Sharon Kaye - Take a Stand!

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Kaye, Sharon M., author.

Title: Take a stand! : classroom activities that explore philosophical arguments that matter to teens / Sharon Kaye.

Description: Waco, TX : Prufrock Press Inc., 2020. | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: ""Take a Stand!" (grades 9-12) helps teens develop critical thinking skills by examining debates on issues directly relevant to their lives (that you won't find in most classroom materials)"-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020028936 (print) | LCCN 2020028937 (ebook) | ISBN 9781646320691 (paperback) | ISBN 9781646320707 (ebook) | ISBN 9781646320868 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Critical thinking--Study and teaching--Activity programs. | Philosophy--Study and teaching--Activity programs. | Social history--Study and teaching--Activity programs. | Teenagers--Attitudes.

Classification: LCC LB1590.3 .K39 2020 (print) | LCC LB1590.3 (ebook) | DDC 370.15/2--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020028936

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020028937

Copyright 2020, Prufrock Press Inc.

Edited by Stephanie McCauley

Cover design by Allegra Denbo and layout design by Shelby Charette

ISBN-13: 978-1-64632-086-8

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At the time of this books publication, all facts and figures cited are the most current available. All telephone numbers, addresses, and website URLs are accurate and active. All publications, organizations, websites, and other resources exist as described in the book, and all have been verified. The authors and Prufrock Press Inc. make no warranty or guarantee concerning the information and materials given out by organizations or content found at websites, and we are not responsible for any changes that occur after this books publication. If you find an error, please contact Prufrock Press Inc.

Table of Contents

by Rachel C. Lee

by Eric Johnston

by Rachel C. Lee

by Maria Genova

by Oliver Golias

by Rachel C. Lee

by Oliver Golias

by Rachel C. Lee

by Dominic Fasano and Eric Johnston

by Tristan Hansen

by Maria Genova

by Oliver Golias

by Celeste Johnson

by Autumn Franz

by Celeste Johnson

by Tommy Kegler

Acknowledgments

With special thanks to Dr. Heinrik Hellwig for editorial assistance.

Preface

by Sharon M. Kaye

This book grew out of a program at John Carroll University (JCU) called Philosophy for Kids (P4K). P4K began in 2016 as an effort on the part of the JCU Department of Philosophy to build academic and social connections with the surrounding community. Each year, 10 undergraduate interns pair up to teach five philosophy classes in the gifted programs at three nearby public schools. Classes are held once per week for anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour.

By teaching, I mean that the interns facilitate philosophy discussions. They are not education majors and receive no special training. Their job is made easier by the fact that they do not give homework or tests. Furthermore, the classroom teacher stays in the room to handle any classroom management issues that may arise. Still, the work the interns do is amazing. They plunge school-weary teens into the deepest questions human beings have ever asked, including:

Who are you?

Is the world real?

Where does knowledge come from?

What is the meaning of life?

These discussions are transformative. They are often the highlight of the day, the month, or the year for everyone involved.

JCU interns and their classroom teachers learn just as much from their P4K classes as their students do. Contrary to popular assumption, kids are actually very good at philosophy. The word philosophy comes from the Greek words for love and wisdom. Young minds are full of the curiosity that breeds the love of wisdom. Philosophy comes naturally to any sincere seeker of truth. As the ancient Greek philosopher Plato said, Philosophy begins in wonder. All students need to do is be themselves, express their ideas, and listen to the ideas of others.

JCU P4K interns are paid for their work by an endowment given to the JCU Department of Philosophy. However, our interns regularly insist that they would gladly do their work for free. Ill repeat that because I find it extraordinary: Our interns, who work minimum wage jobs at local pizza joints to pay their expensive tuition, regularly tell me that they would gladly do their work at P4K for free. I, in turn, insist that if the money werent there I would simply arrange for interns to receive course credit for this valuable learning experience.

Im telling you this to encourage you to start a P4K program at your school. Contact the philosophy department at your local college or university to ask if any undergraduates would be available to present or teach. Colleges and universities can often arrange funding or course credit through their career centers. This type of internship could also count as service learning for various programs and districts. Short of finding college interns, you can easily run your own philosophy classroom without any help. If undergraduates can do it without any special training, then so can you. Our interns often use the books Philosophy for Teens and More Philosophy for Teens, which I wrote with my colleague Paul Thomson 15 years ago for an earlier version of the P4K program. These books provide an accessible introduction to the entire history of philosophy.

Recently, as I listened to the kinds of discussions going on in our P4K classroom, I realized we needed another book more exclusively dedicated to contemporary controversial issues. Take a Stand! was designed and written by JCUs P4K interns. They generated the list of issues, researched both sides, and presented them in a format they know from experience works.

Each chapter begins with a dialogue between two fictional high school students. The dialogue shows how philosophical issues naturally arise in ordinary conversation. A nice way to start class is to ask two theatrical students to perform the dialogue. This allows for some giggles and direct engagement with the arguments to be examined.