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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.)

Re: your second paragraph: Yes, yes, and more yes! One question I have is whether a politically "balanced" school--as some suggest STA is--doesn't present a great opportunity for this sort of dialogue. The tough part is that one has to rely greatly on teenagers to conduct it, but kids are more capable than we think.

To respond more broadly to OP's question, a few observations about some schools that haven't gotten mentioned recently: GDS is, in our experience, the most outwardly liberal. By outwardly, I mean that it is not just a feature, it's a mission. More than that, it is liberal in a particular way, in that there are certain "acceptable" ways to talk about difficult topics such as racial justice, and there are "unacceptable" ways to talk about them--even among what one might call "liberal" ways of discussing them. As liberal parents, both we and other (liberal) parents we know found it a little ideologically non-diverse, and not necessarily in a good way (for us; others of course may feel differently). Both Sidwell and Maret are less outwardly liberal, but both tend to reflect the demographics of DC, which are heavily democratic. Query whether this changes somewhat now that there is a Republican administration; after all, to some degree, this is a company town, and parents tend to want to send their kids to the best schools. We neither have kids nor know enough people at the Virginia and Maryland schools for me to offer empirically supportable views.

To us, STA is a bit of a puzzle. Beauvoir, which is the feeder to STA, is a warm, nurturing, respectful, loving place with a delightful community of kids and parents. While STA is not entirely populated by Beauvoir kids, one would think the same sort of community would remain. For some of our friends, that's been their experience, their kids are happy, and their boys are total gentlemen. Talk to the girls at NCS and other schools, though? We hear stories of terrible misogyny and sexist comments by some of the boys. We've never asked whether the boys they referred to were Republicans or Democrats--it hardly seemed appropriate, and as recent events have demonstrated, sexism is not a partisan issue. I do agree with the prior poster, however, who said that racial and social justice are approached differently by different political parties, so I don't think the issue is entirely apolitical. Just not sure which way it cuts in this case.

[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.

Racism and misogyny are not reversible. You can be mad at an inappropriate insult and it can be wrong that it was said but it isn't the same thing when it doesn't come with the weight of a history of oppression. That's what makes a "micro-aggression" an issue, it's the cumulative effect and the river that feeds it. A petty insult or some shade against someone for being conservative is just a petty insult or shade.

Tolerance doesn't mean blind acceptance of any view point. You can have a respectful argument about whether a particular policy position is rooted in racism or misogyny but you can't complain that there was an argument.

I went to GDS and there were some very conservative kids there and they did fine, perhaps largely due to a culture of rhetorical engagement. I understand 2017 is a different kettle of fish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.)

Re: your second paragraph: Yes, yes, and more yes! One question I have is whether a politically "balanced" school--as some suggest STA is--doesn't present a great opportunity for this sort of dialogue. The tough part is that one has to rely greatly on teenagers to conduct it, but kids are more capable than we think.

To respond more broadly to OP's question, a few observations about some schools that haven't gotten mentioned recently: GDS is, in our experience, the most outwardly liberal. By outwardly, I mean that it is not just a feature, it's a mission. More than that, it is liberal in a particular way, in that there are certain "acceptable" ways to talk about difficult topics such as racial justice, and there are "unacceptable" ways to talk about them--even among what one might call "liberal" ways of discussing them. As liberal parents, both we and other (liberal) parents we know found it a little ideologically non-diverse, and not necessarily in a good way (for us; others of course may feel differently). Both Sidwell and Maret are less outwardly liberal, but both tend to reflect the demographics of DC, which are heavily democratic. Query whether this changes somewhat now that there is a Republican administration; after all, to some degree, this is a company town, and parents tend to want to send their kids to the best schools. We neither have kids nor know enough people at the Virginia and Maryland schools for me to offer empirically supportable views.

