Too Fond

Philosophy books to grade

It has been a long, long time since I was in Kindergarten, putting a big, red F on a quiz I had made for my grandmother.  Back then, I thought that was what teaching was all about, but then I grew up.  Now, grading is one of my least favorite parts of my job as a teacher, as it is for many if not most teachers.  I do not enjoy the tedium of it, but there is another reason grading is a particular challenge for me.  It takes too long.  Now, you may be thinking, "Just assign less work, smart guy, or create assignments that are easier to grade."  That solution, however, misses the root cause of my problem.  Grading takes a long time for me because I am too fond.

A King and His Priest

In the 1964 film Becket, an adaptation of the 1959 Jean Anouillh play Becket or the Honour of God, King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) falls out with his onetime friend Thomas Becket (Richard Burton), whom he had helped make the Archbishop of Canterbury.  In one of the most famous, although undoubtedly not the first, instances of plausible deniability, Henry muses among his noblemen, "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?"  The nobles take this as a command from their sovereign and head out to murder Becket in the cathedral.  Yet it is what Henry says immediately after his provocative query that has always struck me as the heart of this story.  Listen closely in the following clip.

Henry is torn between his need to establish his authority and his deep feeling of friendship with Becket.  In his words, he is too fond.  What on earth could be the comparison between this sort of anguish and the challenge to a teacher grading an assignment?  It is just this.  Like Henry, I am torn by the need to do something, namely, to assign a grade, and the feelings of admiration and inspiration that threaten to overwhelm me as I read what students have written.  I am too fond. 

Student Philosophers

In a recent post I wrote of a project that involved my Latin III students.  They had read selections from the writings of the Stoic philosopher Seneca, and upon completion they had to take their reading a step further.  Seneca had written his philosophy in the form of letters to a friend, and these students were asked to write a philosophical epistle of their own.  Additionally, they had to reflect on which of Seneca's epistles had meant the most to them, which had caused them to look at something in a new way or even for the first time, and which contained ideas they were likely to apply in their own lives.  Everything that follows is student authored.  Take the time to read what they wrote, even the longer passages, and as you do, pause to admire what teenaged students can do.  Oh, and have a kind thought for me.  I must do the mundane work of entering grades for their work, but I would far rather sit in fondest wonder as I ponder their words, or better yet, run through the streets, shouting, "Look at these students!  Aren't they amazing?"  

Philosophia Mea

The following are excerpts from what these students wrote, in imitation of Seneca, in the form of a philosophical epistle.

A lot of times you go through life thinking you need someone's permission to do something so simple.  You might think you need permission from yourself.  You probably think that you need to have your life all sorted out or have everything marked off your to-do list before you do something you want.  But go ahead and give yourself the grace to enjoy life a little bit.

To My Dearest (Future!) Daughter,

          Being a girl isn't easy.  Women are so quick to judge other women, just based on what they see externally.  I want you to know that you are perfect just the way you are.  The only opinion about you that matters is your own.  There will be times where you doubt yourself, where you lack self-confidence, where you may have a poor body-image, or where you make mistakes.  But these adversities are all just a part of life that everyone faces at least once.  I myself have struggled with all of these.  My sweet daughter, always remember that "You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."  Just being you is more than enough, and I will always love and be proud of you!

          With Endless Love,

                                   Mom

Do not live an outward life.  I urge you, my friend, to build a life that can be self-contained.  Do not depend on other people or things, which pass or change with time, but create a place within your soul where you may retreat to find peace and contentment.  I do not say that you must withdraw from the world; on the contrary, you must find joy in as many things as possible.  Suffering, it seems, waits for us everywhere.  Indeed, it is impossible to live a fully joyful life; there is no one, I tell you, who can be joyful in every moment, but you must strive to do so.  The man who ceases in his walking to listen more closely to a bird or look more closely at a flower is a man who lives a full life.  You must be predisposed to contentment.  The man who relies on other people or remarkable events for his daily happiness is like the man who walks out to an island at low tide and does not know how to swim.  He is at the mercy of the tides and can never be certain of his safety or free to travel where he wishes.  Therefore, dearest friend, carry your joy with you everywhere you go, and do not leave it at the mercy of the world.

Be wary of jealousy.  To combat this you must strive for the virtue of gratitude.  But how do you do this?  Aristotle taught virtue is the mean between two vices, so gratitude is the mean between jealousy, which is wanting someone's good thing or fortune for your own, and anhedonia, not wanting good for yourself.  A great way to counter jealousy is to break yourself of your attachments to possessions since they will never truly bring you happiness; human relationship brings true happiness.

