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AMBASSADOR
The Importance of Humanities in a STEAM-Powered School DON REESE, HUMANITIES CO-CHAIR
I STEP INTO THE USUALLY DARK, OFTEN COLD MORNING, BENDING AWKWARDLY TO KEEP THE STRAP OF MY BAG ON MY SHOULDER ALL THE WAY OUT TO THE CAR, WHERE I FIT EACH BEVERAGE INTO ITS CUP HOLDER, PULL UP WAZE ON MY PHONE, AND TURN ON A PODCAST. Then, I head off to merge onto one of the busiest freeways in America to commute from Providence to Brimmer. This sometimes means being “stuck in traffic” for hours. Recently, though, I have adopted a mantra: “You are not in traffic; you are traffic.” Rather than seeing other cars as obstacles and other people as competitors, I’ve started to think of us all as one organism,
as blood vessels in the arteries of the city. This changes the decisions I make. I can let others change lanes, and I can feel sympathy for the drivers who weave frantically between lanes only to wind up 10 feet ahead when the traffic thickens. I am a humanities teacher, so my solution to the problem of my commute is about perspective, imagination, and emotion rather
Dr. Don Reese teaches his 11th grade English class.
than design. This is how the humanities enrich our lives in the age of STEAM; they offer us the gift of empathy, of feeling with other people rather than seeing them as instruments or hindrances. Philosophical, literary, mythical, and historical thinking help us to see ourselves in relationship with others. With this crucial educational mission in mind, we are revamping the English curriculum to allow our juniors and seniors to choose
