There is a popular Christmas song that was written in 1963 titled, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” It’s still played on those stations and sites that play endless rounds of holiday music. I sing it to myself as the stress of the month of December increases with the addition of the activities typically associated with “the holiday season.” What is most peaceful and an anecdote for this stress are the myriad of lights that are sprinkled throughout our campus and community that represent some of the major religious and cultural holidays, and that bring a quiet, peaceful light to brighten these days of very little sunlight. 

What is equally wonderful at this time of year is to reflect with gratitude on the continued growth of our ethics programming at Kent Place. We at the Ethics Institute are in awe at the incredible work of our students, whether in our ethics classes in all three divisions, the efforts of our Middle and Upper School Ethics Bowl Teams, the scholarship of our Bioethics Scholars, or the ever-increasing interest in bringing ethics outside of the classroom through our podcasts, REBOOT and REBOOT Jr, the Bioethics and Philosophy Clubs, student Summits . . . the list goes on and on. Educators are increasingly engaged in bringing an ethical dimension to their respective disciplines. Our parents continue to become “empowered” through our workshops and chats. The work of realizing our vision to “empower the world to live ethically” is becoming a reality as our reach continues to expand across the nation.

A most wonderful example of the incredible work of our students will be available next week: the second edition of our ethics journal, Lodestar!  I can’t adequately express how impressed I am with the ethical thinking, reasoning, and scholarly approach employed by our students regarding some of the compelling ethical issues of our time! A digital version is available in this newsletter. If you are interested in a hard copy of Lodestar, please contact us at ethics@kentplace.org.

Finally, throughout my years as an educator, I always ask the students what they find “most wonderful” about this time of year and our Winter Break. Without hesitation, they always respond with, “spending time with my family.” Let’s never forget what truly makes this the most wonderful time of the year - time spent together, in-person, interacting, and appreciating. Please know how much we at the Ethics Institute appreciate you! 

Enjoy this most wonderful time!

Since joining the Ethics Institute a year ago and beginning my work in the school community, I’ve enjoyed listening to hundreds of fascinating student conversations on ethical dilemmas and engaging in dialogue about our world’s trickiest topics. In the Bioethics Project, I’ve listened to students wrestle with issues like informed consent in clinical trials. I’ve been to Congress to hear about the ethics of deep-fake policies. I’ve seen high schoolers struggle with the ethics of skincare products and marketing, have heard their thoughts about the fleeting TikTok ban, and witnessed them consider if there is such a thing as authenticity online. I’ve worked with our Ethics Bowl team about the ethics of work/life balance, and have had long (and passionate!) discussions about whether it’s ethical for someone to feed their dog vegan food. 

I’ve come to learn and appreciate that there is no “right” answer to these impossible ethical questions. Every dilemma has a “right vs. right,” or two ways to see and understand a problem. Students respond to these ethical dilemmas with frameworks and values. The richness and beauty of ethics comes in expanding one’s thinking. 

Most of all, I’ve appreciated that The Ethics Institute doesn't cover light and airy topics. We discuss heavy, real issues about technology, honesty, authenticity, and safety. But through it all, I am not disheartened by the world that awaits us. I’m not spooked out by the science fiction dilemmas posed in Bioethics, nor am I shaken by the economic dilemmas we learn about when logging into our Bloomberg Terminals. I do not lament the ethical challenges artificial intelligence presents to our students, the future leaders of our world. 

Why? The debate, the thoughtfulness, the flexible thinking, and the dialogue of our students, gives me hope. They dare to ask (and answer!) big questions about what it means to be human in 2025, what it means to interact and make friends with others, what constitutes bodily autonomy, and who is equipped to make decisions about life, their health, their future. They do not have all the answers (do any of us?) but they have the questions, and are equipped with values and decision-making methods to lead themselves, and their peers, in rich dialogue.

This doesn’t discount the fact that the world, indeed, can be a scary place, where innovation seems to be moving faster than our governments, systems, and schools can keep up. But still, I neither feel fear, nor fright; neither do these students. As the world continues its frenetic pace to create new technologies and realities, I will be listening closely to how our future leaders assess their reality, and lead and live ethically within it. 

Welcome to the new school year! When I think about the summer, I don’t think about how fast it flew by. Instead, I think about how the ethical issues we face as a society have increased dramatically since June.

During our Ethics 101 parent workshop, we discussed ethical dilemmas as a “right vs. right” predicament  — the gray areas of life where there is no clear “right” answer. For example, world events like the pandemic sometimes require us to choose between the values of “freedom” and “safety.” Using our values-based Ethical Decision-Making Process is how we engage students in determining their most ethical response, and the reasons why it’s the most ethical for them.

What has changed over the summer is that we are now faced with moral dilemmas in society that would have been considered “wrong” not so long ago. Situations that in the past would be considered “moral dilemmas”  — “right vs. wrong”  — have now crept into the “right vs. right” conversation as if there is some ethical rationale to support it. Our students have watched two assassinations (Brian Thompson and Charlie Kirk) in this past year on their news feeds and read commentary to support it. Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to chip away at what it means to be human as virtual relationships, AI generated voices, and fake images replace real, in-person interactions. As educators, we wonder if students will lose their ability to think, create, write, and reason as the ease and utility of AI-generated material creeps further and further into all of our lives. Authenticity, privacy, integrity, honesty — there is not even universal understanding of what “this is my own work” means anymore!  A recent post in The Ethicist from the New York Times can attest to that fact. 

Are we willing to let these time-honored values be redefined by the rapid changes in the values and mores of our society?

There has been no greater sense of urgency for the mission of our Ethics Institute than now! The needs of our students may have changed in the 18 years since its founding, but our mission remains the same: to empower our students to be ethical leaders not only of tomorrow, but of today, too. As the lines between “ethical” and “moral” continue to blur, our challenge will be to inspire our students to be empowered to discern the difference between “right vs. right” and “right vs. wrong” for themselves. 

Greetings from The Ethics Institute! I hope that you are enjoying these long, restful, and hot days of summer. 

We have had a very productive and exciting summer at The Ethics Institute. You can read about all that we’ve been up to, from our Bioethics summer intensive programs, to winning the New York Times podcast contest, to revamping our curriculum, by clicking the link below.

I hope to see you this upcoming school year, and that you will get involved with the work of The Ethics Institute, whether you attend one of our workshops, write for the Ethics Everywhere newsletter, or visit it us for an “ethics chat.”

For now, I hope you enjoy the rest of these summer days. We will see you soon!

“Change is the only constant in life.” Written by the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, this statement is meant to emphasize the realization that change is a natural part of life. Nothing is permanent, so it’s important to be adaptable, to understand the interconnectedness of all of life, and to be open to new possibilities and new experiences.

As we end another school year and say goodbye to the members of the Class of 2025, I am reminded of Heraclitus’s philosophy. There is always a bit of sadness at every farewell, as we look back with gratitude for all that was, for the lessons that we learned and for the memories made. Yet, the sadness of farewell eventually gives way to a spirit of expectation! The melancholy of leaving something behind gives way to the excitement and potential for all that is yet to come!

As they prepare to embark on their next life adventure, I leave the Class of 2025 with a few essential lessons that are central to the teachings of The Ethics Institute at Kent Place School:

“Just because we can, should we?”

“Seek not to know all the answers, but to understand the questions.”

“Don’t react — Think!”

Finally, I share with you this essential life philosophy that I personally learned so many years ago when graduating from middle school: “Every end has a new beginning.” 

Enjoy the change and all of the new beginnings that your life has to offer. Congratulations!