I advise you not to allow life's potential stresses to tear you down.  Parcel the tasks so you can better manage them, and you will find that they truly weren't as stressful as you thought them to be.  If you claim not to have time for breaks, know that you are responsible for your own time management, and you should not allow others to take your time away with things that will not allow you to grow your mind.

The Most Meaningful of Seneca's Epistles

Epistle 20 was especially interesting.  One particularly meaningful sentence was, "I advise you this:  that you not be miserable before the time, since those things at which you paled in fear (as if about to happen), perhaps may never come, for they certainly have not come yet."  This was extremely eye-opening, since I often will stress about things that are completely out of my control.  Worrying is just making my life harder and causing me extra harm.

I found epistle thirty-eight very meaningful since in it, Seneca states to use effective words rather than many words.  I found this statement inspiring since I am a pretty introverted person and sometimes get annoyed with myself or others get annoyed with me for not talking a lot when in a social setting.  I think it is very important to state that which has value and meaning rather than just a bund of meaningless words.

I found epistle eighty-eight very meaningful due to Seneca's emphasis on the idea that titles and degrees and other things which are considered "important" in our modern society are not really that important.  What is important is that you are a good person.  I found this epistle especially touching since I am not really wanting to go to college and so many people have told me that I am ruining my life by doing that and am not being smart.

Epistle LII was meaningful to me because as a teenager, I try to look for someone to be an example.  It can be discouraging when it seems like you an't find anyone, but this epistle reminded me that my options aren't limited to those that I know personally.  Ones that came before me can be examples too.

Epistle 38 was meaningful to me because I find myself rambling a lot and many of the words I say are unnecessary.  Seneca says to use few words with greater meaning and this is something I need to work on.

Which Epistle Prompted You To Consider Something New?

In Epistle 44, Seneca talks about how philosophy is above no one.  This is an idea that I have never thought about before.  I have always been intimidated by the idea of philosophical thinking, because I work better in more black-and-white ways of thinking.  I enjoyed the part where Seneca said that philosophy did not receive Plato as a noble man, but Plato was made noble through philosophy.

The idea in epistle 2 about retaining something from what you read to protect the plagues of life is a new concept to me.  I have always know that readings is supposed to teach you a lesson that you can use in your life but I had never thought about it as building a defense against plagues of evil. This concept makes me want to read more so that I can have the best defenses possible.

I believe that Seneca's thoughts on teaching and learning helped me to see those things in a new light.  Seneca talks about really digesting material and truly understanding it as well as focusing on the actual useful and practical things that can help me to be a better person as well as bettering others.

The idea that made me think in a different way was the idea that you lose credibility if you are not willing to act on your words.  I am now going to think my words through and try to back them up with my actions.

Which Piece of Seneca's Advice Might You Apply In Your Life?

The idea that time is the one thing that we are truly in control of is one thing that was discussed in Epistle 1.  He talked about how time is extremely "slippery," as well as how easy it is for us to let other people take our valuable time away from us.  Personally, I have always prided myself on being decent at time management with my school work; however, I have always put that above everything else in my life.  While this has benefited me from an academic standpoint, life is more than school.

One idea I would likely put into practice is the idea discussed in epistle XXVIII, where Seneca suggests that a person should not change their 'climate,' but they should change their spirit.  An example of this is that sometimes I do not want to do my homework.  Even though I know I must do it in order to get good grades, I sometimes feel like giving up on it.  However, instead of thinking about how boring the homework itself is, I like to think about how I will feel once I am done and have gotten a good grade.  This is an example of a person changing their spirit.

One idea that I would put into practice is the idea, in letter seventy-six, of always learning.  Seneca says that learning must go on as long as you do not know something or as long as you live.  I think this one is important to practice in my life because people need to keep learning and growing as much as they can.

An idea I am most likely to put into practice is from epistle 71.  In this epistle Seneca states that you must plan for your whole life rather than just parts of your life.  we must think more of the end goal rather than just one step at a time.  I think about where I am considering going to college.  I must also consider what I will do after college and where it will take me.  What career will I choose?  I must think more of the future rather than just tomorrow.

I would put into practice the ideas of epistle 33.  I have consistently memorized content for tests throughout middle and high school, and forgot all information directly after it is over.  Sometimes, I don't even know or understand the content, rather I memorize the fact for rehearsal on the test.  I need to start fully understanding the content and truly putting it in memory before I have the ability to rehearse it.