselves.  See Researching Ourselves, February 2, 2025.  Before we got into that, I asked them some tough questions, just to get them thinking, writing…and talking.

What shapes identity?  Make a list.

How is your identity defined?  Make a list.

Who or what has the power to define our identity?

Why is it sometimes hard to maintain our own identity?

Why is it difficult at times to go against a large group of people?

Then, I asked them the following:

Would you agree that some aspects of our identity are consistent throughout our lives, but others change as we gain skills or take on different roles?  And we talked.

Would you agree that some aspects of our identity feel very central to who we are no matter what situation we are in; others depend on the situation?  Which parts of your identity are always there, not matter where you are?  Which of your personality traits change depending on the situation?  Again, we talked.

Would you agree that some identities are labels given to us by others, and we may not really identify ourselves with them?  Which labels have you been given that you do not agree with?  This time, I gave them the choice of talking or writing.  They chose talking.

We talked about all of these questions at length.  Confession: it took more than one class period.

Then, to lighten things up a bit, I asked the following:

What is your favorite color?  Has it ever changed?

What is your favorite song, group, or artist?

What is your favorite smell or scent?  Why do you think it is?

Who are your favorite people?

What is your favorite quote, phrase, or motto?

These questions were lighter and more fun, but because of what we had just discussed, my students answered them seriously.  They thought first.

Is this a study of philosophy?  Maybe.  Is it English?  Perhaps.  Is it worth doing?  Absolutely.  It set us up well for a unit of deep introspection and self-examination.  It made our class real.  It taught us about people, the world, life, and ourselves.