Inspired
Inspired
“You leave the class just thinking, ‘What was that? Wow!’”
Halim Ali
“I think that good teaching is setting an environment for the students to be able to explore. And rather than offer answers, I offer questions.” – Will Eggers, English Faculty
Halim: “The teaching style of Dr. Eggers is nothing like you’ll ever see in a high school, honestly. You come to his Voices of Dissent class like a normal person, right? You leave the class just thinking, ‘What was that? Wow!’ … Dr. Eggers asks critical questions that require critical thinking and for us to go beyond the obvious. I don’t think anyone went into that class and was the same.”
Dr. Eggers: “We had a great class. We had a great bunch of students and … you all liked to talk to each other. And one of the great things about this class, and I think it’s great about Loomis generally, … is how well you listened to one another, even when you disagreed. … [Y]ou all modeled the civil discourse that I hope our society can embody. … And even if you didn’t change someone’s mind, it was still an OK place to land.”
Halim: “It’s the asking of the question rather than the finding of the answer. I think that’s something that you pick up under Dr. Eggers’ leadership.”
Senior Profile
Halim attended the Abaarso School of Science and Technology, a boarding school in Somaliland, before spending his senior year at Loomis Chaffee through the ASSIST Scholars program. Read more about Halim's LC experience in the Loomis Chaffee Magazine.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
English IV: Voices of Dissent
Historically, one of the most powerful driving forces of change is the act of rebellion. This senior elective will explore literature representing previously marginalized voices that speak out against and ultimately impact the dominant society. Close literary analysis will help students enhance their understanding of the social and cultural forces at work in both the production and reception of such revolutionary literature. By way of short stories, poems, plays, and novels, this course could cover a range of topics: apartheid in South Africa (Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee), youth rebellion in the United States (Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger), modern Japanese teen rebellion (Crystal Buddha by Jason Webb), rural Caribbean life (poetry by Claude McKay), conflicted modern Africa (Redemption Road by Elma Shaw), anti-Vietnam war sentiment, Civil Rights and Women’s Rights Movements, among others.
For a complete list of courses offered at Loomis, check out our Course Offerings & Descriptions book.
Will Eggers