In Response to P. Janney

By now, most of the school has read the Huffington Post editorial titled “Prep School: Talking Trash,” written by a recent Exeter alum. In the article, Petra Janney ’10 details her experience as an introverted participant at the Harkness table and blames Harkness for making her “loud, thoughtless, and concerned only with receiving the perfect grade that would elude [her] if [she] tried to stop and think.”In our combined experiences at Exeter, we have yet to meet a teacher who grades based on the quantity of student comments rather than the quality. Teachers do not hesitate to ask particular students to listen more and talk less if they control the airtime in a detrimental way. We have never seen a teacher encourage “categorically ignoring the worth of listening, the presence of introversion and the significance of concrete fact.” In fact, one of the first lessons learned at Exeter is the value of listening to others’ opinions; the fundamental concept of sharing ideas is why the Harkness system has lasted and expanded.Most teachers are good at recognizing untruths and falsified comments. There are certainly students who come to class unprepared yet still talk excessively; however, doing so does not guarantee a high grade—it usually has the opposite effect. Our teachers are practiced in distinguishing the students who offer insightful comments from those who talk for the sake of talking, and the former generally receives much better grades than the latter. Most teachers take meticulous notes on classroom discussions, tracking students’ points, textual references, and contribution to the conversation. Look at the students with the highest GPAs on campus—they are by no means the ones who are “verbally mangling” their English readings. Furthermore, our fellow classmates around the table are the most demanding judges, and it is clear when someone comes into a discussion unprepared. Harkness is built on collaboration and teamwork, and does not work if every member is not pulling his or her own weight. This creates positive peer pressure and encourages students to contribute to the class for the pure pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment.And it’s not all about grades either, despite what Janney seems to think. If the students here just wanted As, they would have stayed at their local public schools. We came to Exeter to collaborate with others through the Harkness system.Janney’s article claims that Harkness encourages students to spew off incorrect facts in order to raise their grades, negatively affecting others’ learning. However, if a classmate is “mixing up themes, characters, and plotlines” in English and a student recognizes it, it is their responsibility as a participant in Harkness to guide others along the right path. Harkness is not some oppressive “system” that is forced upon the students, but rather a method of discussion that arises from the students. In short, Harkness is what you make of it. It works when the students around the table are open to helping each other, and when one student feels another has stated something untrue, it is that student’s job to contribute to the discussion and further everyone’s knowledge. Janney responding to a particular student’s incorrect comments would have been much more effective for everyone’s learning than bringing it up years later in an op-ed slamming the entire Harkness system for failing her.Janney seems appalled that her history teacher expected her to speak three times a class. When students come to Exeter, they know that the entire school is based on collaborative discussion at the table that is present in every classroom. If Janney had wanted to attend a school that graded purely based on tests or papers, then she should not have attended Exeter. When you choose to come to Exeter, you choose the Harkness method; naturally, in a school based on participation, your presence at the table will affect your grade. If you contribute zero comments per class, there is no way for your teacher to judge the quality of your thoughts. Some teachers institute similar “three comment rules,” which poses difficulties not only for introverted students who have trouble joining the discussion, but also for extroverted students who speak too often. Whether or not we are naturally garrulous or reserved, we all learn to balance our contributions to Harkness.Yes, many students--both extroverts and introverts-- have trouble adjusting to Harkness, and yes, we should do the best we can to accommodate those concerns. It is unfortunate that Janney did not get the same positive experience out of the Harkness education that most others have, but that blame does not fall wholly on Exeter. Obviously, Janney was able to receive the grades she wanted through “running her mouth,” but few students can pull that off.Janney learned that “the louder you are, the better you are,” and that “there's only one way to learn anything, and that's to talk in circles until someone takes notice.” We have learned (and are learning) the opposite. Exeter has taught us to value diversity of opinions and to accept responsibility for not just our own learning, but also for that of others around us. Harkness isn’t perfect, especially in the early days of prep fall or lazy afternoons of senior spring. Harkness, however, gives back what you put into it, and we have faith that as long as students want to learn and teachers want to teach, Harkness at Exeter will provide the best education available.