While I know that this will vary widely amongst schools, I wanted to get an understanding of where several schools fit in their political leanings. Specifically Berkshire, Millbrook, Williston and Pomfret. We are in the middle of major upheaval at our current day school as a more conservative coalition feels the school has gone WAY too far on DEI. It’s causing a huge rift in the community where conservative kids are being called out on being racist and are uncomfortable stating their views.
I guess I’m trying to understand how well BSs deal with addressing politics particularly in today’s charged environment. And how they handle perspectives at both ends of the spectrum - and maybe it’s way easier without parents there constantly peeking over shoulders. For reference, I consider us to be very much moderate so I see both sides of the conversation.
Honestly, I think very few see both sides of the conversation, sadly. This is 2021.
Most kids figure out how to navigate by speaking up or staying quiet depending on what side of the aisle they are on. Or, many feel it’s not worth stating their opinion. Many kids refrain from commenting on certain subjects and others are holding signs and posting photos. That being said, I think most kids respect one another with only a few exceptions.
I’d bet that families reflect the country as a whole, fairly divided. In some regions you are going to feel more of a lean/either way. But that doesn’t mean everyone is on board. Cancel culture is real and many (left, right and center) recognize that it’s better for them to keep quiet.
So while most schools will have a policies in place that might mirror what is happening in the world at large, I think most schools will find a common ground. There is no school where everyone shares the same views. What you should think about is how the schools communicate. I think at at BS, the kids are going to be driving more of the discussions than at a local private school where parents may be more involved.
I think you may not get a ton of replies. I didn’t reply at first because I don’t have an inner knowledge of the schools you are asking about. I would say that BS is slightly more conservative than a day school in a very liberal area would be. If you live in a very conservative area then BS is going to be a shock of leftists. I’d say most of the girls are fairly liberal and many of the boys want to think of themselves as “middle of the road” but have somewhat ridiculous arguments to that effect. The good thing about BS is that conversation and above board argument (oh discussion) is encouraged. There are certainly schools where there are many more say Trump supporters (none that you mentioned) and schools that have pride flags and BLM signs on every door (also none that you mentioned).
If your child can speak logically about their views and can listen they will be JUST FINE. It’s the kids who don’t listen and refuse to learn that are going to have trouble.
BSs are very similar to the vast majority of colleges - the politics of the administration, faculty and students overall lean far left.
They handle the left “end” very well. The right “end” is well-advised to keep their heads down and keep quiet.
Based on observing the politics of one kid and hearing of how he and like-minded (and open-minded) moderates are treated, it seems like moderates either keep quiet or are quickly squeezed out of the middle at our BS (not one you listed). Because even if you try to engage the extreme left in healthy debate, you are regarded as extreme right and labelled a racist, etc.
Millbrook, and I believe Berkshire, are middle of the road. Don’t know the other two schools. I have to believe most boarding schools encourage respectful discussion bolstered by logic and facts, wherever the argument falls on the political spectrum.
Luckily, my conservative kid has not experienced the labelling at his school and actually has gained the respect of many peers throughout his years there. He even has encouraged more conservative/moderates to speak up for themselves.
He’s appreciative of the healthy debate and supportive disagreements regarding politics - he feels he has more of an understanding of leftism (even though he still may not agree with their platform) and he feels that others have more of an understanding as to why he is conservative. What he is most appreciative of is the intelligence behind everyone’s argument, as before he was surrounded by those who didn’t know why they stood what they stood for (they claimed to be conservatives, too, which is interesting) and could not argue their stance to save their life.
Every school will be different, though. I’m just grateful DS had the experience he did.
This really has not been my kids’ experience at all. The only kids I have seen “squeezed” are kids using slurs that are completely unacceptable. Other than that I have seen middle of the road politics pretty well accepted.
Obviously everyone’s experience varies and OP you should probably have your kid ask these questions at whatever revisit day you have acess to.
Well I’d agree with Altras that the middle gets “squeezed” I think one side ( which shall go unmentioned) feels very comfortable telling the rest of folks what to do. Not all classes, not all schools, but many. Not speaking up is not the same as not having an opinion. Often folks think because they can speak freely and their opinion is freely considered that everyone else is fine too. But that’s not the norm.
It’s great if kids are in a place where everyone feels comfortable and honest about sharing their perspectives. That’s the ideal. I’d be very surprised to find it in higher education these days.