Politically Corrected: School tries to create appropriate environment for student opinion

By Marcy Cwikla, Business Director

The Dallas Morning News recently reported on an incident that occurred at Highland Park High School during its Homecoming week this year that one Dallas civil-rights leader said is racially insensitive.

Students at Highland Park High School expressed their spirit for Scots sports teams by dressing as rappers, maids, and yard workers for a variety of school dress-up days during the Homecoming week. On senior Thug Day, students wore Afro wigs, fake gold teeth and baggy jeans. On Fiesta Day, which was designed to honor Hispanic heritage, one student brought a leaf blower to school to serve as a prop for his yard worker costume. No students were punished for their participation in the Homecoming dress up days.

Bob Lydia, the President of the Dallas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, classified this type of behavior as “racially insensitive,” and stressed the importance of correcting these prejudices, which he considered to be inappropriate in a learning environment.

“The scary part of something like this is you have to wonder how long these kids will continue to think this way. These kids will be leaders of this country one day,” said Mr. Lydia.

Through observation of such situations and with the intent to create a comfortable atmosphere for students, the administration has taken steps to communicate its goals to the rest of the school.

Karen Bradberry, director of diversity, notes the importance of the mission statement’s goal for equality and its function within the community but also emphasizes that these boundaries are not absolute.

“We are trying to communicate that while we value diverse beliefs, we [the faculty and staff] are obligated to define the expected behaviors of our students so that certain beliefs don’t manifest themselves into behaviors that harm others. We [the faculty and staff] have to instill parameters that protect the rights and security of all students at this school,” said Dr. Bradberry.

Although the administration respects students’ need for comfort in its concept, some students disagree with its execution. Fifty percent of Upper School students recently reported in a poll that they feel that Greenhill’s attention to political correctness is higher than necessary.

Such opinions stem from actions that strive to create a positive learning atmosphere. For example, last year students learned that the Sadie Hawkins Dance would no longer be the dance in which “girls ask guys,” but rather, the “just ask” dance.

David Braemer, Head of Upper School, finds that defining what is “politically correct” within the school’s community and that creating a balance between these words and the rights of each person is a difficult task.

“I think there are so many inherent challenges or tensions when trying to do things as a group but still valuing the individual; how to promote the uniqueness of each individual person and their ability to have different ideas and opinions and express these ideas and opinions, but at the same time, to be aware of the impact those opinions have on others,” said Mr. Braemer.

The idea of respecting the effect of opinions has deep roots in a community that deals strongly with the issue of diversity.
Graphic by Alexa Kutler

Dr. Bradberry believes in an atmosphere where the differences between students are embraced as a way of enriching the education of students.

“We’re working to help our students understand our mission. As a school, we’re open to all students and all viewpoints, and we have to demonstrate to students that that openness exists at Greenhill. [Students] become better people for being able to realize that there are other opinions and learning how to respect those opinions,” said Dr. Bradberry.

However, while our mission statement guarantees each student to the right to express his or her own opinions, inappropriate behavior that is determined to be threatening or demeaning is not acceptable.

“We are trying to communicate that we value student’s opinions, but [the faculty] do put limits on behavior and [the faculty] has to enforce these limits to protect the rights and security of all students at this school,” said Dr. Bradberry.

With this reprimand, students may sometimes believe that the school tries to promote one opinion over another in order to influence the behavior and attitudes of the students; however, it is not within the boundaries of the school to communicate opinions to its students.

Scott Griggs, Head of School, wants to secure the idea that it is not the ideas that the community teaches, but the right to hold ideas.

“At no point in time did we ever discuss teaching a specific lifestyle. It’s not part of the curriculum, but every person who walks through the door deserves respect, no matter which side of whatever issue they may be on,” said Mr. Griggs.

When entering the school’s community or applying to enter, the administration feels strongly that all applicants and their families understand this statement and embody it as a foundation of their academic career.

Mark Crotty, director of curriculum, supports the unique viewpoints of each potential and current student, but feels more strongly that the community and principles of the school must be a good fit for the student.

“Our mission says that these are the things that we believe in. Someone who does not agree with those things doesn’t need to be here. And notice I’m not saying the school is telling that person that they are not wanted because of what they believe. That person individually should recognize that their values do not agree with those of the school,” said Mr. Crotty.

The continual focus of the school’s mission statement therefore centers on embracing the diversity of the community and examining ideas that are new for students. The statement suggests that the purpose of diversity within our community is to enhance the understanding of the outside world to a student whose knowledge is confined to the community.

Senior Brent Rubin, student council president, believes that the idea of political correctness helps students reconsider ideas and opinions that they have previously held in order to form a more informed standpoint.

“I think [the idea of political correctness] forces students to be very thoughtful and creative when expressing their opinions, and question things they would not normally question. The school’s a good place to discuss these issues because these issues do exist in the outside world, but students can experiment with addressing them in a comfortable environment,” said Brent.

The idea that communicating in a way that is respectful and sensitive to all students and faculty plays a role in the structure of a school that considers itself academically challenging.

“I think there is no question that we are judgmental towards other people’s judgment, but when students are in such a demanding academic environment, and people are thinking critiquely, as a faculty, we encourage students to develop opinions. It becomes a fine line between having those opinions, expressing those opinions, and expressing them in a respectful manner,” said Mr. Braemer.

Senior Stephen Polley agrees with the Mr. Braemer’s thoughts on the limits political correctness can stretch to protect the rights of all students. While he believes it is important to value each student’s opinions, he thinks conflict can be created when those opinions harm or threaten other students.

“I think we need to preserve people’s right to be politically incorrect. It becomes strange when you protect someone’s right to say things that deny other people’s rights,” said Stephen.

