Value of a Friends School education...

[Pineygirl]

Originally Posted by njriverman

I went to Westtown Friends which was more integrated than my local public school.

They have students from all over the world as well. They tried to teach us patience, acceptance and tolerance, and that all humans are children of God, and have an inner light.

Seeds that hopefully have grown in me over time.

How many blue-collar kids?

[njriverman]

Originally Posted by Pineygirl

How many blue-collar kids?

actually some, especially the "friends" who as a group are less material, but value friends spirituality, and
also a few scholarships to inner city kids as well.

a diversity many colleges don't obtain.

[njriverman]

Guided by the essential Quaker calling to seek out and honor that of God in each of us, Westtown School challenges its students to realize their individual gifts while learning and living together in a diverse community. Westtown inspires and prepares its graduates to be stewards and leaders of a better world.

of Inclusiveness
Statement of Inclusiveness

Guided by the Quaker belief that there is that of God in all persons, Westtown School is a community of learners who value—and are themselves strengthened by—the rich diversity of its members. In order to prepare students for living and leading in a diverse and complex world, we welcome students, families, faculty, staff, and trustees with differences based on (but not limited to) race, color, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, family structure, and economic background.


The students’ writing skills are tremendous. Both my girls have asked me to read their papers—not for proofreading, but because they’re so excited about what they wrote. Westtown students know how to write and they know how to analyze. They also care about being a good person in the world.
Westtown Parent


Get ready to surprise yourself. Right now, you might never guess that you would soon be isolating DNA, dancing onstage, designing workable robots, winning a national essay contest, starting a photography club, or guest-teaching in an eighth grade ethics class—or in a school in Ghana. Or even, by junior year, planning a senior project that involves doing original scientific research in a Costa Rican rain forest.

Do you want the chance to speak with a nationally-known forensic anthropologist or environmentalist or author? Do you want to compete in athletic championships? Would you like to take linear math? Do you want to be able to speak Mandarin Chinese? Maybe you never thought about it, but think again. Because Westtown has a way of bringing out the unexpected.

My Senior year roommate there was blue color, his dad was an electrician.
He joined the Peace Corps and went to Korea for two years.

[Pineygirl]

Originally Posted by njriverman

actually some, especially the "friends" who as a group are less material, but value friends spirituality, and
also a few scholarships to inner city kids as well.

a diversity many colleges don't obtain.

Is diversity of thought permitted, as well? I know Quakers have always believed in allowing everyone to believe as they will, but they do tend to skew left...

Is there tolerance for more conservative viewpoints?

[villageitiot]

Originally Posted by Pineygirl

Is diversity of thought permitted, as well? I know Quakers have always believed in allowing everyone to believe as they will, but they do tend to skew left...

Is there tolerance for more conservative viewpoints?

Richard Nixon was the 37th President of the United States.
Richard Nixon previously served as U.S. Vice-President from 1953-61 under Pres. Eisenhower.

Richard Nixon was a Quaker.

Nixon hosted religious services in East Room of White House while he was President.

Come on piney give it up.

[PennJersey]

Eisenhower's granddaughter went to Westtown School.

Henry

[Pineygirl]

Originally Posted by villageitiot

Richard Nixon was the 37th President of the United States.
Richard Nixon previously served as U.S. Vice-President from 1953-61 under Pres. Eisenhower.

Richard Nixon was a Quaker.

Nixon hosted religious services in East Room of White House while he was President.

Come on piney give it up.

Nixon was back then. I'm talking about now, when tolerance for different (read "conservative") viewpoints is nil.

Has even asking a question become un-PC?

All I want to know is, does a student with a conservative (or even deeply Christian) viewpoint get the same respect in and out of the classroom as a student with a liberal (or agnostic) viewpoint?

[PennJersey]

Originally Posted by Pineygirl

Nixon was back then. I'm talking about now, when tolerance for different (read "conservative") viewpoints is nil.

Has even asking a question become un-PC?

All I want to know is, does a student with a conservative (or even deeply Christian) viewpoint get the same respect in and out of the classroom as a student with a liberal (or agnostic) viewpoint?

While I can't speak for every Quaker School - I graduated in 2004 and was one of a few conservative minded students and I had no problem expressing what I thought. No one ever tried to condemn me on my beliefs. The best thing about the school is it didn't matter what your views were on anything you were still treated equally. I have to agree with NJRiverman about the diversity also. 10% - 15% of my class were there on scholarships for inner city kids. I remember one friend from Harlem had said if he had gone to school there he probably would have had to join a gang had he gone to his regular high school. There were also people there that were international students that helped to provide different viewpoints then you have growing up in America.

Quakers are Christians and there was no different treatment to someone who held deeply Christian viewpoints. Even if you were a non-Christian there it was never a problem to say what you wanted. I only had one class on Quakerism and I think it was for 3 months - I had a year long class on World Religions while I was there.

Henry

[Pineygirl]

That's good to hear, then.
Too many times I've heard of Quaker schools being Quaker in name only.
I suppose it means that the Quakers are still in charge -- they are perhaps some of the most truly tolerant people around.