To us, STA is a bit of a puzzle. Beauvoir, which is the feeder to STA, is a warm, nurturing, respectful, loving place with a delightful community of kids and parents. While STA is not entirely populated by Beauvoir kids, one would think the same sort of community would remain. For some of our friends, that's been their experience, their kids are happy, and their boys are total gentlemen. Talk to the girls at NCS and other schools, though? We hear stories of terrible misogyny and sexist comments by some of the boys. We've never asked whether the boys they referred to were Republicans or Democrats--it hardly seemed appropriate, and as recent events have demonstrated, sexism is not a partisan issue. I do agree with the prior poster, however, who said that racial and social justice are approached differently by different political parties, so I don't think the issue is entirely apolitical. Just not sure which way it cuts in this case.

We are moderates and like a mix of families. Beauvoir is great but is different in that it has more liberal families. Each year we have been at STA, most of the new families admitted in the lower school have been republican and my son is friends with many of them. However, a few pro trump supporters have also been admitted in recent years and got a few other current boys to join in their group and their written and verbal actions towards their classmates and others are neither kind, tolerant, or respectful. Not all trump supporters in the grade behave this way but there is a large enough group of them now that they are intimidating to anyone that speaks up to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.)

Re: your second paragraph: Yes, yes, and more yes! One question I have is whether a politically "balanced" school--as some suggest STA is--doesn't present a great opportunity for this sort of dialogue. The tough part is that one has to rely greatly on teenagers to conduct it, but kids are more capable than we think.

To respond more broadly to OP's question, a few observations about some schools that haven't gotten mentioned recently: GDS is, in our experience, the most outwardly liberal. By outwardly, I mean that it is not just a feature, it's a mission. More than that, it is liberal in a particular way, in that there are certain "acceptable" ways to talk about difficult topics such as racial justice, and there are "unacceptable" ways to talk about them--even among what one might call "liberal" ways of discussing them. As liberal parents, both we and other (liberal) parents we know found it a little ideologically non-diverse, and not necessarily in a good way (for us; others of course may feel differently). Both Sidwell and Maret are less outwardly liberal, but both tend to reflect the demographics of DC, which are heavily democratic. Query whether this changes somewhat now that there is a Republican administration; after all, to some degree, this is a company town, and parents tend to want to send their kids to the best schools. We neither have kids nor know enough people at the Virginia and Maryland schools for me to offer empirically supportable views.

To us, STA is a bit of a puzzle. Beauvoir, which is the feeder to STA, is a warm, nurturing, respectful, loving place with a delightful community of kids and parents. While STA is not entirely populated by Beauvoir kids, one would think the same sort of community would remain. For some of our friends, that's been their experience, their kids are happy, and their boys are total gentlemen. Talk to the girls at NCS and other schools, though? We hear stories of terrible misogyny and sexist comments by some of the boys. We've never asked whether the boys they referred to were Republicans or Democrats--it hardly seemed appropriate, and as recent events have demonstrated, sexism is not a partisan issue. I do agree with the prior poster, however, who said that racial and social justice are approached differently by different political parties, so I don't think the issue is entirely apolitical. Just not sure which way it cuts in this case.

We are moderates and like a mix of families. Beauvoir is great but is different in that it has more liberal families. Each year we have been at STA, most of the new families admitted in the lower school have been republican and my son is friends with many of them. However, a few pro trump supporters have also been admitted in recent years and got a few other current boys to join in their group and their written and verbal actions towards their classmates and others are neither kind, tolerant, or respectful. Not all trump supporters in the grade behave this way but there is a large enough group of them now that they are intimidating to anyone that speaks up to them.

Why the lack of balance in admission? Something as innocuous as random chance? Something as cynical as a school wanting to be connected to the current party in power? And what, if anything, is being done by the school to give everyone a (respectful) voice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.)

Re: your second paragraph: Yes, yes, and more yes! One question I have is whether a politically "balanced" school--as some suggest STA is--doesn't present a great opportunity for this sort of dialogue. The tough part is that one has to rely greatly on teenagers to conduct it, but kids are more capable than we think.

