Teaching Philosophy in Prison

 August 27, 2024

So my summer Introduction to Philosophy class at a Georgia state prison, sponsored by Common Good Atlanta and Morehouse College’s Higher Education in Prisons Program, came to a close last night. I wrote a personal post about it at the beginning [below] but wanted to do a concluding post.

Simply put, it was an amazing experience for me. For years I have been hearing about how rewarding teaching in prison is and now I can testify that this is true!

As students, these 35 or so guys were just fantastic: they were interested, motivated, thoughtful, engaging, had great questions, and had great answers and observations to share. They sometimes shared relevant "personal" perspectives and experiences and were understood and supported by their fellow students. They were grateful and happy to be in this class, and they were grateful that I was there.

In short, they were IDEAL students, and I found that so inspiring and encouraging. They don't have phones to be distracted by; they don't have ChatGPT, so they are really *present* in ways that many students, many people, aren't anymore. Being in this type of "old school" pre-smartphone community was, ironically, very liberating.

I also greatly appreciated getting to know some people who have had lives that are, in some important ways, quite different from mine (and probably yours). But I was most struck by how similar we all are: these men (this is a minimum to medium-security prison) I think are pretty much just like everyone else BUT they were unlucky &/or they went a little too far in some ways, but in ways that are common for most people: like maybe their temper got the best of them and they did something that many people *almost* do, but don't.

So I am sure it's common for people to think that people in prison are just "totally different" from us, and my experience was that, no, in the ways that matter, *we are the same*. I found them all to be incredibly kind, thoughtful, and caring people, and I will really miss seeing them.

Finally, I will mention that some of the men actually expressed gratitude for being in prison: some basically said that being there had made them, and was making them, better people: they were learning positive lessons that they don't think they would have learned anywhere else: some even said that going to prison made their life more meaningful. They looked forward to having a better life when they got out.

And while they are in prison, many of them seem to have genuine joy in their life: they seem really happy in their circumstances. I feel like I usually can't really handle that much in life, and seeing how these men conduct themselves, with such positive attitudes and such hope, in these circumstances was a real inspiration.

So I hope to do this again soon. And thanks to the coordinator of this program, for her guidance and companionship and support with this.

I wanted to give them something to remember the class by, so I made them mini-posters, which they liked.

 

 

June 3, 2024:

So I want to share a quick report that I had my first class in prison tonight, and it was an excellent experience.

There were 40 students, instead of the expected 25, and it was said that this is the most popular class they've ever had! (They clapped about that!).

The guys were really focused and had all sorts of great answers and responses to my various questions and prompts, and they had lots of great questions too. They were thoughtful, serious, enthusiastic, and fun discussion partners. They were fully present in body and mind and were grateful to be there: many of them directly told me that.

Before class I went around and met everyone individually, shaking their hands and telling them I was glad to be there, and glad they were there.

It was a wonderful experience—really what a learning environment should be like—and I look forward to next week's meeting!