One of the great strengths of Princeton Day School is our community, our engagement with one another, and how welcoming we are to new faculty members and students=. We are proud to be a school where many students and families from different backgrounds all contribute meaningfully to the academic life of the school and strengthen our relationships with each other.
In light of recent events, we have seen many honest and sometimes emotional conversations unfold among students, parents, and faculty. Although these conversations can be a great way to build trust in our community, giving people a safe space to talk about their feelings, we must be intentional about how we listen and speak to one another. Thus, civil discourse is fundamental, not just at PDS, but in every conversation.
Civil discourse is not just politeness, it is a way of listening to someone’s opinion or stating your opinion about a matter with respect. It is a way of engaging with another person’s ideas, without attacking individuals for how they think. Upper School Public Speaking and Civil Discourse teacher, Mr. Jonathan Martin, states that civil discourse is the ability to respectfully listen and talk regardless of reason, and how we should judge opinions, and not people.
What inspired Mr. Martin to teach the class are his own personal experiences, aside from his background in theater and public speaking, he stated, “I come from a politically diverse family; in the most recent election, within my family, they voted for four different candidates. Even though no one in my immediate family agrees on things in the world, we have developed the ability to talk about and learn about each other, and engage in civil discourse.” This experience has encouraged him to bring conversations like the ones he has at home to students, to teach them how to appropriately practice civil discourse and to listen to a world where he sees less and less of that happening every day.
With the rise of political violence and polarization, it is valuable that we educate more people about civil discourse, encouraging more people to not think of political issues and topics with apathy, and as Mr. Martin stated, “To connect with activism, organization, voting, and our community.” With this, we can foster a healthy community with each other, accepting individuals as more than their opinions, and therefore creating a space for connection, growth, and understanding.
