How would you place top schools on a scale of most liberal to most conservative?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:STA is as conservative as it gets in terms of traditional teaching. Also fairly conservative politically, despite a significant number of liberal-leaning families (ours included). I'm horrified by the anti-Arab, misogynist, Trump-defending assertions my son repeats that he has heard at school. NCS is a lot more liberal...even though there are many families with kids at both schools.

That’s troubling...what does the administration do about this? The teachers? It’s one thing to welcome ideological diversity (more places could do a better job on that front). It’s quite another to have what sounds like racist and sexist talk in school. Are you able to give examples, either of what’s being said and/or what’s being done? Does your answer derive from the “conservative” nature of St. Albans?

You must be VERY "liberal leaning." We have encountered one conservative teacher, and many, many, many other teachers who make a point to discuss racism, oppression, etc. in a liberal fashion. The curriculum in English, Religion, etc. would definitely challenge any comments like you are describing. Are you talking about comments from boys? Gov Club where one side has to argue the conservative side? Conservatives are in the minority at this school, make no mistake.

I am not talking about the faculty or the curriculum. I am talking about what the boys say to one another in the hallways, on the sports fields. Girls/women are "bitches" and "thots" (that ho over there) and feminazis. Homophobic slurs are common, and it is not an easy place to be an out gay person. "All lives matter" and other negation of BLM...which also speaks to the thread about the environment for AA boys. There is no other place my son could be bringing this stuff home from...and he declines to tell me the things that are even cruder. I'm glad that some teachers are trying to teach empathy and open-mindedness, but I also know that much of it goes on unchecked and unchallenged. The school could do so much more.

And your DS tells you all of these things are happening at STA? Yeah right.

I am not the poster you are referring to but this is sad if true. STA faculty and staff promote tolerance. They hold all sorts of events and discussions. Some kids just won’t change. What is troubling is that things that once were never acceptable to say are now being said if what you are saying is true. To the poster above, have you told STA about this? I have heard from a few friends from other schools that play lax and other sports with some of these kids and said they were shocked at some of the things their sons told them are being said, as they know so many STA families that are tolerant and progressive. I thought maybe those were isolated incidences though and didn’t realize it was being said at school too though. Discouraging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:STA is as conservative as it gets in terms of traditional teaching. Also fairly conservative politically, despite a significant number of liberal-leaning families (ours included). I'm horrified by the anti-Arab, misogynist, Trump-defending assertions my son repeats that he has heard at school. NCS is a lot more liberal...even though there are many families with kids at both schools.

That’s troubling...what does the administration do about this? The teachers? It’s one thing to welcome ideological diversity (more places could do a better job on that front). It’s quite another to have what sounds like racist and sexist talk in school. Are you able to give examples, either of what’s being said and/or what’s being done? Does your answer derive from the “conservative” nature of St. Albans?

This is NOT coming from STA teachers or faculty. They are very tolerant and progressive. STA teachers are not conservative in our experience. Honestly they don’t usually express their political beliefs, as politics doesn’t come up much in math or science etc... Some may think it is conservative because most of the families on the board with kids currently at the school are very republican and most of the new families are republican.

[Anonymous]

Anti Arab or misogynist is bad from anyone. Trump defending is fine. That's called political diversity. I have no problem if my child's friends have a variety of political opinions instead of lockstep DC liberal. Teachers also can have a variety, though they should not share those with their impressionable students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Anti Arab or misogynist is bad from anyone. Trump defending is fine. That's called political diversity. I have no problem if my child's friends have a variety of political opinions instead of lockstep DC liberal. Teachers also can have a variety, though they should not share those with their impressionable students.

OH, and I should add that I am a teacher who cringes when other educators trumpet their political beliefs of any stripe to their students. Awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:STA is as conservative as it gets in terms of traditional teaching. Also fairly conservative politically, despite a significant number of liberal-leaning families (ours included). I'm horrified by the anti-Arab, misogynist, Trump-defending assertions my son repeats that he has heard at school. NCS is a lot more liberal...even though there are many families with kids at both schools.

That’s troubling...what does the administration do about this? The teachers? It’s one thing to welcome ideological diversity (more places could do a better job on that front). It’s quite another to have what sounds like racist and sexist talk in school. Are you able to give examples, either of what’s being said and/or what’s being done? Does your answer derive from the “conservative” nature of St. Albans?

You must be VERY "liberal leaning." We have encountered one conservative teacher, and many, many, many other teachers who make a point to discuss racism, oppression, etc. in a liberal fashion. The curriculum in English, Religion, etc. would definitely challenge any comments like you are describing. Are you talking about comments from boys? Gov Club where one side has to argue the conservative side? Conservatives are in the minority at this school, make no mistake.

I am not talking about the faculty or the curriculum. I am talking about what the boys say to one another in the hallways, on the sports fields. Girls/women are "bitches" and "thots" (that ho over there) and feminazis. Homophobic slurs are common, and it is not an easy place to be an out gay person. "All lives matter" and other negation of BLM...which also speaks to the thread about the environment for AA boys. There is no other place my son could be bringing this stuff home from...and he declines to tell me the things that are even cruder. I'm glad that some teachers are trying to teach empathy and open-mindedness, but I also know that much of it goes on unchecked and unchallenged. The school could do so much more.

Lower or upper school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:STA is as conservative as it gets in terms of traditional teaching. Also fairly conservative politically, despite a significant number of liberal-leaning families (ours included). I'm horrified by the anti-Arab, misogynist, Trump-defending assertions my son repeats that he has heard at school. NCS is a lot more liberal...even though there are many families with kids at both schools.

