As a wide range of schools and administrations choose how to approach the “politics problem,” the Mount has decided to face it head on with courage, compassion, and conviction.
Political tension has been building for months leading up to the presidential election, and as November 5 closely approaches, it has become nearly impossible for administrations, educators and students to ignore the critical race that is sure to go down in US election history.
The Mount is guided in its mission of serving the dear neighbor and educating young women as founders, and Principal Elizabeth Blessing has said that the Mount will continue to follow this mission in the midst of the election.
“The school’s mission is not to tell people what to think. It’s to guide critical thinking,” Principal Blessing said.
The Mount has always believed that the future of society largely depends on the education of women, and therefore it is even more critical that the Mount fosters young women to look at the facts and use critical thinking to form their own opinions.
“We should be talking about the election. We should be having conversations about issues that matter to the future of our students that are resourceful and helpful,” Principal Blessing said.
An aspect of dialogue that the Mount is leaning into that most political conversations lack is the act of debating and discussing issues with respect, courage, and compassion. Mount’s mission encourages its students to listen to all perspectives and hear out someone’s argument and experience with civility.
“Civility is something that we learn as young kids and hopefully overtime, grows,” Executive Director of Mission and Inclusion Nikki West ‘87 said.
The Mount has grown into a well respected school from its humble beginnings in 1858 because the school has a history of leaning into what is relevant and what matters, even if it was considered uncomfortable to talk about.
According to “A sketch of the history of Chestnut Hill College, 1924-1974” by Professor John Lukacs, many Mount students were deeply impacted by European refugee speakers during World War II. There was also discussion about the Soviet Union and communism kindling within the school during the 1950’s, with the school newspaper “Fournier News” engaging with the controversial topic of the time.
The school knew it was necessary to engage in dialogue of discourse in order to foster the best version of its students, and the Mount continues to do that in education today.
“We are not complacent as a school. We meet the times of the day,” Principal Blessing said.
The Mount is practicing its mission during the election season in its administration, classrooms, and discussions, with educators refusing to let their own biases bleed into the development of their students.
“I think the most important way to approach talking about a topic such as the 2024 election is to do it in a respectful way. The nation is very polarized regarding politics now, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t listen to one another. We can respect someone’s opinion without having to agree with them,” history teacher Ms. Mary Kate Steinmetz said in an email.
In addition to discussing the election, the Mount is taking the additional step of highly encouraging eligible seniors to vote, with History Department Chair Alaina Schools having QR codes posted outside of her classroom to make voter registration easy for eligible Mount students.
“If you can give them a taste for civic mindfulness when they are young, maybe it will stick. I feel like I wouldn’t be doing my duty as an AP Government teacher if I weren’t trying to get the young people to have their voices heard. To use your voice in a way that’s meaningful is to vote,” Ms. Schools said.
Encouraging students to hear each other out and look at issues with both logic and perspective, the Mount is committed to producing young women as founders who will bring courage and compassion to the modern political landscape and voting booths in November.
“I do think that as young women you need to be able to know who you are but at the same time recognize that there are some who may be very different from you. That difference doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t hear them, see them, respect where they are and how they’re living and working. Take a breath, step back, hear it,” Ms. West said.
Mounties are being taught to look at the facts, hear people’s experiences, and ultimately make a decision for themselves. Educators are committed to producing well-rounded young women who can take all that they’ve learned at the Mount into the world to climb another step closer to a solution to “the politics problem.”
“I feel that the Mount continues to foster that strong sense of self and strong ability to communicate thoughtfully. What you want, how you feel, how you think. It’s just an awesome place to be,” Ms. West said.