To respond more broadly to OP's question, a few observations about some schools that haven't gotten mentioned recently: GDS is, in our experience, the most outwardly liberal. By outwardly, I mean that it is not just a feature, it's a mission. More than that, it is liberal in a particular way, in that there are certain "acceptable" ways to talk about difficult topics such as racial justice, and there are "unacceptable" ways to talk about them--even among what one might call "liberal" ways of discussing them. As liberal parents, both we and other (liberal) parents we know found it a little ideologically non-diverse, and not necessarily in a good way (for us; others of course may feel differently). Both Sidwell and Maret are less outwardly liberal, but both tend to reflect the demographics of DC, which are heavily democratic. Query whether this changes somewhat now that there is a Republican administration; after all, to some degree, this is a company town, and parents tend to want to send their kids to the best schools. We neither have kids nor know enough people at the Virginia and Maryland schools for me to offer empirically supportable views.

To us, STA is a bit of a puzzle. Beauvoir, which is the feeder to STA, is a warm, nurturing, respectful, loving place with a delightful community of kids and parents. While STA is not entirely populated by Beauvoir kids, one would think the same sort of community would remain. For some of our friends, that's been their experience, their kids are happy, and their boys are total gentlemen. Talk to the girls at NCS and other schools, though? We hear stories of terrible misogyny and sexist comments by some of the boys. We've never asked whether the boys they referred to were Republicans or Democrats--it hardly seemed appropriate, and as recent events have demonstrated, sexism is not a partisan issue. I do agree with the prior poster, however, who said that racial and social justice are approached differently by different political parties, so I don't think the issue is entirely apolitical. Just not sure which way it cuts in this case.

We are moderates and like a mix of families. Beauvoir is great but is different in that it has more liberal families. Each year we have been at STA, most of the new families admitted in the lower school have been republican and my son is friends with many of them. However, a few pro trump supporters have also been admitted in recent years and got a few other current boys to join in their group and their written and verbal actions towards their classmates and others are neither kind, tolerant, or respectful. Not all trump supporters in the grade behave this way but there is a large enough group of them now that they are intimidating to anyone that speaks up to them.

Why the lack of balance in admission? Something as innocuous as random chance? Something as cynical as a school wanting to be connected to the current party in power? And what, if anything, is being done by the school to give everyone a (respectful) voice?

Most are not trump supporters I don’t think, as far as I know. It may just be by chance. My point was in response to the poster talking about the grade coming from Beauvoir which means more left. While in C Form the grade seemed more liberal - with most students from Beauvoir, now it seems close to about 50/50.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.)

Re: your second paragraph: Yes, yes, and more yes! One question I have is whether a politically "balanced" school--as some suggest STA is--doesn't present a great opportunity for this sort of dialogue. The tough part is that one has to rely greatly on teenagers to conduct it, but kids are more capable than we think.

To respond more broadly to OP's question, a few observations about some schools that haven't gotten mentioned recently: GDS is, in our experience, the most outwardly liberal. By outwardly, I mean that it is not just a feature, it's a mission. More than that, it is liberal in a particular way, in that there are certain "acceptable" ways to talk about difficult topics such as racial justice, and there are "unacceptable" ways to talk about them--even among what one might call "liberal" ways of discussing them. As liberal parents, both we and other (liberal) parents we know found it a little ideologically non-diverse, and not necessarily in a good way (for us; others of course may feel differently). Both Sidwell and Maret are less outwardly liberal, but both tend to reflect the demographics of DC, which are heavily democratic. Query whether this changes somewhat now that there is a Republican administration; after all, to some degree, this is a company town, and parents tend to want to send their kids to the best schools. We neither have kids nor know enough people at the Virginia and Maryland schools for me to offer empirically supportable views.

