Newton Republican activist Tom Mountain wrote a guest column in this week’s Newton Tab called “Pro-Trump Newton students in a hostile environment.”. The column was remarkably thin on any factual details of NNHS persecution of Trump supporting students. The key item he did mention was that the school provided a room for Trump supporters to watch the inauguration and he said that the entire school watched both Obama’s inauguration – fair point if true. The other details mentioned were devoid of any factual specifics – “make them as uncomfortable as possible. Keep them guessing if that lower grade they got in English might just be because of their allegiance to The Donald …”
The gist of the column wasn’t so much focused on specifics of inappropriate treatment of students, rather it was contrasting the patriotic 1967 Newton High School faculty with the “radical” “leftist” faculty of today who are “all complicit in embracing the anarchist mob whose motto is kill-cops-at-every-chance.” .
The column ends with a threat to have the Newton School department’s federal funding pulled – “believe me, we can make it happen.”
These are strange times indeed and that is one very strange column
Read it and tell us what you think.
Ridiculous and consistent with his past writing. Maybe the Tab should require its contributors to adhere to some journalistic standards.
I have no doubt that there is a seed of truth in Tom’s concern. There is a lot of hostility out there against Trump supporters. Regardless of whether you think it’s warranted or not, it’s there. And it must not be easy for teenagers to have to deal with that. But, as Jerry points out, the column is pretty thin on the examples. If it’s really that big of an issue, he should have some anecdotes to share. The “pull the funding” threat really caught my eye as well. And not simply that the funding could be pulled (how exactly?) but that it’s “just one email or one phone call away” from happening.
I don’t understand the need for people, whether on the left or right, whether in politics or another topic, to exaggerate their stance when they already have a good argument going. There is a tipping point, at which you start losing people to what you’re saying.
If you’re just looking for red meat to galvanize the people who already agree with you, then this tactic is fine. But if you’re trying to persuade people on the other side, the exaggerations do more harm than good.
So much to take issue with in this piece.
“And their teachers, looking like an educator should — dressed to the nines, dignified, with an aura of authority that ensured respect.” — so only teachers who dress well are real teachers?
“Patriotism was the norm at Newton High, circa 1967, for both teachers and students.” — like lemmings? I don’t know Tom Mountain, but unless he’s quite a bit older than he looks in his pictures, he wasn’t at Newton High 50 years ago. So what is he basing this statement on?
“Multiculturalism has replaced patriotism.” — Hmm. Sounds like “patriotism” is a code word for something. What could it be?
Five short paragraphs after saying, without any supporting facts, that teachers have been giving out lower grades and withholding college recommendations to Trump supporter students, that, “This is what bullies do,” Mountain then threatens to have federal funding taken away from the school, and that “we can make it happen.”??
I don’t know anything about the current state of NNHS, although I’m guessing that the students and teachers certainly tend toward the liberal. But to say that those at the school who support Black Lives Matter are “all complicit in embracing the anarchist mob whose motto is kill-cops-at-every-chance,” is just dangerous rhetoric, nothing less.
Author of this post knows the word “paean” but doesn’t use an apostrophe where needed..
Mountain has been writing these sorts of over-the-top lose with the facts columns for years, make that decades.
The only difference now is that now he is chair of the City Republican Committee and one might think he would choose to adopt a more moderate approach in an effort to represent all of Newton’s Republicans, not just a fridge extreme.
No such luck.
I have heard from students and Teachers at NNHS that there have been incidents against the students that are supportive of Trump. After the inauguration there was some awful stuff posted on line against the NNHS Trump supporters and the student or students who did this were disciplined. The V14 blog posted the letter from the Principal on January 28th .
So Mountain’s column may seem to be over the top but based on what I have been hearing from Students and Teachers at NNHS – it is not very far from the truth.
If this type of stuff is going on at NNHS, then that’s disgraceful. But Mountain, as a local Republican leader, should find a way to be above the fray, and to seek better ways to get his points across than to threaten and bully in return. Build bridges, not bombs.
Joanne is correct. The incident referenced in the letter on Jan 28 was a case in which the victims were students who support Trump. I’ve seen the Photoshopped image (nsfv14 — not suitable for Village 14). But Tom’s column intimates teacher reprisals against students, not student-to-student, though without concrete examples it’s hard to be sure. Had he used the incident referenced here, he’d have something to talk about. Column would have had more impact and been easier to read. But still shouldn’t end with the threats.
Neither left or right seems particularly interested in attracting people from the other side. It’s all about preaching to your side, to the already-decided. I’m sure it feels good now. But it won’t help things come next election.
Ding, Ding, Ding – Jerry Reilly- You are the winner of the most tired, time worn, thread bare
red meat punching bag topic of the week award.
Isn’t this usually Greg’s schtick? Or maybe Gail’s? Didn’t Don Seifer roll this one out also?
He was 3 or 4 editors back at the TAB – wasn’t that at least 15 years ago?
