The Mindset of Exonians
Perhaps the most developed skill we have honed at Exeter is our ability to think critically. Be it personal, academic or social, our innate tendency to mentally break down a scenario and process every detail we know is invaluable.
This trait is, of course, not unique to Exonians; humans are naturally critical and especially in this day and age, teenagers are an awfully judgmental bunch. But Exeter is a place that exacerbates this tendency because our platform for education relies on pushing analytically. Approaches like Harkness math require us to think beyond written theorems and concepts. We invest an extra degree of thought, concern and analysis in our math and science curriculum. Given our emphasis on narrative essays, we sometimes worry that the humanities at Exeter give analytical thinking ample priority, but in fact, it is quite the opposite. Although major English assignments at Exeter revolve around personal voice, we spend every day at the table scouring for themes, meaning and lessons in a heavy analytical fashion.
"But succumbing to this tempting mindset of “Exeter Exceptionalism” is dangerous. When we do fall victim, it can get harder and harder to critically analyze more nuanced situations in our community—because these cases often lack what we are so sculpted to pursue: a solution."
The Academy indeed helps us think to formulate “bigger-picture” ideas by thinking beyond the transparent dimension of a situation, but that sort of environment also comes at a cost. Exeter can intake our ability to register and analyze what is wrong and often morph it into an obsession to rectify or produce what is right.
While we are pushed to think beyond the obvious answers to a problem, we still fall into a trap of short-term and/or goal-oriented milestones; we gauge success by tangible measures. Again, that's a natural human tendency, and plus, it's easy. A number attached to an endowment or a title attached to a leadership position are easier to analyze in comparison to why certain programs at Exeter are funded over others or whether our student body is really growing from the recent dialogues surrounding a great deal of social justice issues. Yet while falling back on statistics and numbers is the common, convenient thing to do, some tend to justify this tendency by citing that our problems here are more important and that our concerns hold more gravity at Exeter. Leadership positions, titles and goals in general are chased at Exeter, just like at other schools, but some might claim they are “more important here” because this is Exeter.
But succumbing to this tempting mindset of “Exeter Exceptionalism” is dangerous. When we do fall victim, it can get harder and harder to critically analyze more nuanced situations in our community—because these cases often lack what we are so sculpted to pursue: a solution.
The Academy is currently engaged in many talks regarding transitions: strategic planning and the Principal search are just a taste of the list. We enter such conversations with certain goals in mind because, for many items on the list, an end goal is just what we need—for example, we need a Principal.
But other things take critical analysis and don't have clear-cut solutions available at the end of half-day Wednesday conversations; so, for example, I applaud the effort that pushes faculty to consider large, almost ambiguous points of thoughts like strategic planning over the course of many days—not just one. Because no matter how hard Exeter has trained us to hunt for a solution or remedy to every issue, it isn't always there immediately.
Much of the student body has been quite active and motivated this year in terms of spreading awareness and seeking social change. Yet some others are apparently facing and voicing “exhaustion” at the distant thoughts of frequent discussions surrounding too much inequality—and that's ridiculous. I’m tired of hearing reactions like, “but we can’t stop racism, so what’s the point?” or “I hate hearing these complaints all the time, and no one even has solutions.”
The fact that no one has the solution is the entire point of spreading and maintaining awareness. If there were a solution, we would all be running to see how it could be implemented into our community as soon as possible.
Midway through this school year, many students had already shown serious determination critically analyzing social environments within and beyond the confines of Exeter. And just because every campaign doesn't have a solution, or just because there are not ways to measure change in a culture, does not rob any movement of its legitimacy. I speak in general terms because a large spectrum of current events and social phenomena have been brought to the attention of our community.
Out of respect, no matter our own views on each case, it’s everyone’s individual job to strip away our typically solution-set minds and analyze a situation for just that purpose: to analyze. Only through looking at something ourselves can we ascribe it personal meaning and relevance. And the ultimate key to shifting culture and anything unable to be gauged by a statistic is everyone realizing for themselves that change is important.
Thoughtful consideration to somehow ascribe a personal connection will help give value to the often abstract or, for some, unrelatable ideas we talk about. It’s not about making everything about us; and as outsiders, there are some things that we may never fully understand. But it’s about looking a step beyond our own selves to forge a connection to other humans around us in order to realize that others need your understanding and compassion. And to note, analyzing something without automatically jumping to brainstorm a list of solutions is not equivalent to just nagging or complaining. Sometimes, things just require understanding. There is “a point” to simply thinking. It compels us to see each other’s thoughts and opinions more rationally, and those are mindsets that lead to the most impactful “solutions.” Again, that’s the point of continuous awareness and activism. Keep listening and thinking, and don’t ignore.
Exeter has done a thorough job of preparing us to look at something, think quickly and immediately try to solve it. But we all also hold personal responsibility to take pause over heavier issues and ponder more thoughtfully the implications they impose. Not everything can be plugged into solver or measured by the success of one stellar assembly performance.