Civil Discourse is Rooted in Hackley’s Mission
By Andy King, Director of the Upper School
Last week, Steve Fitzpatrick, Middle and Upper School history teacher and Director of Debate Programs, invited me to attend his Government and Politics class, an Upper School elective. I was invited to judge an in-class debate about the means of campaigning used by national political candidates. Both sides made compelling points that were concisely and passionately argued and supported with detailed evidence. I will not share which side won, but it was impressive to see our Upper School students so engaged and knowledgeable about the electoral process.
The flag at half-staff near the Upper School Quad.
During the debate, one of the seniors, while advancing his position about the need for more ethical campaigning methods, stated the following: “elections set the tone for national discourse.” I wrote the comment down and then went back to my judging duties. That statement, particularly the notion of tone-setting, has been running through my mind ever since.
When I think about the tone of this year’s election cycle, the presence of vitriol and ad hominem attacks and the absence of dialogue stand out. Candidates for national offices routinely vilify their opponents. And, rather than listening to and countering an opponent’s conflicting viewpoint with arguments and evidence, most candidates turn to invective, delivered in tailored soundbites, through political proxies, over social media or in direct confrontations during debates. While none of this is entirely new to our political process, the tone feels particularly caustic this election cycle.
Mr. King and Upper School students answering second graders’ questions about election day.
This political climate creates a significant dilemma for me as an educator. On the one hand, I am delighted by our students’ high level of interest and how generally well-informed they are about the candidates, their campaigns, and the electoral system. Many of our students view the 2020 elections with a sense of urgency. They are compelled to ask questions, dig deeper, and learn more for reasons both political and personal. On the other hand, candidates and their supporters employ and model behaviors that we would not tolerate nor want them to emulate on campus or at home. In other words, I am glad they are watching but I worry about what they are seeing. So if elections set the tone for our national discourse, as the wise senior stated above, then Hackley must challenge the national norms and strive to create and sustain a distinctive and more constructive approach to discourse.
Upper School students answering second graders’ questions about election day.
At Hackley, our focus is on civil discourse. To engage in civil discourse means to show respect for the other participants, to listen carefully to others’ views, to argue and marshal evidence thoughtfully and responsibly, and to appreciate the value of a diversity of opinions. Engaging in civil discourse means sharing one’s informed perspective; it does not mean remaining silent if one holds a contrasting viewpoint. Civil discourse also brims with energy and passion; it is neither dull, nor banal. I observed all of these qualities of civil discourse during the recent in-class debate and I see these behaviors regularly in our classrooms and elsewhere around campus. And while there have been and will be moments where our conversations fall short of this bar, civil discourse remains the standard for campus dialogue to which we aspire.
Civil discourse is rooted in Hackley’s mission, which in part aspires us to “challenge students to grow in character (and) scholarship.” Through civil discourse, where a diversity of viewpoints are expressed, we strive to “learn from the varying perspectives and backgrounds in our community and the world.”
“Who has family members who voted early?”
Civil discourse is also reinforced by Redefining Excellence: Learning Beyond Boundaries, Hackley’s strategic plan. As Hackley works to “redefine a liberal arts education” to “meet the needs of tomorrow’s learners and citizens,” we recognize the importance of cultivating a sense of civic responsibility and the ability to “learn and practice communication skills across differing viewpoints and perspectives.” Civil discourse is a K-12 priority; a committee of Lower, Middle and Upper School teachers began collaborating last year to explore ways to foster civic understanding, civic engagement, and civil discourse. The committee’s work carried into this year with a special focus this fall on how to educate and engage students around the 2020 elections in meaningful and age-appropriate ways.
Members of this committee conceived and collaborated with other colleagues to design opportunities for students in all three divisions of the school. In the Lower School, teachers asked students to develop questions about the elections. The teachers then shared these questions with me. Together with Steve Fitzpatrick, Emily Washington, Vladmir Klimenko, and their students, we arranged for Upper School students to Zoom with their Lower School counterparts and answer questions about the election. The questions were memorable in their innocence and their sophistication. To hear a 12th grader answer a Kindergarten student’s question “Why do people vote?” was very powerful.
Students sneak in more questions after the presentation has ended.
Additionally, over the last several weeks during Friday morning homerooms, Middle and Upper School students watched short videos produced by Upper School students in Mr. Fitzpatrick’s Government and Politics and Mrs. Washington’s Civic Engagement for Advanced Spanish Speakers on the Electoral College, the structure and significance of the United States Senate and voting rights/voting access, all of which are fundamentally important topics for students to grasp as future members of an informed electorate. Upper School students have had opportunities for daytime lunch conversations and an evening Air and Share discussion where they could ask questions and talk with fellow students and teachers about the elections. Last week, the Upper School hosted Julian Hayter, Associate Professor of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond, during a Zoom-based assembly to speak about voting rights and voter disenfranchisement. All of these efforts, in addition to conversations happening in classes, promote broader civic understanding and model civil discourse. Simply put, well-informed students are better equipped to engage in civil discourse.
A gust of wind swirls the flag outside the Kathleen Allen Lower School.
This post will be published in the days before Election Day. I offer no predictions here about the outcome. In fact, we may not know the outcome of the presidential and many of the down-ballot elections by that evening or the next day. Whatever the outcome of the elections, I can tell you that one powerful byproduct of this election season has been heightened engagement by our students. In my two decades at Hackley, including many years as an Upper School history teacher, I have never seen students more curious, knowledgeable, and interested in an election cycle. If we can sustain their engagement and encourage them to practice civil discourse, we are setting the right tone for our campus discourse, no matter what tone our national discourse takes.
(This article was written for and published in our blog Hackley Perspectives.)