To us, STA is a bit of a puzzle. Beauvoir, which is the feeder to STA, is a warm, nurturing, respectful, loving place with a delightful community of kids and parents. While STA is not entirely populated by Beauvoir kids, one would think the same sort of community would remain. For some of our friends, that's been their experience, their kids are happy, and their boys are total gentlemen. Talk to the girls at NCS and other schools, though? We hear stories of terrible misogyny and sexist comments by some of the boys. We've never asked whether the boys they referred to were Republicans or Democrats--it hardly seemed appropriate, and as recent events have demonstrated, sexism is not a partisan issue. I do agree with the prior poster, however, who said that racial and social justice are approached differently by different political parties, so I don't think the issue is entirely apolitical. Just not sure which way it cuts in this case.

We are moderates and like a mix of families. Beauvoir is great but is different in that it has more liberal families. Each year we have been at STA, most of the new families admitted in the lower school have been republican and my son is friends with many of them. However, a few pro trump supporters have also been admitted in recent years and got a few other current boys to join in their group and their written and verbal actions towards their classmates and others are neither kind, tolerant, or respectful. Not all trump supporters in the grade behave this way but there is a large enough group of them now that they are intimidating to anyone that speaks up to them.

Why the lack of balance in admission? Something as innocuous as random chance? Something as cynical as a school wanting to be connected to the current party in power? And what, if anything, is being done by the school to give everyone a (respectful) voice?

STA goes above and beyond to give all boys a voice. Sounds like these things are happening outside of school and in the hallways or in texts/social media and are not happening around political discussions. They are just happening. It’s a small minority of the boys - not most. These things are never said in class discussions as far as I know.

[Anonymous]

"STA goes above and beyond to give all boys a voice."

How so?

[Anonymous]

This anonomous thread has seriously derailed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.)

Re: your second paragraph: Yes, yes, and more yes! One question I have is whether a politically "balanced" school--as some suggest STA is--doesn't present a great opportunity for this sort of dialogue. The tough part is that one has to rely greatly on teenagers to conduct it, but kids are more capable than we think.

To respond more broadly to OP's question, a few observations about some schools that haven't gotten mentioned recently: GDS is, in our experience, the most outwardly liberal. By outwardly, I mean that it is not just a feature, it's a mission. More than that, it is liberal in a particular way, in that there are certain "acceptable" ways to talk about difficult topics such as racial justice, and there are "unacceptable" ways to talk about them--even among what one might call "liberal" ways of discussing them. As liberal parents, both we and other (liberal) parents we know found it a little ideologically non-diverse, and not necessarily in a good way (for us; others of course may feel differently). Both Sidwell and Maret are less outwardly liberal, but both tend to reflect the demographics of DC, which are heavily democratic. Query whether this changes somewhat now that there is a Republican administration; after all, to some degree, this is a company town, and parents tend to want to send their kids to the best schools. We neither have kids nor know enough people at the Virginia and Maryland schools for me to offer empirically supportable views.

To us, STA is a bit of a puzzle. Beauvoir, which is the feeder to STA, is a warm, nurturing, respectful, loving place with a delightful community of kids and parents. While STA is not entirely populated by Beauvoir kids, one would think the same sort of community would remain. For some of our friends, that's been their experience, their kids are happy, and their boys are total gentlemen. Talk to the girls at NCS and other schools, though? We hear stories of terrible misogyny and sexist comments by some of the boys. We've never asked whether the boys they referred to were Republicans or Democrats--it hardly seemed appropriate, and as recent events have demonstrated, sexism is not a partisan issue. I do agree with the prior poster, however, who said that racial and social justice are approached differently by different political parties, so I don't think the issue is entirely apolitical. Just not sure which way it cuts in this case.

And what if you were a Trump supporter? Clinton had her own skeletons in her closet—had to bring up that yet again there is a passive swipe at conservatives . I have to say that I do get that Trump calls people in stuff right away.

We are moderates and like a mix of families. Beauvoir is great but is different in that it has more liberal families. Each year we have been at STA, most of the new families admitted in the lower school have been republican and my son is friends with many of them. However, a few pro trump supporters have also been admitted in recent years and got a few other current boys to join in their group and their written and verbal actions towards their classmates and others are neither kind, tolerant, or respectful. Not all trump supporters in the grade behave this way but there is a large enough group of them now that they are intimidating to anyone that speaks up to them.

