The Humanities: Pedagogy with Purpose by Christina Mimms,
H
umanities classes at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School serve as the setting for some of the great lessons in education: exploring the stories of tragic heroes in great works of literature, debating issues of ethics and behaviors, questioning and affirming one’s belief systems, delving into not just world languages but world cultures, and learning to discuss and pen all with clarity and purpose. Conversations that take place in these classes may well remain in students’ minds for the rest of their lives where they will draw from those lessons time and again. With the current issues of a global pandemic as well as social change stemming from the Black Lives Matter movement, there is much to discuss. Teachers and students are conversing about issues with a worldwide impact while also experiencing them. It is a meaningful place to pause, and HIES provides the solid and safe place for those discussions, guided by highly qualified teachers who lead students on a fruitful path where opinions may collide, but without running off course and away from purpose.
MANAGING EDITOR
ENGLISH In his 24 years teaching English at HIES, Chris Swann, Ph.D., is one who has observed and implemented changes, but also borne witness to things that have remained the same. “Reading and writing are crucial skills for college but also for life,” he said. “I’ve had students tell me they felt really prepared for writing in college, which gives them a leg up.” In the English department, students are grouped by grade level. That configuration allows discussions to take place among direct peers. With that, Dr. Swann and other faculty regularly review their reading lists, and for AP classes, they look at reading recommendations from the AP College Board. “We’re always looking for newer titles that speak to kids today,” he said. “It’s easy to get locked into teaching this grade and this book, but we ask, ‘Why?’. We look at how books apply in the real world because we want to send off students equipped to deal with some of the uglier things as well as the good things. Literary texts can often reinforce or challenge
TORCHBEARER | THE HIES ALUMNI MAGAZINE | FALL 2020
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