It’s been more than eight years since I first became involved in pre-college philosophy. As a master’s student in philosophy at Ewha Womans University in South Korea, I joined the Ewha Saturday Philosophy Class (ESPC), a Philosophy for Children (P4C) program, as both an organizer and lecturer. ESPC is a semester-long, biweekly program for students ages 8-16, based on Matthew Lipman’s P4C curriculum. As a philosophy Ph.D. student at the University of Iowa, I’ve been co-teaching middle school students at ESPC (this time online) and participating in the Iowa Lyceum, a week-long online summer philosophy program for high school students run entirely by our philosophy graduate student community. In this post, I want to reflect on my journey as a graduate student in pre-college philosophy and encourage fellow graduate students to get involved.
Whenever I meet a philosopher—whether a professional academic or someone who just seriously engages with philosophy—I always ask: How did you get into philosophy? What was your first exposure to it? The answers are never the same, and often they’re really sweet. I ask not only because I love hearing these stories, but also because I’m passionate about introducing people to philosophy early in life.
I must admit that I didn’t know what philosophy was until I went to college. Growing up in South Korea in the 1990s, I had no formal exposure to philosophy in public K-12 education. As a teenager, I thought philosophy was simply the study of boring, dense books written by old, dead, and allegedly wise people. At best, I thought it might be a source for serious-sounding quotes, nothing that felt relevant to me.
That changed in college. I entered as a media studies major, inspired by investigative journalism and hoping to make the world more just through stories. I learned how to write, produce, and create stories and TV shows, but something was missing. We rarely discussed justice or goodness, even though those values motivated much of the work. In fact, at first, I didn’t know what to make of this sense of absence. Then, one day, I wandered into a philosophy class by accident, and the professor asked, “What is justice?” In that moment, I realized this was the question I had been carrying all along, without knowing it, and here was an entire discipline devoted to such questions.
Part of what excites me about pre-college philosophy is offering young people the chance to do philosophy themselves—something I never experienced as a child. And it seems the program participants are just as excited to have the opportunity.
In feedback from this year’s Iowa Lyceum, students wrote:
“[I had] an engaging discussion with others on a topic I don’t often get to talk about with others to such a great degree.”
“I feel like I got a deeper understanding of how philosophical discussions work, and I really enjoyed having the opportunity to debate some of my peers’ ideas as well as offer some of my own opinions and thoughts.”
Most Lyceum participants told us it was their first formal encounter with philosophy, beyond podcasts or books. Some younger students at ESPC shared that when they raise philosophical questions at school or at home, people often dismiss them as absurd. For these students, the program offers a safe space where their questions are valued, discussed, and taken seriously. They appreciate the low-stakes environment—free from grades—where they can express themselves openly, while graduate-student facilitators help guide conversations, keep discussions on track, and introduce multiple perspectives.
One of my favorite things to hear from students is that philosophy feels relevant to their own lives, no matter what paths they choose. Over time, they come to see that philosophy isn’t just about reading “great books”—it’s about thinking critically in everyday life. A student who attended ESPC for nearly three years told me they had learned to approach views with a critical eye and ask good questions—skills that helped them not only in essay contests but also in everyday conversations with friends.
I’m not suggesting that every child should become a professional academic philosopher. But because philosophy touches every aspect of life, the earlier people encounter it, the more likely they are to keep their curiosity alive and apply critical thinking as they grow. Childhood is a crucial time to nurture that habit of asking “why”—especially today, when critical thinking is more essential than ever.
You might be wondering why graduate students, already busy with research and teaching, should add pre-college programs to their schedules. My answer is that you’ll learn just as much from the students as they will from you. I’ve also learned invaluable lessons from presenting ideas to teenagers encountering philosophy for the first time. I’ve had to break complex ideas into digestible concepts, anticipate confusion, and use media clips, visual aids, games, and other accessible tools. These strategies have carried over into my college-level teaching, where clarity and accessibility remain top priorities.
And if you’re worried that pre-college students are “too young” for philosophy, don’t be. In my experience, there’s not much difference in philosophical ability between pre-college and college students. In fact, pre-college participants are often more self-selected—they’re there because they want to be. That enthusiasm can make discussions richer than in some college classrooms. Also, teaching philosophy to curious, passionate students can rekindle your own love for the subject—something that’s easy to lose sight of during the grind of graduate school. So, to my fellow graduate students: join a pre-college philosophy program. Or start one. It will be fun, and it will make you a better philosopher, a better teacher, and maybe even a better human being.
Chaeyeon Lee
Chaeyeon Lee is a Ph.D. candidate in philosophy at the University of Iowa, with research interests in social ontology, social philosophy, ethics, and philosophy for and with children. She has been involved in pre-college philosophy for over eight years, including work with the Ewha Saturday Philosophy Class and the Iowa Lyceum.
