Robert Warren graduated as a philosophy major in May 2011
and was selected for "Teach for America."
"No amount of thought experiments or logical analyses will
prepare you for the first time you set foot in front of 25 inner
city New Orleans students, but preparation in how to critically
assess a situation and respond to it will prove invaluable. My name
is Robert Warren and I am currently teaching 9th grade English
at L.B. Landry High School in New Orleans through a
program called Teach for America. I spend my days in a world very
unlike the halls of Jordan or the tables in Atherton, most of my
students read 2 or more years below grade level, all live below the
poverty line, and fights, gangs and drugs are more the rule than
the exception."
"
"My study of philosophy at Butler prepared me for the
challenges I now face by teaching me to critically consider people
and events without pretense or bias. The ability to listen without
judgment and to problem solve without prejudice has allowed me to
gain the trust of my students in a way that transcends race and
socioeconomics. Every day my goal is to leave my students with
something worthwhile floating around in their heads, and the words
of Plato, Epictetus and even Nietzsche, have found their way into
my lessons. I am only able to pour out my passion for critical
thinking because I was surrounded by great students and faculty who
pushed me during my own time at Butler. So as I move forward in
planning lessons and getting to know my students, I sincerely hope
that I can spark in them the same fire of intellectual curiosity
that took flame in me during my time at Butler."
Philosophy majors Caleb Hamann (left) and Robert Warren
(middle) responding to the announcement of Jim Danko as
the new president of Butler University.