Dear Wheaton,
It is now far colder than it was when I wrote to you last. We are past midterm season, officially done with over half of the semester, and I’m mourning the fact that I’ve been unsuccessful in evading the cough that has been circulating around campus.
On a completely different note, I want to highlight an activity called a Harkness Discussion that happened last week in the journalism course I’m currently taking. For those unfamiliar with what that is, a Harkness Discussion is a student-centered teaching method where peers sit in a circle to engage in open, collaborative discussions. In this iteration, half of the class sat to observe the conversation while the others engaged in the conversation before switching places. During this activity, the professor of the course acts more like a moderator than an instructor for the period of time, letting the learning connections for the central topic be controlled by the students. One’s grade from this is determined by how much they contribute to the discussion, how prepared they are with the reading materials, and how well they listened and followed along. Ultimately, the main purpose of the Harkness Discussion is to push students to take the lead by asking and answering questions to facilitate critical thinking about one or more topics.
There’s one thing in particular I thought went especially well for my class: we actually listened to each other. Seems crazy, right? Not only that, but we interacted with what others were saying in order to provide a response of our own, formed by our own opinions and shaped by the perspectives around us. As I was sitting there, forming questions and taking notes, I realized that this is what I’ve been missing so desperately — an environment where not only is it important that you listen to others, but that you express yourself as well.
I sound like every communications major, trying to stress that the most important thing one can ever do is connect with others, but I mean it. When was the last time you had a conversation that changed your mind about something? Did you allow your opinion to be influenced and stop to think why, or did you accept it at surface value? Issues only fester in silence, and this is my unsolicited reminder to everyone not to get too consumed with your own voice and thoughts. Instead, try seeking out a second opinion, even if it’s different from yours. Ask the questions, even if they’re hard to express and ultimately get shut down — not for everyone else, but for yourself
Sincerely,
Moira Sankey ’26
Khushi Parikh ’26