Elections have consequences, and i won so we are going to do things my way-
Barack Obama – 2009
The election ended on November 8. Trump is president for the next four years.
Find a new hobby, join a health club, get a pet, eat ice cream, go shopping for a bigger dinner table, etc .. your heart and blood pressure will thank you.
Even unenrolled voters like myself are considered enemies of the state here in Newton.
Time to grow up friends. Tom will continue to be a favorite punching bag of the alt-left
former TAB writers, editors, bloggers etc whether Trump is president or not.
This is old news.
Hey Paul, Tom had an opinion piece published in the TAB. Generally, the author of an opinion piece WANTS people to read it and talk about it, and there was nothing in Jerry’s post that attacked Tom (characterizing an essay as “devoid of factual specifics” and “strange” is not harsh by any stretch, and is certainly not a personal attack on the author.) To be honest, the only person who’s blood pressure seems elevated on this thread is yours.
@Paul Green – I’m not sure I follow you. Is your point “Trump won. So if you don’t agree with him or anyone who supports him, you should keep it to yourself for four years”?
Afraid not.
@yuppie scum – You’re hired. I’ve always wanted a proofreader and lord knows I need one.
One day Tom Mountain may actually use facts in his opinion pieces. I’m still waiting. Instead, we get a lot of speculation, opinion, race bating, and garbage.
Call me when he specifically references something that actually happened, those things we call “facts.” Until then it’s just a lot of garbage and that’s how I’ll treat it.
I’m very troubled by one specific component of this. There have been two previous V14 threads about the online incidents involving North students. Neither made specific reference to students being disciplined for online postings. In fact, the second of those threads just said the offending students had “apologized.” If the principal actually “disciplined” students for posting political material [of any kind] online, that would be a clear violation of their First Amendment rights. I’m hoping someone can clarify this with specificity. Were any North students actually punished by the school for posting political material online?
ignorance supplanted by faith maintains high property values.
No Jerry, I’m not suggesting you remain silent. Resist, march, obstruct, protest, then rinse and repeat.
Do it for every minute of the next four years if it makes you happy. I’m suggesting there might be more constructive ways to spend your time- apparently there aren’t. It wont effect me either way and it wont effect Trump either way. Its your life, spend it as you please. Tom Mountain has been a reliable lightning rod and feel good conservative punching bag for at least the last 15 -20 years here in Newton, so you aren’t mining any new territory, but have at it. Knock yourself out.
Mike, I don’t know if any students were punished – schools don’t make disciplinary matters public, as it should be. But I do know that at least one thing that was referenced was not “political material”. It was a photo of students on inaguration day with a Trump banner, that someone had reposted, marked up with some choice slurs about the individual students. That’s not a political statement, it’s just nasty.
Mike Striar – Tricia is correct as I also saw the photo that had been marked with nasty/vulgar comments . It had nothing to do with someone being punished for posting political material they ( a NNHS student ) reposted a photo of NNHS students who are Trump Supporters with terrible comments about each student. I guess the students who posted these vulgar comments missed all those classes in Elementary school on “Understanding our Differences”.
Tricia– Thank you. That’s the first specific thing I’ve heard about the online postings. I’m not troubled by that, because as you pointed out it seems like a nasty personal attack rather than political. But there have been incidents in the past where I’ve felt prior North principals had crossed the line and violated students First and Fourth Amendment rights. I’m always interested in hearing directly from any student who feels their rights have been violated by the school department or administrators.
@Joanne– I posted before reading your comment. Thank you for adding more clarity. I appreciate it.
On a lighter note:
“And their teachers, looking like an educator should — dressed to the nines, dignified, with an aura of authority that ensured respect.”
Guilty as charged. I may not be fashionably dressed, but my students receive my full attention and we share a mutual respect that didn’t exist when I was in school.
Not Guilty: I’ve never discussed my political beliefs with students and beleive that most teachers don’t.
On a more serious note:
I attended public schools in the so-called “good old days” – when we had daily prayer in school and teachers didn’t allow Cathoic students to say their version of the Lord’s Prayer; when Jewish students were forced to say a prayer that was not in keeping with their religion – daily; when the main event of the year was the Christmas pageant, complete with Mary, Joseph, and the Baby Jesus (Jewish students remained in the classroom while we practiced for the pageant); when I learned all four verses of every Christmas carol in a public school; when I walked to every assmebly to the music of “Onward Christian Soldiers”.; where the tragic death of an African American student wss never menetioned in school, much to the confusion of students. And his is just the tip of the iceberg. I could go on.
The worst part? I grew up in Andover, MA – a very typical suburban Massachusetts community. I urge people to refrain from romanticizing the past in public schools.
I wasn’t even going to read this thread as I have no kids in the public schools, so I have nothing to add to the conversation. However, today I was talking to a fellow at my gym whose kids go to Newton South, and apparently his daughter was bullied and even received a formal censure from the teacher for saying in a class discussion about “Black Lives Matter” that she would not support “Black Lives Matter” because, as part of their charter, they are a “pro Palestinian” group – I don’t know all of the facts but this guy seemed credible to me and concerned about it – just throwing it out there for discussion.
