Philosophy Student Survey

Over the course of the upcoming months, TJ is endeavoring to revise its philosophy statements. Our school currently uses a series of five statements that are listed below. We ask you to dedicate a few minutes to provide us with insights that will prove essential to the revision process.

At the end of this form, you will be asked if you would prefer to leave your responses anonymous or share your identity. Our goal in this survey is to create a shared sense of where our current philosophy statements most resound with our community and what most needs to be accomplished in the process of rewriting them. The next step will be to form working groups from among TJ’s constituents in order to assess the results of the surveys and begin an iterative process of crafting a new Philosophy Statement for the school.

1. Thinking Critically and Creatively: Guided by the belief that motivated students with high ability are best served by an excellent liberal-arts program, we will engage students in the process of developing a truly educated mind, one that comprehends clearly and assesses critically the conventions and customs that make up their world.

2. Ensuring Success at TJ and Beyond: We will help develop in students the qualities that will allow them to succeed at TJ, at the next level of their education, and as adults—independence, honesty, courage, leadership, kindness, the habit of hard work, delight in learning, and a sense of responsibility for themselves and for others.

3. Fostering Community: Our students will engage in study and community building with adults who model these qualities both in and out of the classroom.

4. Cultivating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Our students will live and work with people from a wide variety of backgrounds, learning to respect feelings, beliefs, and customs that are different from their own.

5. Modeling Engagement and Growth: Honoring our founders’ vision that a learning community is strengthened by the continuous engagement and development of all its members, our faculty and staff will continue to grow as professionals and to participate in the decisions that affect them.