Intellectual Freedom
On October 9, Nicole Stork '18 asserted in an article in The Exonian that there isn't much intellectual freedom at Exeter. Simply put, her words were "if your [opinion] differs, you get shut down pretty quickly." In most cases, I’ve found that is not true. In fact, Exeter is one of the few places where respectful disagreement is highly encouraged inside and outside of classrooms. So, are disagreements really "shut down" in this community?We all know that the goal of Harkness is to reach a conclusion among ourselves. In that process, many ideas and thoughts are laid out on the table and students determine whether the information put forth is valuable and worth talking about. That is something each student decides on their own. If another student agrees, he or she will build on that point by providing further analysis or supporting it with facts, like a citation from the text being discussed. If a student wants to disagree, he or she will usually respectfully do so by giving his or her own explanation. What is important, however, is that one should always say something relevant to the previous point. It is only when discussion of a certain topic is completely exhausted that the class can move onto another discussion topic.History and English are inherently subjective topics, so it is normal for students to have more than one interpretation. Often two ideas conflict, but that doesn't mean the whole class turns their backs on one person and shuts that person off the discussion. Rather, disagreement in the classroom leads to more discussion. That is why teachers are usually the ones to encourage disagreements, not discouraging those who bring up new points and perspectives.In class, we are always encouraged to say what we want to say. It is crucial that we find the right timing for speaking. We are encouraged to speak when our comments and questions can contribute to the class discussion. One cannot complain that one's classmates "shut off" one's comment when it was irrelevant or unnecessary.Sometimes, the teacher can hint the class toward a certain direction or ask questions to facilitate discussion or to reach a conclusion that the whole class can agree on. Teachers taking control of the classroom and making conclusions for the students, however, are almost never the case at Exeter (or that is what my Exeter experience tells me so far). My English class is currently reading the Merchant of Venice, and while discussing the text we read for homework, we completely forgot about the famous line where Portia discussed the concept of mercy. Our teacher mentioned the passage to us, but she never took control of the discussion. Rather, I found that one or two of these tips can be helpful to recollect our memories from the vast amount of reading that we did for homework. I never felt that the teacher was directing the class to reach a conclusion he or she had in mind.Harkness is something of which Exeter feels proud. Surely every class cannot meet one's expectations. It would be a lie to say that every Harkness discussion is perfect and everyone is completely satisfied with what the class does. However, it is those mistakes, awkward two minute silences and interruptions that hopefully makes us grow and develop. On the whole, difference of opinion is not only allowed, but encouraged.Aside from classes, students can always express their ideas at clubs or even through simple conversations with friends. Although everything cannot go as expected, Exeter is certainly a place where students are encouraged to do whatever they want. Think your own thoughts. But don't be disappointed that they aren’t always accepted. Find people who can respect your thoughts and make those thoughts bigger.