Sophrosyne classes are grounded in the values of Saint David’s and aim to help boys develop self-knowledge and its growth
into self-advocacy.
digital art projects, the conscious use of technology across
Saint David’s is an exciting trend. These opportunities
increase student engagement and help to prepare boys for
life in a rapidly changing world. But the breakneck pace of
technological change also presents risks. As a result, good
digital citizenship and healthy technology use have become
pivotal elements of the Sophrosyne curriculum. We have
partnered with an outside group, Common Sense Media, that
is committed to avoiding moral panic and focusing on the
latest research into healthy technology use in adolescence.
makes clear, service to the self necessitates service to others.
In practice, this means that the personal work of Sophrosyne
is always informing and informed by boys’ work in other
areas. Here Saint David’s commitment to a balanced
education shines: a boy’s awareness and expression of
his own feelings builds on and informs the experience
of empathetically reading literature. The exploration in
religion of what it is to be a person for others guides the
boys’ approach to right conduct in their own lives. Further,
in the Seventh and Eighth grades, Sophrosyne can provide
“In every grade level, Sophrosyne is an opportunity for self-reflection on
virtues like empathy, respect, and friendship.”
We then frame and develop this factual information in light
of the values of Saint David’s—ensuring that healthy use
contributes to the growth of good men.
The boys are active partners in these discussions, and
their experiences, needs, and concerns ultimately shape the
direction of the program. The curriculum gives each boy
the opportunity to reflect on his own feelings about and
relationship with technology. In doing so they rely on an
emotional vocabulary developed across the curriculum. The
boys vividly clarified the addictive potential of social media
and video games for themselves in a discussion in which they
shared their own experiences and subsequent feelings using
literary similes. Responding to the pitfalls of technology
requires both self-regulation and community engagement,
but awareness and engagement are first steps on the path to
fulfilling, ethical use of new technologies.
The focus of the Sophrosyne program is student wellness
through self-knowledge, but as the mission of the school
20 • Saint David’s Magazine
structured resources to the advisory program, while the
close relationship between each boy and their advisor
allows for further discussion about difficult topics. In
each of these cases, Sophrosyne is strengthened by its deep
connections to the broader community and curriculum.
The role of Saint David’s is education in the broadest
sense. The continuing growth of the Sophrosyne program
shows the commitment of the school to not only shape
men who are scholarly, creative, athletic, and spiritual, but
who are good. Self-knowledge and strength of character
are foundational to present well-being and resilience in
the face of future challenges but also to the basic integrity
that comes from uniting all these qualities in a healthy and
balanced way. M
Evan Morse, Ph.D., is Upper School
Coordinator at Saint David’s School.
Sophrosyne