Students in my “How To Live Well” class have been presenting their reflections to one another and it has been a wonderful experience for me as a teacher.

Together we read all of Plato’s Republic and Augustine’s Confessions slowly, with lots of conversation and writing reflections.

Now they’ve all written their final reflections and then giving a report on them to their classmates.

They’re telling the stories of their lives so far, and also telling the hopes they have for the years ahead. And then they’re giving each other kind and helpful questions and affirmations.

I think they’re discovering, in various ways, that they’re not alone in feeling as they do about life’s uncertainties. Many of them have come to embrace religious faith in recent years, and are exploring what that means for them as adults.

All semester I’ve wondered: why do they keep coming to class? I’ve had amazing attendance in that class. I don’t give quizzes, the homework is fairly minimal (read the book, come to class to discuss it, write reflections). And the exams are discussions.

My hunch is that they are glad not to have busywork, they’re glad to read a couple of great books closely, and they’re glad to have a chance to slow down and take their own lives seriously. A few have hinted at these things in their reports, anyway.

What I know: I take the students–and their lives–seriously. And I’m glad to see them coming to class, reading these books, and discussing big ideas that might help them to live well with others.