By Andrew Huang `15, Staff Writer

With the presidential campaign and election recently behind us, political fervor is high in the hallways and classrooms of Newark Academy. While discussion and debate certainly has its place in the community, as the recent school-wide election shows, the classroom is not the place for discussion of politics.

Mr. Bitler, a politically passionate science teacher, raised the common concern that political discussions draw classes away from their primary focus. Mr. Bitler stated, “Parents pay a whopping amount for their kids to learn, not to hear their teacher talk about politics.” Students go to classes to learn curricular material, and in most cases classroom discussion of politics takes away from time that could be spent doing so. Some classes, such as the International Affairs June Term taught by Mr. Bilter himself, relate to politics and obviously require discussion time on political topics. However, politics too often creeps into classes where it does not belong. In certain subjects, such as math and science, politics does not have any relevance to the material and does not deserve a place in the classroom.

Others agree that the nature of political discussion is unsuited for the classroom. When asked about discussing politics in a school environment, Ms. Acquadro, an English teacher at the Academy, answered, “It’s a landmine. You can’t avoid the fact that you’re going to alienate some kids.” Politics is a controversial topic, and this controversy can lead to disagreements between both students and teachers that can ultimately have negative effects. “If a teacher disagrees with you [about politics], tension is created that cannot be erased, and the classroom is not meant for such awkwardness,” said sophomore Perrin Clark ’15. In a community like ours, where political viewpoints are not monolithic, keeping away from politics in the classroom is prudent strategy.

Opponents of political discussion in the classroom also argue that it is not relevant to the Newark Academy community as a whole. Teachers such as Ms. Acquadro believe that in a high school community and in adolescence, political discussions do not carry much value. “You cannot discuss politics with people you can’t agree with,” she says. “You can’t change people’s minds. It’s like religion. As a teacher of reading, I feel obligated to inform someone if they say something blatantly wrong. But I won’t let people spread their propaganda one way or another.” Ryan McDonnell `13 adds, “I think discussing politics is something you do when you’ve learned a lot about the world, not while you’re learning about the world. You shouldn’t develop political views and then go to college; it should be the other way around.” Others, such as Mr. Bitler, disagree, arguing that political discussion outside of the classroom is an important part of one’s education. “Kids should be able to hear all types of views outside of the classroom. Politics deals with the biggest issues of the nation and the world. Kids are a couple years away from voting, and as a part of their education they should be exposed to different views. Where else than school do kids get exposed to hundreds of different views? But when class starts it’s time for class.” In some situations, however, political discourse is a must in the classroom. Classes like Economics and Politics of Change should not avoid such topics.

Though politics should not be discussed in the classroom, political discussion is bound to find its way into our community. However, it is important to keep things civilized during these discussions and to empathize with other points of view. State your views politely, and “agree to disagree,” as Mr. Bitler says. Hopefully, through common courtesy and respect, the passionate members of the Newark Academy community can avoid setting off any landmines of political discussion.