Emily Taylor

I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to be involved in this research project. Although the experience has been challenging and stressful at times, I know my small contribution to this large research project is appreciated and valued (brace yourself, I may get a little cheesy.)

What makes this project special is the number of people from Colby College and across the world who have been involved. My contribution seems small when I think about the entirety of this research project, and I am sure that I am not alone in this. However, without the “small” efforts of every person involved (whether it be conducting interviews, being the interview subject, writing a case study, or contacting students) this project wouldn’t exist. It’s a puzzle that cannot be finished without each piece: each school that participates, every student from around the globe who agrees to be interviewed, every student who signs up for this class. Throughout my time spent on this research project I’ve felt connected to all of these people in a small, but substantial way (I warned you this would be cheesy).

Through the duration of this research project I haven’t been able to shake one question: What does it mean for the elite to be researched by other elite? I have spent some time mulling over this question in my head and have considered many answers (and I am not sure that there is an exact answer for this).

To be frank, at first I thought being elite and researching the elite was bogus. I didn’t understand how we, as elite individuals attending an elite institution, could illuminate the drawbacks of elite institutions without considering our own role in the perpetuation of “eliteness”. We have the resources to investigate what it means to be elite in this society and the disparities of privilege between the elite and the non-elite. We criticize the system, but we are not the ones being harmed by it. Rather, we benefit from the exact system we are criticizing. We, at Colby College and other elite institutions, are privileged enough to be aware of the structures at play that deprive people in the lower class, but the people in the lower class, who are actually effected, are not told about the structures working against them.

Then I read Marco Zamarron’s blog post. His post help me realize that having this knowledge as an elite is important, but what’s most important is what I do with my knowledge. If I have the knowledge of the system of elite and continue to do nothing about it, then I am only perpetuating that exact system. Instead, I need to recognize my privilege and use it to create change. That is what this research project is accomplishing. The privilege of the researchers and students involved in this research project wields power, and, in my opinion, that power is being put to good use.

Over the past month, my research team has been conducting interviews with a student, Alejandro, who attends Croft School. He provides us with first-hand accounts of what it’s like to attend a globally elite institution. The student was very vocal throughout the three interviews and was not afraid to disclose his true feelings about Croft School, especially concerning administration and punishment. The student we interviewed happened to be the president of his class, which leads me to believe he is highly knowledgable about what happens within the institution.

When asked if he was willing to defend his own views in the classroom, Alejandro replied that he stands by his own opinions even if they differ from others, but that if a student were to express their differing views in the classroom, they would be punished. He reported to us, “When they go to decide your punishment when you do something bad, you go to a meeting with the counsel. If you are respectful, he normally gives you like a less harsh punishment but if you start to say like I disagree, or I didn’t do anything wrong, he gives you a very harsh punishment, in my opinion.” What is a very harsh punishment? According to Alejandro, the worst punishment is conditionality with the school. In other words, the student would no longer be able to represent the school.

What lessons do these practices teach to the students of Croft School? Possibly, that it is okay to have your own opinions, but only if those opinions align with the values of the elite. For example, voicing disagreement with the faculty of the elite school may be seen as disrespectful or uncooperative instead of a form of expression or opportunity for discussion. Perhaps this teaches the students that it is better to silence your own voice in the moment for the sake of your future success.

What does it mean to have the highest form of punishment, apart from expulsion, to be disassociation with the school’s name? Being associated with Croft School is what classifies these students as elite. Alejandro expressed the pressure he feels from his parents to succeed in school and attend a quality university. Graduating from Croft School, being attached to the school’s name will strengthen the student’s applications and increase the likelihood of being accepted into an elite university. Influenced by the social pressure they feel from their parents and peers, students may be easily manipulated to blindly follow the school’s values without considering if the school’s principles align with their own morals.

In Alejandro’s opinion, it is not just himself and his classmates who are affected by the threat of punishment, but also the teachers. When asked to describe a typical teacher at his school, Alejandro characterized the educator as “really worried” about getting in trouble themselves. In this student’s opinion, the typical teacher at Croft School is more focused on avoiding punishment from the school than they are with being nice and talking to their students. However, Alejandro did not elaborate on the type of punishment the teachers could face.

Throughout my conduction of research on Croft School and elite schools in general, I have learned that it is important to approach the practices of the school with a critical lens. Interviewing a student who holds some negative views about his own school provides ample opportunity to do so, and provides Alejandro with an outlet to express his unfiltered beliefs (something you know this student may need if you read my last blog on pastoral care).

To be blunt, I take full advantage of Colby College’s counseling services. We all have bad days, some worse than others, and I find that having an outlet, an objective individual to vent to, is extremely helpful and important. Trying to maintain a high GPA, have an active social life, gain research experience in my field, and participate in clubs is not an easy feat, especially at an elite college such as Colby. 

