Prep school fit

Parent Cafe
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<p>We have a ninth grader boarding in a prep school that has excellent academics. She works very hard, does well (honors program), stays out of trouble, and is very academically motivated. We love the courses, facilities and opportunities the school offers, but absolutely detest the liberal politics on campus. Every communique from the school leans WAY left. It is an Episcopal school, and touts its liberal qualities ad nauseam, but avoids anything Christian like the plague. We are not fundamentalists or Bible thumpers, but is it asking too much for a school to stick to the books and leave the indoctrination out? At this point, we are so frustrated, and feel so misled, that we are very willing to take our money and spend it at another school, if only we can find one that is a better fit. All we see in our research is either very small, closed-community schools that are too narrow in their offerings or very liberal schools that will take ‘stray cats’ and serve as a sort of year-round camp for kids whose parents don’t mind what the students are taught as long as they get that degree from that school.</p>

<p>Help! Is there any resource that can help us locate and analyze boarding schools for this type of issue? Googling has been useless. Any parent or student input and/or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!</p>

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<p>You want something to the right of an Episcopal boarding school? </p>

<p>I’m honestly not sure that there is such a thing. My kids went to two different boarding schools (one here in Washington and one in Hawaii) and I certainly never noticed any liberal bias at all. Both had chapel–in the great Episcopal tradition.</p>

<p>Would you care to be more specific about your issues?</p>

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<p>Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA is not too liberal.</p>

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<p>You might want to post this in the prep schools admissions forum.</p>

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<p>If you want to send me more details in a PM, I would be glad to try to help. I know a fair amount about boarding schools, and my son attended an Episcopal boarding school for almost two years. I am also an Episcopalian, and Episcopalians are not known for being Evangelistic.</p>

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<p>Ok, some specific examples:</p>

<pre><code> All students are ‘required’ to participate in the MLK march downtown, and then participate in a number of ‘discussions’ the entire day on the issue of discrimination. Since it got rained out this year, they stayed on campus and instead required the kids to watch a 20/20 program on the Jena 6.

The history classroom has posters of Che, Stalin, Mao, etc. posted on the walls, and only one American president. When I asked the teacher what the deal was with the posters of communists, he answered that many of the cold war issues were a result of America’s misunderstanding of communism and her erroneous perception of the threat of communism.

Although the school has heretofore had a zero tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol, the faculty has just voted to implement a “sanctuary” policy via which kids who do happen to be dangerously drunk or drugged, can go to an authority figure on campus to get help, and not get in trouble.

Most emails from the school (other than those that regard day-to-day operations) tout their diversity. When we visited the school, we could see that the campus was very diverse, and it’s just not an issue with us. But the constant emphasis on it always brings to mind Shakespeare’s line, ‘the lady doth protest too much,’ and makes us wonder WHY it always such a topic for them.

Those a just a few. We don’t mind that she is exposed to different ideas politically and socially. We are not evangelicals or Episcopalians, but we are Christian, and we are patriotic. Perhaps we are just naive and are in the minority, but it just seems that somewhere there should be a school that sticks to scholastics and does not operate on an assumption that all kids are raised to be bigots and have to be re-educated to a liberal point of view.
</code></pre>

<p>My sister says it’s the same everywhere, and that we just need to look at the glass as half full and be thankful for it. Fortunately, our daughter is a pretty solid thinker, and does not buy everything that’s presented to her. But I worry that the constant barrage is just a sorry substitute for more solid intellectual food.</p>

<p>Anyway, that’s my beef!</p>

<p>I will look into the school in Alexandria. Thank you all for the responses.</p>

<p>MomofWildChild, thanks for being open to helping. I don’t know what a PM is (personal message???), but will look into after the weekend when I return.</p>

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<p>That’s a tough call, but I think what you’re encountering is in alot of elite environments. ( in 9th grade at mine we had to read “Manchild in a Promised Land”. My mother almost had a heart attack). Sounds like your daughter is very grounded and has adjusted well to her school which isn’t always the case when kids go to boarding schools. Wouldn’t a change be disruptive to her? Perhaps you could have a talk with the guidance counselor or better yet, the chaplain for a better take on the school’s philosophy before you make an important decision like moving her. Best of luck to you.</p>

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<p>Frankly, I think you’re overreacting. It sounds like the teachers at your child’s school are teaching their students to think, not just swallow pre-digested “facts.” You asked a question students will ask: “why do you have communists on the walls?” and you got an answer that challenges your thinking. Why is this a problem? </p>

<p>And one day a year on “race issues” seems like a decent ratio.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, I’ve seen the consequences of “zero tolerance” policies: if a student is in danger, other students cover the situation because they’re afraid they’ll get thrown out. Without a safe place to go, the administration is in the dark until a student attempts suicide by drugs… or worse, as four friends of my youth did, in the age of zero tolerance.</p>

<p>I suggest you take a serious look at the senior class. If you like the students who’ve been there four years, approve of the colleges they’re attending, think they write a decent paper and can think well… it’s a good school.</p>

