humanities

"Why are we learning this?

"Why are we learning this?

Why are we learning this? It’s the most commonly asked question in classrooms.

When asked, teachers generally reach for an instrumental answer. There isn’t always one in easy grasp, but it’s the reflex.

Today we consider a different, deeper ‘why’ thanks to help from Margaret Atwood. In the 2004 Kesterton Lecture at the Carleton School of Journalism, Atwood does what great writers do best: reveals a deep truth that both makes me feel something and makes me want to be a better person.