Reconciling a Private School Education with Public Responsibility

All day, I heard friends, teachers, underclassmen, and upperclassmen alike expressing their wide-ranging thoughts on Elickor’s assertion. To be fair, the mayor was in no way saying that Hopkins is an evil institution, rooting for the public school system’s downfall. But he did raise a truth that’s hard to face: Private schools inadvertently perpetuate an inequitable system that keeps higher education in the hands of those who can pay for it. As a Hopkins student that directly benefits from this system, I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that this statement hit pretty close to home. 

At face value, I wholeheartedly buy into this argument. But, as a New Haven resident who attended public schools until eighth grade, I find it difficult to reconcile my choice to go to private school with civic responsibility. Unlike some of my peers whose parents might have made the decision for them, I actively advocated for my coming to Hopkins. My middle school years were hard for me for a number of reasons, but a major facet was that I did not find the education I was receiving challenging or intellectually stimulating. Enter Hopkins: a nationally recognized private school under a mile from where I live. My twelve-year-old brain was in no way concerned with systemic inequity in New Haven – I was simply excited for an opportunity to restart and surround myself with students who actually wanted to learn. 

As I’ve gotten older (albeit only by four years), I’ve come to look at my decision not with regret, but with perhaps a touch of guilt. Ultimately, I’m glad I made the choice that I did; Hopkins has given me so much, and I wouldn’t be the same person today if I hadn’t come to the Hill. But the question still stands: if we benefit from a system that limits access for others, what responsibility do we bear to make education more equitable? At the end of the day, there is no one-and-done solution that anyone can enact. But there are certainly steps we can take. 

It might sound trite, but acknowledging that this is an issue deserving of our attention is the first step in the path towards recovery. Recognizing that inequity exists, and that we are connected to it, is the foundation for meaningful action. Part of this is staying civically engaged; As Mayor Elickor emphasized, local involvement matters. If you’re like me, you’re probably groaning at the thought of spending time doing “moral homework” on top of all your other homework. But even spending twenty minutes a day looking at publications like the New Haven Independent is civic engagement. Keeping up to date with local politics is key to understanding (and improving) the dynamics that define our world, especially in education. 

My final step is the most vague: use the education we receive here to become better citizens and advocate for a more equitable society. Rather than allowing the privilege of attending Hopkins to distance us from the broader community, we can treat it as preparation: preparation to advocate, to lead thoughtfully, and to expand access for others. The education we receive on the Hill should not be a symbol of division, but a stepping stone that equips us to step into the world ready to make it more just than we found it. Private school students cannot undo systemic inequity, but we are responsible for how we use the privilege it gives us.