That’s troubling...what does the administration do about this? The teachers? It’s one thing to welcome ideological diversity (more places could do a better job on that front). It’s quite another to have what sounds like racist and sexist talk in school. Are you able to give examples, either of what’s being said and/or what’s being done? Does your answer derive from the “conservative” nature of St. Albans?

You must be VERY "liberal leaning." We have encountered one conservative teacher, and many, many, many other teachers who make a point to discuss racism, oppression, etc. in a liberal fashion. The curriculum in English, Religion, etc. would definitely challenge any comments like you are describing. Are you talking about comments from boys? Gov Club where one side has to argue the conservative side? Conservatives are in the minority at this school, make no mistake.

I am not talking about the faculty or the curriculum. I am talking about what the boys say to one another in the hallways, on the sports fields. Girls/women are "bitches" and "thots" (that ho over there) and feminazis. Homophobic slurs are common, and it is not an easy place to be an out gay person. "All lives matter" and other negation of BLM...which also speaks to the thread about the environment for AA boys. There is no other place my son could be bringing this stuff home from...and he declines to tell me the things that are even cruder. I'm glad that some teachers are trying to teach empathy and open-mindedness, but I also know that much of it goes on unchecked and unchallenged. The school could do so much more.

Lower or upper school?

Feminazis? What?! Is this true? I have not heard these specific words ever. What grade(s) are we talking about? Is this the lower school?

[Anonymous]

This thread has been hijacked by DC douchebags who see "politics" in everything. Refer to the OP's question before getting worked up. Time to shut this thread down. A few more insults of STA and it will happen.

[Anonymous]

DS is in upper school, not going to name the grade. I resent being called a douchebag, and I feel I am raising honest concerns not hurling insults. This is my son's real experience. I'm glad it is not everyone's. Fwiw, it does open the door to some very robust family conversation. What one person said about a group of vocal Trump-supporting boys does ring true to me...there is a group of alpha boys in my son's grade that is quite vocal, and I think the boys who don't hold those views tend to keep quiet rather than challenge them. It is not the Trump-supporting that I object to...it is the name-calling, lack of respect and intolerance.

[Anonymous]

I think they don't tolerate it in the classroom but aren't fully aware (or are in denial about) what goes on beneath the surface/outside of the classroom. It's high school, and impossible to monitor for the most part. However, I think the school could do more. "Diversity day" is a joke that few take seriously. Mr. Baad gave an excellent chapel homily a couple of years ago about respecting girls and women, and perhaps more of that kind of thing happens in chapel and such. But other efforts are peer-led and sometimes blown off by the students leading them. Having another child at another school that does a much better job with these issues, I'm of the opinion that STA could do a lot more.

[Anonymous]

correction: the homily was at an opening cathedral service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS is in upper school, not going to name the grade. I resent being called a douchebag, and I feel I am raising honest concerns not hurling insults. This is my son's real experience. I'm glad it is not everyone's. Fwiw, it does open the door to some very robust family conversation. What one person said about a group of vocal Trump-supporting boys does ring true to me...there is a group of alpha boys in my son's grade that is quite vocal, and I think the boys who don't hold those views tend to keep quiet rather than challenge them. It is not the Trump-supporting that I object to...it is the name-calling, lack of respect and intolerance.

What you may not realize is the micro aggressions against conservative kids/families. Even a poster describes teachers as tolerant and progressive. Why not just tolerant? The problem is that liberals tend to think any opinion different is racist or anti feminist and that is just not true. I see way more loons in the left promoting hate against conservatives. Tolerant should be plain tolerant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread has been hijacked by DC douchebags who see "politics" in everything. Refer to the OP's question before getting worked up. Time to shut this thread down. A few more insults of STA and it will happen.

Hooray for censorship! Suck it up, buttercup.

[Anonymous]

Don't often hear microaggression used in this context...and I agree with you, to a point. My son has introduced me to the term misandrist, and I hear the complaint that white boys feel they are always on the wrong end of a put-down. That said, teenage boys are immature and take a fair point too far...putting down and insulting the ones they perceive to be against them in a way that goes way beyond microaggression.

I really would love to see some open, well-moderated discussion on this. Both liberals and conservatives are well represented at STA--it would be an opportunity for the kind of discussion that needs to happen everywhere in our country.

(Also, for the record. The post I was responding to at 11:00 has disappeared. It basically said that the kind of talk I was describing is not tolerated at STA.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For some of the more well-known schools, so not every school in the area, I'd say:

GDS

Sidwell

Maret

Potomac

NCS

STA

Holton



I will add Gonzaga right in the middle of this list.
As an example the school run a mock election last year and Trump won by 1 vote out of 635.

Landon

Georgetown Prep

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS is in upper school, not going to name the grade. I resent being called a douchebag, and I feel I am raising honest concerns not hurling insults. This is my son's real experience. I'm glad it is not everyone's. Fwiw, it does open the door to some very robust family conversation. What one person said about a group of vocal Trump-supporting boys does ring true to me...there is a group of alpha boys in my son's grade that is quite vocal, and I think the boys who don't hold those views tend to keep quiet rather than challenge them. It is not the Trump-supporting that I object to...it is the name-calling, lack of respect and intolerance.

What you may not realize is the micro aggressions against conservative kids/families. Even a poster describes teachers as tolerant and progressive. Why not just tolerant? The problem is that liberals tend to think any opinion different is racist or anti feminist and that is just not true. I see way more loons in the left promoting hate against conservatives. Tolerant should be plain tolerant.

What does that have to do with calling names and saying feminazis? Are you justifying this? Scary.