I think most of Tom Mountain’s facts about the current climate hold up. Both of my kids go to middle school. This is what I have heard from them. The Trump inauguration was not watched in class. When my kids were in grade school, the Obama inauguration was watched by the entire class.
A student with a “Make America Great Again” hat was told by a teacher to remove it, because it was a distraction to the class. A student planned on giving a classroom presentation about Donald Trump. Other students gave presentations about Hilary Clinton. The student who was going to give the Trump presentation was told the day before that he was not allowed to do so because the content of his presentation was not factual enough. The student was not given the opportunity to edit the presentation and try again.
For both of these instances, you can tell the story that the teacher acted appropriately or inappropriately. That being said, I hope the schools can help kids develop critical thinking skills. We often miss the opportunity. Ideally, you should ask a kid who is Clinton supporter to make his or her best argument for Trump, and you should ask Trump supporter to make his or her best argument for Clinton. This does not seem to happen. When it comes to stuff like this, NPS does not encourage kids to “understand our differences.”
One more point. My kids’ classrooms all had photographs of President Obama. Some had photographs of both President Obama and Governor Patrick. Has anyone seen a photograph of Governor Baker in any classroom? Maybe Trump photographs are not ready yet. How long do you think we are going wait for them to appear?
Jeffrey – Your post doesn’t indicate whether the student’s presentation was fact based. I assume these presentations were done in a social studies class so it’s the teacher’s responsibility to make sure that presentations are based in facts. My standard was to ask for 3 credentialed sources to verify questionable information in a report or a presentation. It was the student’s responsibility to produce the evidence. Otherwise, the information had to be removed from the report And no Wikipedia allowed!
While you may think your method for teaching persuasive writing or speaking is preferable, teachers have little to no say in such matters these days.
My first classroom inaugural was at Weeks Junior High when President Eisenhower took office in 1953. We viewed it on a 16 inch black and white set that one of our teachers brought in. I was the only Adlai Stevenson supporter in the room, so I took some good humored ribbing from a lot of my classmates. But our desk tops opened up and I tacked a Stevenson Poster inside that stayed there until I left in June. I don’t think it ever dawned on any of us that we should lose friendships over who was for who in that election and I never witnessed a whole lot of political tension all the way through High School. The Democrats first breakthrough in Newton came when then U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy defeated a guy named Vincent Celeste in 1958. That was the first time I could vote. I’m pretty certain I voted a straight Democratic ticket that year. Newton may be one of only a very few municipalities in the nation that voted for Alf Landon in 1936 and George McGovern in 1972. There was a sea change in Newton with Kennedy’s election as President in 1960.
Jane, as I said “For both of these instances, you can tell the story that the teacher acted appropriately or inappropriately.” My information, on this, is hearsay, and you may be right about fact-based. Again, the student never had a chance to fix mistakes.
That being said, we can verify whether Trump photos are in classrooms. Do you think it is OK to never put the new president’s picture in NPS classrooms?
I thought I knew a little something about Newton history, having lived here for 54 years now. But Bob Burke’s post offers a fascinating history lesson about the evolution of Newton’s politics. It’s hard to imagine Newton opting for Eisenhower over Stevenson.
Jeffrey, it’s not about whether or not the teacher acted appropriately.
The problem with your post is using hearsay to make an argument for Tom Mountain’s noise about the NPS. Just as school papers and presentations require the use of fact based referenced research, your statements require the same. There are too many unknown variables to even formulate an opinion about the whether the teacher’s actions were appropriate or not.
Without knowing the rules of either classroom, such as perhaps a policy of no hats worn in class or a policy granting no students a redo on their proposed presentation. Or it could be discrimination as you suggest. There’s no way to know without substantiation.
The funny thing is I am hearing similar “hearsay” at the High School Level. And I have other parents that are hearing similar issues at the Elementary and Middle School Level. There comes a point where we can argue it is “hearsay” But if you hear it from multiple sources ( parents, students and Teachers) across the city it starts to become “more truth” than “hearsay”
I wonder if someone other than Tom Mountain had written that piece if we would still be calling it “noise”
And Mike Striar – Ted Mann was a republican who was Mayor of Newton from 72-94 and prior to him I also think that Monte Basbas was a Republican too. So it really shouldn’t surprise you too much that in Newton there were alot more Eisenhower supporters.
Jeffrey, there is a “no hats in school” policy in the middle schools; or the middle school you’re referring to at least.
For those concerned about photos, I can attest that the photos of our Mayor and Governor in the Burr Elementary gym reflect the current office holders.
Mostly because when they were updated (school decor is never updated! Never!) I was all OMGWTFBBQ “who is that white guy?” And then I realised that the admnistration had changed and it was Gov. Baker.