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Last week, while editing a staffer’s article for my student newspaper on the differing political opinions on campus postprimary elections, I noticed a troubling trend: fear. Not just from the students we interviewed — many of whom requested anonymity to avoid backlash from peers — but from my editors and me.
We found ourselves treading carefully, combing through quotes and deliberating how much information we could publish without sparking controversy. As student journalists, our job is to write the truth and reflect the inner turmoil of our campus. Yet, the truth is that discussing politics has become the new “elephant in the room,” and I suspect this discomfort extends far beyond our hallways.
Despite the collective hum of “BREAKING NEWS” notifications from The New York Times lighting up phone screens and the muttered, “Are you serious?” reactions to headlines about Donald J. Trump’s latest Cabinet pick, we rarely voice our thoughts aloud. The fear of being labeled, judged or isolated for being “politically incorrect” keeps us silent. This isn’t just a problem with our generation’s reluctance to speak up; it’s a symptom of something much deeper: a growing polarization and lack of trust, even among peers.
For me, living in California has meant that my education has been shaped by a left-leaning curriculum, from introductions to ethnic studies to reading novels like “Beloved” by Toni Morrison. I’ve had the privilege of learning in an environment that largely aligns with my values and beliefs. But I can’t stop thinking about my best friend in Florida, who attends a Title I school where the reality is starkly different. Her English curriculum excludes books like “Brave New World” and “Fahrenheit 451” — works I’ve studied throughout high school but are banned in her district. It’s not just that her rights are unsupported; she feels deeply alienated by an education system that denies her access to the same ideas I often take for granted.
This geographical divide influences more than just our textbooks — it shapes our futures. Another friend from New Jersey recently withdrew her college application to the University of Alabama, explaining that she couldn’t imagine studying political science at a school in a red state — or in any state where abortion rights aren’t protected. For many of us, politics is deeply tied to identity. When we fear that our identities might be challenged or rejected, staying silent often feels safer than risking confrontation.
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But here’s the problem: Most of us, as teenagers, can’t vote yet. Our futures, however, are being shaped by political decisions happening now. These decisions affect the books we read, the schools we attend, the laws we’ll live under as adults. Yet, we can’t even have open conversations about them without fear of judgment.
This isn’t to say we should abandon caution or sensitivity. As student journalists, we remain respectful, receptive to opinions and careful not to amplify ignorance or harm. But our campuses — our communities — need to become spaces where discussions about politics can happen without fear. Where a student who supports a conservative candidate can explain their reasoning without being written off as “backwards,” and where a student advocating for progressive policies isn’t dismissed as “too woke.” We owe it to ourselves and one another to build an environment where we can disagree without disrespect, challenge without canceling and debate without destroying.
But, of course, creating such a community isn’t easy. It means confronting our own biases, listening to voices we’d rather tune out and prioritizing dialogue over divisiveness. But it’s necessary. Because while our generation may not be casting ballots yet, the world we’ll inherit is being decided right now. And if we can’t talk about politics among ourselves, how will we ever learn to advocate for what we believe in when it matters most?
We need to create spaces — whether it’s a classroom, a cafeteria or a school newspaper — where the “elephant in the room” is acknowledged, examined and, ultimately, understood. It starts here, in our hallways, in our newsrooms and in our conversations. It starts with us.
Jeannine Chang is a senior at Burlingame High School. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.
Interesting Jeannine that you feel that both left and right leaning students at BHS are afraid to speak up about politics. From what I know from my son and daughter, it is conservative students in our area that need to keep silent about their views, particularly since most teachers are also on the liberal side of the spectrum and they worry about being graded poorly if they are too vocal. In middle school, a girl called my son "racist" because he did not support defunding the police (with no reprimand from the teacher.)
This has changed a little after the election, when some students wore pro-Trump shirts and hats without much pushback (though one of his friends was body-checked in the hall for wearing a Trump shirt.)
Your friend's school in Florida did not "ban" the books you mentioned because they selected different books for the class (would be interested to see the reading list), I'm sure they are still in the school library and are widely available in public libraries and bookstores.
And I'm sorry to see that your peers are refusing to consider college in a red state (the abortion pill is available nationwide FYI) due to politics. My daughter attended college in Texas and has a big diverse group of friends from all political persuasions- they can agree to disagree and get along, something that she didn't find at BHS where she had to mostly keep her mouth closed about politics because she was in the minority.
-As student journalists, our job is to write the truth and reflect the inner turmoil of our campus. Yet, the truth is that discussing politics has become the new “elephant in the room,”
"the inner turmoil of our campus..."