If there’s a student out there who is managing to do all of this without stress, I’d like to shake their hand and learn their secrets. Until then, I will continue finding tranquility through my counseling sessions.

Counseling services at Colby College are solely advantageous. I face no risk. What I disclose to my counselor is confidential; it will not affect my social or academic life in any way, and I know that for a fact. I can bare my soul to my counselor, which may include complaints about professors, dissatisfaction for Colby policies, or just general anger with a particular event.

But what if my counselor was also in charge of disciplinary action at my school?

Croft School implements a Pastoral Care system. The duties of this system, as described by the school’s website, “include registration, the delivery of Personal, Social and Health Education, and the continued monitoring of pupil’s academic progress and conduct.” What is not explicitly mentioned about the involvement of the Pastoral Team is that they are also responsible for emotional support of the students (a.k.a guidance counseling). According to the school’s website, the Pastoral Team’s purpose is to provide support for the pupils BUT apply sanctions of the school where and when appropriate. That is, the student may seek emotional support from the members of the team, but could also be disciplined by the members of the team.

Croft School is an elite school, complete with academic rigor, sports teams, extra curricular activities, and high expectations, just like Colby College. Many students are presumably as stressed as I am. However, instead of having a confidential, impartial person to relay their problems to, they consult with the disciplinary enforcer.

It begs the question: how does this impact what the students feel they can disclose? I presume these students would not incorporate complaints about teachers, dissatisfaction with school policy, or anger about school events, in fear that they may be penalized for such proclamations.

What message does this send to the students of Croft School? Not to question authority or policy? Accept privilege as a reward for consent to silence?

You can decide for yourself.

Let’s set the scene: I am sitting in a booth in a nice restaurant- too nice to fit my budget. Sitting across from me is my friend (we’ll call her Nadine) and her mother (we’ll refer to her as Mrs. H).

Nadine had asked me to join them for dinner and meet her mom, an invite I happily accepted. Mrs. H did not know much about me; all she knew was that I was Nadine’s friend, I was from rural Maine, and I was a student at Colby College. Mrs. H and I go through the formalities of introduction: I ask her how she’s enjoying her time in Maine, she asks me if I’m excited to be back at school, et cetera, et cetera. Mrs. H then starts to ask me about my pre-Colby life, specifically, where I went to high school. I attended Spruce Mountain High School; a small public school in rural Maine with a student body of about four hundred individuals. In my mind, my high school experience was great and provided me with the knowledge and extra-curricular activities needed to attend an institution like Colby College. However, Mrs. H and I did not share the same perception. Her feelings were made clear by the many questions she had about my school experience. “Did anyone in your class besides you make it to a college like Colby? Do you feel like you learned anything in high school, or do you think you taught yourself mostly? There must have been a lot of students who didn’t graduate, right? Are you glad that you made it out of Jay?” To her, everything worth knowing about my high school could be summarized with two words: not elite.

End Scene.

Mrs. H was not entirely wrong; by no means was Spruce Mountain high school an elite secondary school. According to the Maine high school ranking list, SMHS is ranked 81/98, and that’s only when considering Maine high schools. Although condescending, Mrs. H’s assumption was correct.

Many students in my class did not graduate, and of those who did, many chose not to go to college. Let me reiterate that I enjoyed my high school career. I worked hard in my classes, I was a member of many clubs and sports teams, and I fostered connections with my teachers and peers, but for many of the students in my class this was not the case. It would be ignorant to say that my educational experience was not affected because I did not attend an elite secondary school.

Throughout most of my time spent in high school, my view of the world was admittedly egocentric.

The student population was mainly white and middle class like myself, and I was rarely, if ever, pushed to view situations from a perspective that differed from my own. Spruce Mountain High School was not trying to shape me into a “global citizen”. Elite high schools generally have a common goal of molding their students into a global citizen. Although we have not yet interviewed any students from Croft School, I expect that they are aware of this goal. Consequently, I expect the students to promote more altruistic qualities than my high school self did.

Needless to say, my secondary education experience differed greatly from the experience of the students we will be studying. Compared to the rigorous academic lives of Croft School students, my academic career was not particularly challenging. I knew that I was one of the top students in my class, second only to my twin brother, and I did not have to work very hard to maintain that position. I did not feel pressure from my mom or dad to achieve the highest grades. I suspect the familial pressure felt by Croft School students is more intense.

Regardless of the differences (positive or negative) between my public high school and elite high schools, I am appreciative for my experience. Being privileged enough to attend a liberal arts college has made me realize the lack of critical consciousness I had in high school. Since then, my time at Colby has been spent developing a better sense of global interconnectivity. When learning about education systems across the globe, I am able to view information from a critical lens because I know, first hand, the difference between a non-elite school (like Spruce Mountain High School) and an elite school (like Colby College). For that, I am thankful, regardless of the barrage of questions I’m asked by the Mrs. H’s of the world.