Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death
OPINION
There have been many significant changes in the school rules this year that form a concerning pattern that warrants discussion. More students are new this year than in recent years so it is important for me to point out some things that have been recently changed:
The Phone Ban in the dining hall is being enforced more actively than ever.
Boarding students are no longer allowed in their own rooms between 8:00 and 3:20.
Town hall meetings have become (slightly) more structured.
The commonality between all of these changes is that they are restrictions on the free will of students, and whether or not you agree with them is irrelevant one overarching fact: Indian Springs is supposed to consider its students to be “reasonably intelligent people who know the difference between right and wrong.” That is a direct quote from the student teacher handbook, and if you remember Ms. Wainwright's history lesson from the start of the year, then you know it is very important to our founding. In that lesson Ms. Wainwright told (and reminded) us of the story of our school's creation. To recap: Harvey G. Woodward wanted to create a school that is different from most others, and while he had some rather wild ideas, the core values of his philosophy were independence, learning through living and self-governance. I believe the people who made this school largely lived up to that creed, but these changes start to erode at that self-determination that gives Indian Springs its spark. I do not believe that the administration is doing this maliciously, they are just trying to make sure we do the right thing, but that is not the point. The point is that we need to learn to do the right thing without being forced to.
So where do we go from here? I believe that the students need to organize against these changes and pressure the administration to rescind them. The Student Government could be a great help in this, but right now they are cooperating with the administration to enforce the new procedures. (see my StudGov recent events recap article to learn about the proposed hall monitor system). Change can happen without them, but it will be slower and less organized. To start I recommend something simple like a petition, just to let the A administration know that we are upset. From there, discussion and compromise will be necessary, but be careful not to forget what you are fighting for along the way. Do not forget that you are a reasonably intelligent person who knows the difference between right and wrong.