In a community with less than 1200 students, all ethnic, economic, political, or social groups may not be represented within the population, but as a clause of the mission statement, students are expected to explore the diversity of the other students within the community. The school, as a part of its mission, considers preparing students for the diversity they encounter after leaving the school as an important step in the learning process.

“I buy into the philosophy of critical consciousness. The success is in that our community is now aware that there are people with differences and that we collectively strive to be sensitive to those differences,” said Dr. Bradberry.

However, with this idea, students may believe that while the school is trying to prepare its students for the outside world, it is instead ignoring the fact that the same sensitivity will not be apparent beyond this community. While the administration may admit to creating an overly secure environment, it sees this as a positive rather than a negative.

“Students [at Greenhill] have been in a situation, whether it’s a bubble or not, that in many ways is extremely tolerate of different things, and they know it can work and help others see it can work. I still operate on enough of an idealistic plane that, although you may not go out and change the world, you man improve your corner of it,” said Mr. Crotty.

Mr. Crotty continues with the idea that the school’s goal is not to develop only the academic part of the student, but to create better people for the lives they have after graduating. He believes that the school will not know if it has done it job when the student graduates, but when that student returns in 20 to 30 years as a better person.

“A truly meaningful education is not just college-preparatory, but life-preparatory, and if our school is determined to enrich the lives of its students, we have to address issues of diversity and the right to discuss these issues so that students can make the best decisions when they leave our campus,” said Mr. Crotty.

 “We’re working to help our students understand the school’s mission. Greenhill celebrates diverse viewpoints that expand our thinking -- even when we don’t agree with them. We [Greenhill community members] achieve individual growth when we share our myriad opinions and when we learn to respect the fact that people have a right to those opinions,” said Dr. Bradberry.

However, while the mission statement guarantees each student to the right to express his or her own opinions, inappropriate behavior that is determined to be threatening or demeaning is not acceptable.

With this boundary, students may sometimes believe that the school tries to promote one opinion over another in order to influence the behavior and attitudes of the students; however, it is not within the boundaries of the school to communicate opinions to its students. Scott Griggs, Head of School, wants to secure the concept that it is not the ideas that the community teaches, but the right to hold ideas.

“At no point in time did we ever discuss teaching a specific lifestyle. It’s not part of the curriculum, but every person who walks through the door deserves respect, no matter which side of whatever issue they may be on,” said Mr. Griggs.

When entering the school’s community or applying to enter, the administration emphasizes strongly that all applicants and their families understand this statement and embody it as a foundation of their academic career.

Mark Crotty, director of curricular programs, supports the unique viewpoints of each potential and current student, but said that the community and principles of the school must be a good fit for the student. “Our mission says that these are the things that we believe in. Someone who does not agree with those things doesn’t need to be here. And notice I’m not saying the school is telling that person that they are not wanted because of what they believe. That person individually should recognize that their values do not agree with those of the school,” said Mr. Crotty.

The continual focus of the school’s mission statement therefore centers on embracing the diversity of the community and examining ideas that are new for students. The statement suggests that the purpose of diversity within our community is to enhance the understanding of the outside world to a student whose knowledge is confined to the community.

Senior Brent Rubin, student council president, said he believes that the idea of political correctness helps students reconsider ideas and opinions that they have previously held in order to form a more informed standpoint.

“I think [the idea of political correctness] forces students to be very thoughtful and creative when expressing their opinions and question things they would not normally question. The school is a good place to discuss these issues because these issues do exist in the outside world, but students can experiment with addressing them in a comfortable environment,” said Brent.

The idea that communicating in a way that is respectful and sensitive to all students and faculty plays a role in the structure of a school that considers itself academically challenging.

“I think there is no question that we are judgmental towards other people’s judgment, but when students are in such a demanding academic environment, and people are thinking critically, as a faculty, we encourage students to develop opinions. It becomes a fine line between having those opinions, expressing those opinions, and expressing them in a respectful manner,” said Mr. Braemer.

Senior Stephen Polley agrees with the Mr. Braemer’s thoughts on the limits political correctness can stretch to protect the rights of all students. While he said he believes it is important to value each student’s opinions, he notes that conflict can be created when those opinions harm or threaten other students.

“I think we need to preserve people’s right to be politically incorrect. It becomes strange when you protect someone’s right to say things that deny other people’s rights,” said Stephen.

In a community with less than 1,200 students, all ethnic, economic, political, or social groups may not be represented within the population, but students are expected to explore the diversity of the other students within the community. The school considers preparing students for the diversity they encounter after leaving the school as an important step in the learning process.

“Our [Greenhill’s] success resides in cultivating an awareness of an appreciation for the diversity that exists on our campus and in our community-at large.; collectively, we must be sensitive to those differences,” said Dr. Bradberry.

However, with this idea, students may believe that while the school is trying to prepare its students for the outside world, it is instead ignoring the fact that the same sensitivity will not be apparent beyond this community.

While the administration may admit to creating an overly secure environment, it sees this as a positive rather than a negative.

“Students [at Greenhill] have been in a situation, whether it’s a bubble or not, that in many ways is extremely tolerant of different things, and they know it can work and help others see it can work. I still operate on enough of an idealistic plane that, although you may not go out and change the world, you man improve your corner of it,” said Mr. Crotty.

Mr. Crotty continues with the idea that the school’s goal is not to develop only the academic part of the student, but to create better people for the lives they have after graduating. He believes that the school will not know if it has done it job when the student graduates, but when that student returns in 20 to 30 years.

“A truly meaningful education is not just college-preparatory, but life-preparatory, and if our school is determined to enrich the lives of its students, we have to address issues of diversity and the right to discuss these issues so that students can make the best decisions when they leave our campus,” said Mr. Crotty.