At a recent Journalism meeting, the editors passed around Secret Santa gifts.  One humorous gift was presented to a certain English faculty advisor: a children’s book about the American Revolution.  More amusing though than the irony of the gift was the actual content of the book, which not surprisingly included a relatively pro-American bias in its coverage of the war, with glorified depictions of George Washington crossing the Delaware and the like.

Perhaps this is not bothersome to many readers.  After all, it is just a children’s book.  Yet, this is not a story about a big red dog, or a tale about Amelia Bedelia – this is book about a major historical event.  Sure, history is told by the winners as the maxim goes, but can a bias in history still provide valuable information for readers, or does it only add to confusion and prejudice?  Such is the more serious backdrop to not only this children’s book, but also to the sophomore class’s trip to Gettysburg.  As noted by Commentary Staff Writer Zoe Huber-Weiss ’13, it took a cynic to divine the factual information from many exhibits [“We the People” are misled].

Information is a powerful tool for those that control it, and we as a community need to be especially careful in how we wield it.  Feature Editor Louise Lamb ’11 comments on this issue in her article concerning “academic responsibility” [Opinions on the Blackboard: Politics in the Classroom].  While most students would likely agree that teachers at NA are fairly open and frank with students, especially in comparison to teachers at public schools, Lamb found that many teachers still set boundaries as to what they consider appropriate classroom discussion, fearful that they may transcend the line between “preaching and teaching” in her apt words.

Newark Academy juggles an interesting middle-of-the-road approach to handling the dissemination of information within the classroom, in contrast perhaps to the brazen openness of the recent WikiLeaks, or the muffled self-expression in countries with extreme censorship, including more and more apparently in China.  Most NA students feel informed by teachers, and even forewarned in the case of possible biases or errors in texts.

Keeping all of this in mind, it might strike students as odd that NA has been seemingly obtuse in explaining its exam policy.  While for many past years students had grown accustomed to fall and spring exams, in more recent years, the administration has been phasing out selective exams, first in the Middle School and then departmentally, opting for other forms of final assessments instead.  Many students registered a sigh of relief last spring, as noted by News Editor Raul Kaul ’12 in his article on the topic, [The NA Exam Scam?] when the administration proposed to eliminate exams altogether.

Yet, here we are, a week away from winter break, cramming for exams.  While the administration has made strong points in support of its decision to maintain final exams, citing the need to have students complete a cumulative review and prepare in a way that models college testing practices, students are complaining that they were ever-teased with the mirage of an stress-free end-of-term period.  Upperclassmen in particular feel already over-burdened with testing not only in school, but also for college preparation as well.  While the administration makes a very convincing claim that final tests reinforce that the term’s material, students can respond to the stress of over-testing in a number of harmful ways, as Commentary Staff Writer Josh Faber ’12 has noted [Academic Steroids: Should Students Bear the Blame? ].

However, overall, Newark Academy students have little to complain about.  While testing may be stressful during this final week, the promise of free time ahead, from sipping hot chocolate and enjoying a favorite book, to enjoying winter sports, or to catching up with family and friends, lies in the near future.  We are almost there! Remember that new this year is also the half-day before exams for last minute studying.   If the issue of balancing opinion within the classroom is still bothersome, recall that the intention of teachers is to provide a supportive and open classroom environment, and in many cases avoiding personal opinion aids the maintenance of such an environment.

Especially when compared to other schools in the United States, Commentary Staff Writer Varan Satchithanandan ’12 and many others note that Newark Academy stands out for its commitment to academic rigor, offering students the most capable and committed teachers possible [NA’s Educational System: A blueprint for American public schools ].  We are lucky in so many ways to have a supportive community of faculty, parents, and fellow students who lead us along every day.  Thanks to all who have made this year so successful in the Fall term, and best wishes for a merry holiday season.  We look forward to seeing you again in 2011!  As always, happy reading.

Sincerely,

The Minuteman Staff