I would say that it is likely to be more stressful for a full scholarship, lower SES student–even a “White” one, that it is for an upper middle class “student of color”.
Some people here seem to get caught up in the idea that only non-white students have big issues…
From our experience in a CA private school, race an issue if one chooses to make it one.
As a matter of fact and experience, there is a noticeable anti-white bias in certain parts of Silicon Valley.
But my kids have been lectured about their “White Privilege”…at both their middle and high school…
i dont understand why grown adults feel the need to argue with a bunch of children on a prep school admissions website. intelligent discussion only takes place when all parties are open to learning and honestly 99.99% of users on this board are just here to learn how to get into prep school not to hear about your polarizing politics. do something fun but dont make kids feel bad about themselves. life is precious, do something good with yours.
@Bunny8280 Love your final paragraphs, where you demonstrate a solution mindset. I hope you share your concerns and solutions with administration. They need to hear your viewpoints and you will feel better expressing them.
@dragonmom3 Were your kids aware of the concept of “White Privilege” prior to being “lectured”? Do you believe White Privilege exists? " Race is an issue if one chooses to make it." This comment sounds like an example of white privilege.
Also, I find it hard to believe that there is an anti-white bias in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley is White for the most part. I worked in technology in the heart of Silicon Valley prior to becoming a teacher. I was one of the only women and I was definitely the only URM. My brother is currently the head of software engineering for a major Silicon Valley tech company and he is the only URM. Silicon valley firms recognize the lack of diversity so are trying to recruit more minorities including women (White or otherwise), as are universities into STEM fields. So what do you mean there is an “anti White” bias?
Oh boy… it all started out so simple…
@“Nico.campbell” you are slow
@doschicos and others - In offering some “morsels” from the Exonian, I’m not in any way saying or implying that PEA or its newspaper should censor opinions. I’m just offering a few examples - and after my deep dive into the opinion pieces today I could offer many more - of just how “liberal” the atmosphere appears to be. That is consistent with the OP’s initial complaint. I am not on campus, so I cannot speak to whether other voices are being silenced, either through suasion or de facto coercion. Perhaps those voices just don’t exist?
Now, as a person with libertarian and conservative leanings, I would never try to silence speech and I would resist strenuously others’ attempts to do so. Even speech that might be considered “hurtful.” It’s too easy to use “feelings” and “you don’t understand my pain” to shut down discussions of important topics that we need to face as a society.
But, of course, PEA is not society; it is an elite, private institution that can set the limits of its own discourse. I have usually recommended PEA to people who have extremely gifted math and science children. Based on my extensive read of the Exonian today, I am going to rethink that advice, unless the student would not mind being part of what looks to be an echo chamber. There are many fine schools that can do just as good a job for the typical extremely gifted math or science student.
I’m not actively involved in this discussion, I think that it would be helpful if everyone (not just here, but all over the world) were to just take a breath and look at the big picture, departing from their personal agenda. Good/bad/right/wrong/pc/non-pc are all subjective… just my thoughts. I think the problem here is he fact that the OP feels they don’t have a voice, and that they are being labaled as an archaic, closed-minded conservative. I think we should be be trying to help the OP rather than dissing/defending their(but in reality, one another’s) thoughts.
^or in other words: chill out and spread love.
No one has doubted your experience or demanded proof; it’s only fair to extend the same courtesy to the students who are speaking out about their personal experiences.
I’m a PEA alumna. Many of my experiences around the Harkness table were marked by misogyny (and, frankly, I was more of a warrior than a wallflower). It’s very difficult to provide concrete evidence of subtle bias - the teacher who doesn’t offer a reaction to your comments, but enthusiastically endorses the same ideas when shared by a male classmate; the overheard comments mocking a male student for “losing to a girl” in a debate; the eye roll and whispered rejoinder of “puck slut” or any number of other pejorative descriptions of girls on campus. It’s never a good feeling to have your ideas be judged not by their content, but by the aspect of your identity (gender, race, sexual orientation, place of origin, socioeconomic status, etc) about which the other person has preconceived notions.
To make my point very clear: OP, I hope you can see the parallels between your experience and those of your classmates, and that all of you are able to work on the perspective taking necessary to find common ground.
As for the dismissive comments about intersectionality and privilege, it can be a very useful tool to think about how power dynamics work, and this is exactly the time of life when young people should be thinking hard about their place in the world. This is the same place where a favorite chant at games was, “It’s alright, it’s okay, you’ll all work for us someday.” Students at Exeter can be both privileged and disadvantaged in multiple ways, and there’s nothing wrong with recognizing that reality and working through what it means (even in the public forum of the student newspaper!).
MODERATOR’S NOTE: Closing the thread because it’s going around in circles.