All Politics is Local-Tip O'Neil- "our campus"... the BHS campus
The author is encouraged to further investigate the incidents of retaliation and intolerance at BHS and publish her findings in the Burlingame Bee.
The status quo of the BHS campus was one of intolerance, by faculty, for the political views of students, primarily conservative male students.
You need to look no further than the front of the Journalism Room itself to find your source.
A senior male conservative staffer wrote an article on the Kavanaugh appointment to the Supreme Court.
The editorial staff approved of and placed the article on the front page of the next addition as approved by the advisor and principal. When the Burlingame Bee arrived, the article was no where to be found as the advisor has removed it AFTER its approval and placement. Why?- They (group) found the conservative article "offensive," as they do most conservative males. The article was removed because of its conservative accuracy and advancement of conservative ideology on the BHS campus. They used the power of their positions to eradicate student work.
Like many conservative males at BHS, he continued to be targeted by small group of adults and bullied for the temerity in which he advanced his conservative ideology while in AP Government class and beyond. He was "pulled aside" by staff and threatened that if he did not "cut out the conservative talk," his grade in AP Gov would be "docked" and "letters would go to his college of choice" to ensure he would not be admitted.
The "Mean Girls" as this small group of faculty were known would not tolerate a young, intelligent, and conservative male. They used not only their power and authority, but also the power of grades and threats of academic punishment to silence "alternative" conservative speech.
The November 3, 2021 edition of the Burlingame Bee featured a photograph, name, and a "story" shaming conservative male and his club, conservative activist club, Turning Point USA. (link is attached)
The real story was the negligence of the administration and faculty advisor of failing to follow rules and policy of the district, but instead this teen became the name and the fact of ridicule, literally using the school newspaper to advance the ideology of the advisor and her peers who despises conservative teen males.
These incidents were reported to Superintendent Kevin Skelly and the Board of Trustees in a timely manner, who then ignored the issues.
One of these Republican lads is now sitting on Capitol Hill, forming policy for the country. As he is well past the antics of misguides Mean Girls (faculty) at BHS, but most likely not forgetting about the high school article on Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh, that had been placed on the front page of the Burlingame Bee, only to be removed by the advisor after the paper had been put to bed.
This has been fact checked and links are included.
It is ironic that this teen author has to write this article under the freedom of the editorial board of the SM Daily Journal as there is fear of censorship, as she stated in this piece, over at the Burlingame Bee.
We don't have to look across the country to find censorship, the trouble is right here in River City.
Hello Jeannine - thank you for another one of you well-thought out treatises. The elephant in the room is really nothing but the impact social media have had on your generation. As most of those sources are left leaning, it should not come as a surprise that many high school students are group thinkers when it comes to politics. Peer pressure then reduces their independent thought, if they had it to begin with, to a-get-along stage. This is akin to the expressions they use and the clothes they wear. The few anecdotes that you surface are a clear indication of their lack of critical thinking capacity that they should have acquired in school. Perhaps they should not even qualify for higher education. But, as long as there are students like you, there is hope. Thank you!
Thanks for your column, Ms. Chiang, relating your educational experience in a left-leaning curriculum. It’s interesting to hear your thoughts about your best friend in Florida but perhaps she, and you, didn’t realize that according to a recent US News and World Report Pre-K-12 ranking of states, Florida is ranked #10, while also being ranked #9 in Best States Overall, #1 in Education, and #5 in College Readiness. Where’s California? California is ranked #37 in pre-K-12, #37 in Best States Overall, #23 in Education, and #49 in College Readiness. Apparently missing out on “Brave New World” and “Fahrenheit 451” isn’t much of a loss. In fact, missing out on those two books appears to be a win. I’m scared to see how much California spends per student vs. Florida as I expect California taxpayers are getting much less for their educational buck than Florida.
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(5) comments
Interesting Jeannine that you feel that both left and right leaning students at BHS are afraid to speak up about politics. From what I know from my son and daughter, it is conservative students in our area that need to keep silent about their views, particularly since most teachers are also on the liberal side of the spectrum and they worry about being graded poorly if they are too vocal. In middle school, a girl called my son "racist" because he did not support defunding the police (with no reprimand from the teacher.)
This has changed a little after the election, when some students wore pro-Trump shirts and hats without much pushback (though one of his friends was body-checked in the hall for wearing a Trump shirt.)
Your friend's school in Florida did not "ban" the books you mentioned because they selected different books for the class (would be interested to see the reading list), I'm sure they are still in the school library and are widely available in public libraries and bookstores.
