If you think education has become a hotbed for progressive ideas, then Germantown Friends School is the juicy apple of the far-left eye. Located in Philadelphia, this private Quaker school, mouth-wateringly close to the liberal gooey center of the city, boasts a history dating back to 1845. Catering to students from kindergarten through twelfth grade, the school champions Quaker values of equality, peace, and environmental stewardship. But beneath this seemingly serene exterior lies an astonishingly liberal agenda.
The school's curriculum serves up a hearty helping of progressive ideals designed to challenge traditional norms. You'll find courses on social justice and an acute focus on diversity, which is a thinly-veiled attempt to indoctrinate students with an ultra-liberal agenda. At Germantown Friends, the focus is less on reading, writing, and arithmetic and more about molding young minds to fit a particular political ideology.
One might think that a Quaker school would focus on peace and personal reflection, but Germantown Friends seems keener on turning out activists than academics. You've got to wonder about the educational merit of focusing so heavily on social justice issues when students could be mastering foundational skills. There's certainly no shortage of well-intentioned projects and clubs around global citizenship and environmental activism, but can Johnny and Jane really parse a Shakespearean sonnet or solve a challenging algebra problem? That's the real question.
Let's talk about Germantown Friends' extracurricular activities. There's barely room for a conservative student to breathe amid the litany of clubs and programs dedicated to cultivating their worldview. From activism-inspired art projects to student-run publications teeming with political rhetoric, you won't find any balanced discourse here. It's an echo chamber. And let’s not forget the frequent guest speakers who visit the campus; often they come with speaking points and perspectives that skewer entirely to one side of the spectrum.
Now, the school’s approach to sports might surprise you. Or maybe it won’t. Traditional competitive sports are softened by an emphasis on the ‘everyone gets a trophy’ mentality. While team spirit and unity are honorable goals, one might wonder if this ethos adequately prepares students for the dog-eat-dog world outside the campus limits. Where's the competitive spirit that fuels innovation and excellence?
Speaking of innovation, in recent years, the school has placed a considerable focus on environmental sustainability. While protecting Mother Nature is important, the fervor with which this agenda is pushed raises eyebrows. Students are encouraged to become influencers of green politics. Woe betide the student who dares question the narrative on climate science. Schools should cultivate inquisitive minds, not silence them.
Now this wouldn't be a proper rundown without mentioning the hefty tuition fee. At nearly $40,000 a year, Germantown Friends charges a premium for those advancing ideologies usually reserved for university campuses. If you're hoping to send your child there, prepare your wallet for a wage-draining shock. The school conveniently glosses over this high cost, preferring instead to promote its scholarship programs as ample proof of accessibility. But make no mistake, this isn't a school for the working class, despite all the talk of inclusion.
It’s easy to paint Germantown Friends as an incubator for impressionable liberals who parrot what they're taught. But this institution doesn’t lack intelligence; rather, it thrives on an intelligent adherence to a specific agenda. It’s cunning in how it packages its educational offerings with a focus on social responsibility, making it incredibly attractive to those seeking to raise socially conscious children.
This blog wouldn't be fair if it didn't at least consider the obvious dedication of teachers and staff. They're passionate, committed, and fierce advocates for molding young society. The question is, is this what education is truly about? Supporting kids to look at the world through a singular lens, one that's hyper-focused on transforming society, seems more like manufacturing consent than fostering independent thought.
If you’re a parent who doesn't want your child to soak in a single ideological prism, you may wish to reconsider signing up for Germantown Friends School. While its mission to nurture compassionate leaders seems noble, its methods leave little room for deviation from the curriculum of activism. A thorough examination of what your child is being taught—and for what purpose—would be advisable. After all, education should be about broadening perspectives, not narrowing them.