Dignity Education with Donna Hicks

By Communications
La Jolla Country Day School welcomed Donna Hicks, Ph.D., an internationally renowned author of bestselling book Dignity: The Essential Role it Plays in Resolving Conflict, to campus for a two-day visit in early October. Dr. Hicks met with several groups of students, faculty and staff and gave a special evening presentation to LJCDS families.

Drawing on her extensive experience in international conflict resolution and on insights from evolutionary biology, psychology and neuroscience, Dr. Hicks discussed the elements of dignity; ways to recognize dignity violations and how to respond when we experience indignity; the importance of dignity in restoring relationships; and the role it plays in leadership.

Dr. Hicks shared that a study, which scanned the brain for physical and emotional pain, unveiled that physical wounds register in the same area of the brain as a wound to our dignity. The childhood saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” contradicts this very finding.

This was Dr. Hick’s second visit to LJCDS. In the two-day visit, she met with a variety of groups on campus including faculty in each division, diversity advocates group, the leadership team, Spectrum, Ethics Council, Parents Association, Upper School Student Council, Upper School Peer Leaders, American Studies class and Hope Conference Committee members.

“Professor Donna Hicks spent time at our school to help our faculty and students develop the skills to treat everyone on earth with dignity,” said Head of School Gary Krahn. “Donna believes that we might not be able to change the world, but we can create a more respectful way of being in it together.”  

Dr. Hick’s visit sparked meaningful dialogue across campus:

  • In the Theory of Knowledge: Intro to Philosophy class one student said, “She was able to give us new perspectives and ideas on stories in our philosophy book that we had been talking about in class.” And another student shared, “It was awesome to be able to have an intimate discussion with someone who uses dignity to solve big real world problems. It’s important for students to see that dignity is important outside of our school's campus.”
  • Middle School students have had several lessons on dignity. In Advisory, the students met weekly to connect with each other and their homeroom teacher to build relationships, discuss ways to make the community stronger, and to learn how to be better citizens. Students are in the process of putting Dr. Hicks’ 10 Elements of Dignity into their own words. The topics for advisory this year are dignity, diversity and inclusion, and health and wellness.
  • In the American Studies class that has been studying the geography of North America and the native people, one student shares, “It made me think about the similarities between the problems today and the problems in early America, and how dignity has been affecting our culture for thousands of years.”
  • The AP English Language class divided the class time between talking about Dr. Hicks’ approach to fostering cooperation and her approach to writing. The students were eager to discuss the process of writing and how she worked through the creation of her book. “This was especially inspirational for these students as they are all in the throes of writing their college application essays,” said Dr. Parish. They could certainly identify with the pain involved in getting words on the page! We felt blessed to have such an esteemed guest speaker in our midst and are very grateful that we were included in Dr. Hicks' schedule.”

Dr. Hicks has 20 years of experience as a facilitator during international conflicts in the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Cuba and Northern Ireland, and the United States. Her unique focus on dignity, and the essential role it plays in resolving conflict, has transformed work environments for the world’s most prominent companies, nonprofits, and governmental agencies. She currently helps leaders in business, healthcare, government, education and other fields to create cultures that foster innovation and dignified human relationships. Please click here for a copy of The Ten Temptations and Essential Elements of Dignity.

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