Can I see the line?

I am intending for this to be a short post, mostly because it is after midnight, but that is when I get thoughtful. I've never been known for my brevity, but at least I only write about once a year.

The big thing on this teacher's mind right now is the upcoming Presidential Inauguration. I am blessed to teach and live at a school just across the river from Washington, DC that has made a commitment to using the resources of our nation's capital to its educational best. Right now, that commitment is causing some strife, though.

A little background: Ever since its founding in 1839, my school has supported students' attending the Presidential Inauguration. In the early years, the students who were interested simply went to the festivities on their own and the school was okay with it. Starting with Nixon's Inauguration, the school has sent the entire community in to witness the peaceful transfer of power that is one of the defining characteristics of our great nation. The only Inauguration since our founding which no students have attended was Abraham Lincoln's. There are lots of apocryphal explanations for that and I am not sure why no students attended Lincoln's inauguration, but at the time, our student body was dominated by the Southern plantation-owning class, so I can form my own opinion. As a teacher at this school, I have attended both of the Obama Inaugurations as well as an Inauguration for George W. Bush. The atmosphere leading into this Inauguration is very different from all the previous ones. I think back to the Bush Inauguration and remember the "Turn Your Back on the President" movement where liberal protesters turned away from the parade as he passed to make a statement. I also recall a conversation I had with a very happy Bush supporter in which I explained that I disagreed with Bush on almost every possible issue, but that I will never turn my back on my President. It was a very amicable conversation that ended with handshakes and mutual respect. With the vitriol that has dominated this election cycle, it is difficult to imagine a similar conversation taking place this year.

This leads me to the real issue. My school is in the middle of trying to decide if we break from tradition and do not attend the Inauguration this year. This is such a complicated question! These students have one opportunity during their schooling to attend an Inauguration, one of the most important moments in our nation. Even if they disagree with the outcome of the election, being part of the peaceful transfer of power is an incredible experience. The problem is the tone and actions of so many Trump supporters during the election. Trump's campaign has made it okay to be outspokenly racist and even violent in that racism. That may be only a small fringe element of Trump supporters, but that doesn't matter. Prejudice and violence have been legitimized and some people are taking advantage of that. Our student body is much more diverse than it was during the Lincoln Inauguration. No matter how diverse a community is, though, people tend to gather with other people who look like them or have had similar experiences to them (often because they look like them.) Picture us taking 450 students to the Inauguration, with a group of over 50 black students all gathered together. Wouldn't that be a magnet for the fringe element? If we take the entire student body in, we would probably talk to them about not engaging with those people and ignoring them. What kind of message does that send to our students? Our mission statement makes a big deal of "intellectual and moral courage" (I wrote that phrase and still love it!) How can we tell students that they need to develop intellectual and moral courage, but that they should keep their heads down and mouths shut at the Inauguration? Also, what message will it send when a group of people verbally assaults a group of our students and the teacher does not respond? We are struggling with whether or not the possibility of verbal or physical violence is so great that we should not attend this Inauguration. The safety of our students is the number one concern. I've personally been torn about this decision since the beginning. I think we definitely need to allow students (or parents) to opt out of attending the Inauguration. There are too many students who are legitimately afraid for us to force them into that situation. Should we even give them the option of attending, though?

We had an informal gathering for faculty discussion of this issue recently, and one of my colleagues talked about the decision in a way that will stick with me. He is an "outdoor educator" who focuses mainly on whitewater paddling. He explained the approach to risk assessment that he teaches out on the water. When coming upon a new stretch of rapids, he asks himself four questions:

1) Can I see the line?
2) Can I make the line?
3) What are the consequences?
4) Do I accept those consequences?

That analogy really hit home with me, because it allows for informed risk-taking. There are a lot of risks that are definitely worth it, but one must understand the potential consequences and accept them before undertaking the challenge. The first question is the one that really got me though. Can I see the line? Can I see the best way through the potential rough water ahead, or am I paddling in blind and hoping for the best. With the Inauguration, I think this question is the crux of the problem. Can I see the line? Can I identify a way through this mess that guarantees the physical and emotional safety of all students? To me, too much is up in the air, and the answer to this first question is No - I cannot see the line. In some situations, not being able to see the line is not enough to make the risk not worth is. That is when we get to the consequences. What are they? In a diverse community, the potential consequences for some of our students are huge! For many of the students, there are no consequences either way, but for those that have potential consequences, it is simply too much. I think we are better off breaking into groups and watching the Inauguration from the safety of our dorm common rooms. Utopia is often the best place to be when you are struggling with difficult issues.