Why the lack of balance in admission? Something as innocuous as random chance? Something as cynical as a school wanting to be connected to the current party in power? And what, if anything, is being done by the school to give everyone a (respectful) voice?

Most are not trump supporters I don’t think, as far as I know. It may just be by chance. My point was in response to the poster talking about the grade coming from Beauvoir which means more left. While in C Form the grade seemed more liberal - with most students from Beauvoir, now it seems close to about 50/50.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This anonomous thread has seriously derailed.

Not really. Op asked about in classroom political leanings and also later asked about parent political leanings of communities. That seems to be what is being discussed. She wants to know if her child will feel comfortable at certain schools. Sorry if you don’t like the content. You can pass on reading it.

[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.

I hope you will consider bringing this to admin at whatever division you are in, or the chaplains. The school does care a lot about the sort of coarsened discourse you're discussing. If you can give them some particulars about what grade it is and whether it is online or in person, that would help. From a school's perspective, kids don't talk like this in front of teachers and the teachers aren't in a position to see what's on their phones, either. The Episcopal Church does not subscribe to these beliefs and neither do the faculty at STA -- any help parents can give the school in making them aware of ugly stuff like you describe is important.

[Anonymous]

I've had kids at STA for a pretty long period of time (I'm old and have a lot of kids!). From my perspective, the school has gotten much more involved in trying to provide increased education on the "social curriculum," including respect for women and empathy overall. I do think there is a problem right now. I'm not sure of the causes, but surmise three things are at work:

1. Last year's senior class, for whatever reason, embraced ugly, offensive language and made it their trademark. It was supposedly "joking" so that students who were offended by it were just told that it was a joke and not to take it too seriously. That one class did some serious damage to the Upper School culture that might take a couple "generations of high school" (e.g. a couple four year periods)

2. The Trump campaign and Trump administration have, from my perspective, normalized name-calling and ad hominem insults. This effect is not limited to kids from politically conservative families, and definitely has been noticeable in schools, including STA.

3. I have a fair amount of friends in education and every school is dealing with ugly online language/behavior. This isn't limited to high schools -- remember Harvard revoking the acceptances of seniors who had created almost stunningly racist and offensive memes "as a joke"? The problem of online interactions such as offensive language that's supposedly joking is rife in teen culture.

It's overall a good place. Teachers are kind and caring, the the students generally do look out for each other and see themselves as part of a family. The Administration does not have a 'boys will be boys' attitude and really cares about trying to inculcate respect and empathy. As much as parents can help with that, it will help the school.

[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.

He needs to change friend groups. This is not my son's experience at all. And there is an active GAS, etc. My DS and friends (both guys and girls) are very respectful to each other. If you are really at STA and have this concern, bring it to your son's advisor. But everyone should know that this is not every boy or even close to a majority of boys.

[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.

I can assure everyone that Trump supporters are called a lot more names than anyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Racism and misogyny are not reversible. You can be mad at an inappropriate insult and it can be wrong that it was said but it isn't the same thing when it doesn't come with the weight of a history of oppression. That's what makes a "micro-aggression" an issue, it's the cumulative effect and the river that feeds it. A petty insult or some shade against someone for being conservative is just a petty insult or shade.

Tolerance doesn't mean blind acceptance of any view point. You can have a respectful argument about whether a particular policy position is rooted in racism or misogyny but you can't complain that there was an argument.

I went to GDS and there were some very conservative kids there and they did fine, perhaps largely due to a culture of rhetorical engagement. I understand 2017 is a different kettle of fish.

Just because you believe this, doesn't mean that everyone else does. For many of us, racism means discriminating on the basis of race, period. Sexism on the basis of sex. And trust us, NCS girls know how to give it as good as they get.