The L&S Honors Program welcomed Professor Harry Brighouse for a special Wednesday @ Washburn, where he offered students a candid and often funny look at the winding path that led him to his current work on teaching, learning, and the philosophy of education.
Brighouse opened by tracing his academic journey—one that included, as he put it, several choices he wouldn’t necessarily advise others to copy. One example: choosing a dissertation topic outside his undergraduate training simply because he found it interesting. Following his curiosity, even when it wasn’t the most practical move, ended up shaping much of what came after.
He went on to describe how he shifted from political philosophy to the philosophy of education, a transition that emerged naturally from both intellectual interest and family background. Nearly everyone in his family, he noted, was a teacher or worked in schools in some way. That personal connection, paired with a growing fascination with how people learn and how schools structure opportunity, eventually pulled him toward questions about teaching and the classroom.
Much of his talk focused on how his understanding of effective classrooms has changed over time. Brighouse was strikingly honest about his own early struggles as a teacher—saying that, for the first fifteen years, he believed he wasn’t very good at it. What changed was a deliberate effort to think more deeply about what real learning requires. That reflection eventually pushed him to rethink his pedagogy, particularly the importance of meaningful student discussion.
Brighouse’s reflections were both grounding and encouraging. He reminded the audience that excellent teaching has far less to do with the instructor’s performance at the front of the room and far more to do with creating the space for students to think, talk, and learn from each other. His visit left many attendees with a renewed appreciation for what thoughtful teaching can make possible—and for the broader purpose of higher education in shaping empathetic, engaged citizens.
The Honors Program is very grateful to both Dr. Brighouse and the Honors students who made this Wednesday @ Washburn such an engaging conversation.