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<p>^I completely agree with dmd77.</p>

<p>Also, what are your daughter’s feelings on the school?</p>

<p>Although you are her parent and are paying for her education, she’s the one attending and it should be her choice whether or not she attends, not yours.</p>

<p>Maybe I am biased because this school sounds like it has the type of environment I’d thrive in.</p>

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<p>You might like <a href=“http://www.stonybrookschool.org/[/url]”>http://www.stonybrookschool.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I have no personal experience with the school, but know two people who attended it.</p>

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<p>If you pull your daughter out of the school due to its liberal leanings, you’re just teaching her that it is better to run away from other points of view rather than embrace them.</p>

<p>Communists on the classroom walls… interesting. But really, why do you care so much? If you and your daughter think their point of view is wrong, why not question them on it, instead of simply leaving to avoid exposure to it?</p>

<p>While I’m not sure I totally agree with the idea of forcing students to attend the MLK march, I am surprised you vehemently object to it. If your objection is that it’s a waste of a day… well, that shouldn’t be a big problem. Otherwise, I can’t see why you would have a problem with kids being exposed to some of the issues that are most at the heart of the last century in America.</p>

<p>Finally, with regards to drug policy, I seriously, seriously think you need to step back and think about objecting to a safe haven policy. Are you really telling us that you would prefer that students who make the unfortunate choice to use illicit substances be scared of trouble, and possibly incur serious harm or even die, merely to avoid a punishment? That’s a pretty thoughtless, heartless position, in my honest opinion.</p>

<p>More importantly, you ask that the school leave the indoctrination out. Well… personally, you haven’t said a single thing yet that I think would be indoctrination. Possibly unbalanced presentation of various issues? Maybe. But I think you, and not the school, are the ones with the skewed viewpoint here. But cheer up - just few years of this and then your daughter can attend Bob Jones.</p>

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<p>Honestly 1of42 the OP is clearly far from a Bob Jones kind of parent.</p>

<p>OP, if you are so concerned about what values are being imparted on your child then why don’t you have her live at home with you and attend a private or good public school in your area? You are your child’s own best teacher.</p>

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<p>It was a joke. :wink: Though with a kernel of truth - if the OP doesn’t want her daughter exposed to alternative viewpoints, there are options available for that. I wouldn’t want a child of mine attending them… but some parents obviously do.</p>

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<p>All students are ‘required’ to participate in the MLK march downtown, and then participate in a number of ‘discussions’ the entire day on the issue of discrimination.</p>

<p>um- not sure how this is a “liberal thing”- wouldn’t it be a history thing?</p>

<p>If there is only one teacher for each subject- then that can be a problem just because the teachers don’t have people to collaborate with and bounce ideas off of- but one thing I would look for- would be are students reading original works or are they only using predigested textbooks?
Im not saying everything has to be original source material, but so often words- especially from the distance of 10, 20, 200 years, are taken out of context and misunderstood.
For example- I have read Uncle Tom’s cabin.
Uncle Tom, was nothing like the pejorative image we have of that phrase</p>

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<p>Good points, emeralkity4. I have to say that I was offended by:</p>

<p>" … very liberal schools that will take ‘stray cats’ and serve as a sort of year-round camp for kids whose parents don’t mind what the students are taught as long as they get that degree from that school."</p>

<p>Parents who send their children to “liberal schools” are interested only in prestige, don’t care about education, and apparently don’t care about their children, either (“stray cats”)?</p>

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<p>I’m hoping against hope that your daughter isn’t in school in Texas. Please tell me she isn’t, but the MLK march is all too familiar and now the too liberal stuff makes sense. If the letters SSS and 400 beautiful acres hits home with you, let’s get started on your applications to different schools right away.
I hope I’m wrong.</p>

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<p>MomofWild, can you elaborate?</p>

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<p>There is a bad boarding school in Austin. Was bad when S was there- is still bad (for boarding). Complicated evolution of what is now really a day school from a boarding school. Poor leadership, inconsistent application of rules and bizarre community which can’t decide if it is Episcopal based or more inclined to welcome all the outliers (for faculty and staff…)</p>

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<p>lbish :</p>

<p>Let the kid thrive in this environment, as it will be good for his soul. My kid was a boarder in a very left inclined boarding prep school. Sometime it was tough on her as she was personally challenged for her views in many ways. However, it allowed her to seek her own path and make her up own views. My kids best friends were kids of opposite views as this allowed them to debate and see reasoning rather than personal opinions. If one needs to grow and get mature then they need to know other side of political views. This process though harsh yet allow a matured student to be make up their own mind. In reality, one would be living in a very diverse environment. Funny thing is our views are to the left. However, we respect our kids view and expect the same from her to respect our views. MLK have contributed lot of things to this society. Support your kid explore in different view point with arguments rather than emotions. This will turn up very nicely. Myopic views only hurt people and our great nations.</p>

<p>If younger generation leave apathy for politics, it will do good for the country whether they support left or right. beacuse involvment is a must for all of us who have stake in todays world.</p>