And I'm sorry to see that your peers are refusing to consider college in a red state (the abortion pill is available nationwide FYI) due to politics. My daughter attended college in Texas and has a big diverse group of friends from all political persuasions- they can agree to disagree and get along, something that she didn't find at BHS where she had to mostly keep her mouth closed about politics because she was in the minority.
The author writes:
-As student journalists, our job is to write the truth and reflect the inner turmoil of our campus. Yet, the truth is that discussing politics has become the new “elephant in the room,”
"the inner turmoil of our campus..."
All Politics is Local-Tip O'Neil- "our campus"... the BHS campus
The author is encouraged to further investigate the incidents of retaliation and intolerance at BHS and publish her findings in the Burlingame Bee.
The status quo of the BHS campus was one of intolerance, by faculty, for the political views of students, primarily conservative male students.
You need to look no further than the front of the Journalism Room itself to find your source.
A senior male conservative staffer wrote an article on the Kavanaugh appointment to the Supreme Court.
The editorial staff approved of and placed the article on the front page of the next addition as approved by the advisor and principal. When the Burlingame Bee arrived, the article was no where to be found as the advisor has removed it AFTER its approval and placement. Why?- They (group) found the conservative article "offensive," as they do most conservative males. The article was removed because of its conservative accuracy and advancement of conservative ideology on the BHS campus. They used the power of their positions to eradicate student work.
Like many conservative males at BHS, he continued to be targeted by small group of adults and bullied for the temerity in which he advanced his conservative ideology while in AP Government class and beyond. He was "pulled aside" by staff and threatened that if he did not "cut out the conservative talk," his grade in AP Gov would be "docked" and "letters would go to his college of choice" to ensure he would not be admitted.
The "Mean Girls" as this small group of faculty were known would not tolerate a young, intelligent, and conservative male. They used not only their power and authority, but also the power of grades and threats of academic punishment to silence "alternative" conservative speech.
The November 3, 2021 edition of the Burlingame Bee featured a photograph, name, and a "story" shaming conservative male and his club, conservative activist club, Turning Point USA. (link is attached)
The real story was the negligence of the administration and faculty advisor of failing to follow rules and policy of the district, but instead this teen became the name and the fact of ridicule, literally using the school newspaper to advance the ideology of the advisor and her peers who despises conservative teen males.
https://theburlingameb.org/4294/news/administration-suspends-conservative-activist-club-turning-point-usa/
These incidents were reported to Superintendent Kevin Skelly and the Board of Trustees in a timely manner, who then ignored the issues.
One of these Republican lads is now sitting on Capitol Hill, forming policy for the country. As he is well past the antics of misguides Mean Girls (faculty) at BHS, but most likely not forgetting about the high school article on Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh, that had been placed on the front page of the Burlingame Bee, only to be removed by the advisor after the paper had been put to bed.
This has been fact checked and links are included.
It is ironic that this teen author has to write this article under the freedom of the editorial board of the SM Daily Journal as there is fear of censorship, as she stated in this piece, over at the Burlingame Bee.
We don't have to look across the country to find censorship, the trouble is right here in River City.
Hello Jeannine - thank you for another one of you well-thought out treatises. The elephant in the room is really nothing but the impact social media have had on your generation. As most of those sources are left leaning, it should not come as a surprise that many high school students are group thinkers when it comes to politics. Peer pressure then reduces their independent thought, if they had it to begin with, to a-get-along stage. This is akin to the expressions they use and the clothes they wear. The few anecdotes that you surface are a clear indication of their lack of critical thinking capacity that they should have acquired in school. Perhaps they should not even qualify for higher education. But, as long as there are students like you, there is hope. Thank you!
Thanks for your column, Ms. Chiang, relating your educational experience in a left-leaning curriculum. It’s interesting to hear your thoughts about your best friend in Florida but perhaps she, and you, didn’t realize that according to a recent US News and World Report Pre-K-12 ranking of states, Florida is ranked #10, while also being ranked #9 in Best States Overall, #1 in Education, and #5 in College Readiness. Where’s California? California is ranked #37 in pre-K-12, #37 in Best States Overall, #23 in Education, and #49 in College Readiness. Apparently missing out on “Brave New World” and “Fahrenheit 451” isn’t much of a loss. In fact, missing out on those two books appears to be a win. I’m scared to see how much California spends per student vs. Florida as I expect California taxpayers are getting much less for their educational buck than Florida.
Don't ban books but ban the ten Commandments is OK? BTW = in 2016 wasn't a Woodside High student beaten for supporting Trump?
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