Great Hearts Monte Vista Student Story: Most Challenging Class

One Great Hearts scholar was asked the question, “Which class at Great Hearts was most challenging for you?” Read the honest and thoughtful response from Great Hearts Monte Vista Class of 2024 senior, Archan Rai:

During my first few years at Great Hearts, I was faced with so much that was unfamiliar, as anyone would when enrolling in a new school. Though I was introduced to many foreign aspects of student life, the element that stood out and challenged me the most was a class dubbed, ‘Humane Letters’. I had never heard of such a class, and to put it lightly, Humane Letters was overwhelming. The course involves learning about history from around the world, but mostly consists of analysis and discussion of classical literature in student-led seminars. Complex texts such as Jean Jacques Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origin of Inequality certainly posed problems for me, but they paled in comparison to my struggles in daily seminars.

In my first year of Humane Letters, the concept of a seminar and its procedures were simply mysterious. I began my freshman year with a strong dislike for seminars. I was so afraid of everyone’s eyes on me that I would only speak once per class after much hesitation. I would question why thirty-five percent of my average consisted of participation grades, and dread walking into Humane Letters every morning. In all aspects, seminars made Humane Letters my most challenging class at Great Hearts. Through all of my complaints, however, I failed to realize that I was missing out on the many benefits of the course. I would only do so once I tackled my challenges head on.

What I discovered is that participation and pushing yourself to participate is the key to experiencing the greatness of Humane Letters. I was often told that I had potential in seminar, but never spoke up in class. So, I made the effort to contribute more, despite my shyness. Then, one day, something happened unbeknownst to me. My attempts to improve took effect, and I actually began to enjoy Humane Letters. Often during seminars I would become intrigued by my classmates’ opinions and start speaking passionately on a topic I would have normally found dull. I found that by pushing myself to speak on a text and hearing others’ viewpoints, I was able to enrich myself in a way that I never could have on my own. Humane Letters began to grow on me despite my years of initial distaste. This was only a fraction of what Humane Letters entailed for my coming years.

Today, Humane Letters has become the class I look forward to the most daily. Although our material is increasing in difficulty, I have begun to view the class in a more positive light. Recently, discussions over texts such as Homer’s Iliad have shown me the appeal of diving into the motivations of characters like the legendary Achilles. I have come to appreciate the opportunity to explore culture-defining texts like Plato’s Five Dialoguesas early as high school. I have realized that Humane Letters best reflects Great Hearts’ mission to provide the best classical education has to offer. Our unique curriculum focuses on the pursuit of knowledge rather than the monotonous memorization that is the norm for many schools today. Seminars are a way of freeing the student, allowing them to think independently and discover the beauty of the Socratic method. For this reason, Humane Letters is among my favorite classes today, and I can only imagine what is in store for me in my future at Great Hearts.

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