It is true that St. Paul Academy and Summit School is not the real world; in the larger community, little regard is given toward the feelings and well being of others. However, the purpose of any school is simple: to learn. Included in the knowledge students acquire in class is an intuition about what’s morally right, respectful, politically correct. Students don’t believe that they are helpless to change the brutality of the world, and it’s essential to instill the confidence that they have the power to right wrongs.

]

Doing this doesn’t develop weaknesses that will set a student back in the future. On the contrary, students will bring these skills with them to their future offices, studios, businesses or friendships and families.

Most students, to some extent, will have the opportunity to institute some level of change in the world based on their experiences at SPA by contributing to the development of adapted societal norms. And if they can’t do that, at least they will be inclined—although not guaranteed—not to contribute to to the harshness of the real world.

It’s invaluable to have places like SPA as a temporary safe haven from judgement, aggression, and racism. And what more valuable time for a respite than in the education-focused years?

The world isn’t equally harsh: students of color, minority gender, and Muslim students all face harsher racism, sexism, and a spectrum of phobias and ignorance than most of their peers will ever experience. It’s important for students to learn and develop in a school environment in which they are on equal footing with all their peers, free from the real world pressure to change who they are.

Once their identity has the solid foundation of four years of upper school education, students are equipped with the self confidence and strength of philosophy to stay true to themselves, come what may.

This story was originally published in September 2015 print issue of  The Rubicon.