In Aristotle's Metaphysics, he writes: "it is owing to their wonder that men both now begin, and at first began, to philosophise."
I see philosophy as a mode of wondrous engagement— a practice exercised in academic papers, yes, but also in conversation, in storytelling, in aesthetic expression, in ecstatic prayer, in silent reflection, and in action.
I. My job as a teacher is to create the conditions for wonder: to make a familiar idea suddenly strange, to make a strange idea suddenly necessary. The questions at philosophy's center — what is it like to be conscious? what makes a life good? what do we owe each other? what is real? — are not remote from ordinary life. They are ordinary life, regarded through a new lens.
In the classroom, I am less interested in students arriving at conclusions than in students experiencing the genuine difficulty of a problem. A philosophy classroom is the rare sort of place we can sit with the weirdness of existence, and I try to make reveling in the weirdness fun.
II. As I work to make the familiar strange, I also try to make the strange more familiar. I craft activities intended to make abstract problems more concrete, and to help students see the implications of philosophical problems beyond mere logic puzzles. In the past, I’ve used Bad Bunny lyrics to talk about category errors, Chappell Roan to talk about rigid designators, and arts and crafts to learn about love. When discussing Zuboff’s “Sleeping Beauty Paradox” for the philosophy of probability, I created an immersive fairy tale themed game for our section. I vary discussion structure and activities to match the varied learning styles of different groups of students. I endeavor never to let class-time to become stale or stagnant, to sit outside when Cambridge weather mercifully permits, and to bring treats on special occasions.
III. One of the things I most want students to leave with is a changed relationship to disagreement. Our world tends to treat disagreement as a problem to be resolved. I try to teach it as a resource, as the place where the most interesting philosophical work happens. Unlike many other fields (perhaps such as the sciences), philosophy does not measure progress in terms of consensus. At its heart, it is fiercely anti-dogmatic. No philosopher is beyond disagreeing with, and no student is too inexperienced to contribute to the debate.
IV. In my most recent course evaluations, every student surveyed rated my enthusiasm for the material as “Excellent.” In my most recent mid-semester survey, every respondent agreed or strongly agreed that I create an environment where they feel comfortable sharing their views, "even tentative or confused ones." I am particularly proud of these stats because the thing I care about most in a classroom is creating the conditions under which students feel their ideas matter. I find students' ideas, perhaps especially the half-formed ones, endlessly interesting and worthy of attention.
COURSES
Philosophy of Mind, Teaching fellow for Professor Cheryl Chen. Harvard University, Spring 2026.
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science, Teaching Fellow for Professor Jeffrey McDonough. Harvard University, Fall 2025.
The Philosophy of Jane Austen, Teaching Fellow for Professor Samantha Matherne. Harvard University, Spring 2025.
Magic Today: An Anthropological Perspective, Teaching Fellow for Dr. Giovanna Parmigiani. Harvard Divinity School, Spring 2025.
Happiness, Teaching Fellow for Professor Susanna Rinard. Harvard University, Fall 2024.
Buddhist and Western Metaphysics, Teaching Assistant for Professor Jim Kreines. Claremont Mckenna College, Spring 2022.
“Folklore and Philosophy,” lecture series for Harvard Pre-College Program for High School Students.
STATISTICS
In every course I have taught for, my course evaluation scores exceeded the department mean across every dimension.
Some highlights:
In feedback for an Introduction to the Philosophy of Science,
100% of students surveyed rated my overall instruction quality as ‘very good” or “excellent.”
100% of students surveyed rated my enthusiasm for the material as “excellent”
In feedback for Philosophy of Mind,
100% of students reported that I create an environment where they feel comfortable sharing views.
92% of students reported that I ask questions that help them develop their own ideas
In feedback for Happiness,
I received a 4.80 rating for "Useful feedback on assignments" against a department mean of 4.46.
100% of students rated my overall instruction quality as “very good” or “excellent”
In feedback for the Philosophy of Jane Austen,
100% of students reported that "Instructor stimulates student interest."
100% of students agreed or strongly agreed that I make myself accessible outside of class.
100% of students rated my overall instruction quality as “very good” or “excellent”
STUDENT VOICES
Supporting newcomers and first-time philosophy students
“This was my first ever philosophy class — I'd never written a philosophy paper or thought philosophically before. Abigail was absolutely stellar in how she supported me throughout writing my paper, stretching the way I think, and pushing me to engage more deeply with the material. She's one of the kindest, most deeply involved TFs I've had. Absolutely incredible!”
— GENED 1025: Happiness, Fall 2024
Translating abstract philosophical ideas into concrete, intuitive form
“I thought that you did a particularly good job of clearly unpacking difficult concepts in a way that makes them feel much more intuitive. For example, your explanations of ideas like the definition of “red” or examples involving famous singers helped translate abstract philosophical ideas (that might have been difficult to comprehend solely via the readings) into concrete, understandable cases.”
— Philosophy of Mind, mid-semester feedback
Creative and pedagogically purposeful lesson design
“Abigail led wonderful sections, they were always very focused and relevant to the course material so they enriched out learning rather than being random. Also, her passion for philosophy and Austen made the sections very enjoyable and engaging!”
— PHIL 188A: The Philosophy of Jane Austen, Spring 2025
“I thought that Abigail was fantastic as a section leader. She is very knowledgeable about what she teaches, and clearly very passionate about the laws of nature as well. I thought that the activities she brought to section as well were amazing, such as the flashcards, or at the beginning of the year, the box with mystery items inside. There was a lot of creativity and effort put into how to review the course material in a way that would help us understand it better and deeper.”
— PHIL 9: Philosophy of Science, Fall 2025
Facilitating discussion and building an inclusive classroom
“Abigail is a very effective section leader, always prepared with interesting questions and presentations, but adaptable to the direction of the class conversation. She is very good at including everyone and encouraging people to participate. She gives great feedback on assignments and is always approachable.”
— PHIL 188A: The Philosophy of Jane Austen, Spring 2025
“Abigail was an amazing section leader! She broke down complex topics in a digestible way. She made section a comfortable and welcoming environment. I always felt comfortable asking questions. She was very accessible over email and with meeting in-person. She truly cares about her students and you can tell!! :)”
— GENED 1025: Happiness, Fall 2024
Written feedback as a tool for learning
“Her feedback on both presentations and papers was incredibly thoughtful and well-articulated, clearly framed as a tool for learning rather than just an individual exercise”
— Magic Today, Harvard Divinity School
“Great ideas for activities during section, helps question how we think, knows her shit, super helpful outside of class and informative inside class, really impressed by the depth and thoughtfulness of feedback. I feel like she wants me to succeed!”
— PHIL 188A: The Philosophy of Jane Austen, Spring 2025
Accessibility, mentorship, and intellectual community
“Abigail is the best TA I've had so far at Harvard. She really makes herself accessible, sections are fun and helpful, and she gives good feedback on essays and the midterm!”
— PHIL 9: Philosophy of Science, Fall 2025
“Abigal is so cool, smart, kind, and responsive! It was wonderful to be in community with her, and I am grateful to have been in several discussion groups together. I also deeply appreciate her feedback on my side-reading reports and my final project. Thank you, Abigail!”
— Magic Today, Harvard Divinity School
“Abigail was truly wonderful!! I completely appreciated her presence in class and certainly will continue to correspond with her for guidance throughout my study because of her engaged and supportive nature.”
— Magic Today, Harvard Divinity School
I value transparency. You can read all of my course evaluations here.