Green School Reaccreditation
Touchstones Discussions
Touchstones Discussions emphasize a civil exchange of ideas and viewpoints based on brief essays drawn from various fields. Three readings and related activities are noted below. Students learn that knowledge is ongoing and that humans have always grappled with right choices—a challenge often posed in environmental studies and policy.
“Fire and Ice,” by Robert Frost, is often associated by students with global warming and extremes of weather. Discussions touch on the idea of taking care of our planet because carelessness and lack of foresight could result in destruction.
“On a Certain Blindness in Human Beings,” by William James, invites students to consider how a situation could be interpreted differently from people with different vantage points and asks if common ground could be found.
The passage from The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin introduces students to a sample of his work and thinking. We can approach this reading by asking how competition and cooperation affect the dynamics of a habitat or group.
When weather permits, we move our discussions from our school library to our outdoor circular picnic tables. Our conversations then take place out of doors, much as discourse would have occurred in ancient times with Socrates and Plato.
Touchstones Discussions
Touchstones Discussions emphasize a civil exchange of ideas and viewpoints based on brief essays drawn from various fields. Three readings and related activities are noted below. Students learn that knowledge is ongoing and that humans have always grappled with right choices—a challenge often posed in environmental studies and policy.
“Fire and Ice,” by Robert Frost, is often associated by students with global warming and extremes of weather. Discussions touch on the idea of taking care of our planet because carelessness and lack of foresight could result in destruction.
“On a Certain Blindness in Human Beings,” by William James, invites students to consider how a situation could be interpreted differently from people with different vantage points and asks if common ground could be found.
The passage from The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin introduces students to a sample of his work and thinking. We can approach this reading by asking how competition and cooperation affect the dynamics of a habitat or group.
When weather permits, we move our discussions from our school library to our outdoor circular picnic tables. Our conversations then take place out of doors, much as discourse would have occurred in ancient times with Socrates and Plato.