The New York Times's Dan Levin told Twitter on Thursday that he was writing a piece based on the hashtag #exposeChristianschools. He shared his prompt just a few days after the outrage over a group of Covington Catholic high school students and whether they taunted a group of Native American veterans. Further video footage suggested otherwise.
Some people predicted Levin's final story would be a hit job on religious institutions. But, if there were those who tweeted back at him with negative experiences, they appeared to be few and far between. The majority of responses Levin received were from people eager to share how their Christian education shaped them for the better.
My Christian education was a happy experience, my teachers were committed to the well-being of their students.
— Lauren Chen (@RoamingMil) January 25, 2019
Just wanted to mention for the ratio ??
I'm in my 30s. Went to Christian school and and deeply appreciative for the sacrifice my parents made to send me there. I got an excellent education, a deep grounding of my faith and learned how to act & dress professionally. Christian schools are wonderful.
— Adrienne (@AdrienneRoyer) January 24, 2019
I attended a Catholic high school and am extremely grateful for my experience. The school prepared its students (of all faiths and backgrounds) to succeed in both education and life. We were taught to be respectful and inclusive, to truly be men for others.
— Joseph Daher (@joedhr15) January 24, 2019
Tried to DM. My favorite thing about my experience in Christian School (besides an excellent college-prep education), was the ability to study the Bible, faith and denominational differences with my friends and teachers. Made my faith my own, not just inherited from my parents.
— Christy Giardino (@christygiardino) January 24, 2019
Others guessed that Levin already has his narrative and would probably scroll right by their messages, so why bother?
I’d be happy to share my great experience and the moral values I was taught that I continue to carry on throughout my life today. Will these actually be reported on, or just the negative ones that you hear?
— Tristen Groff (@tristengroffmn) January 24, 2019
That's when the New York Times contributor explained that he didn't create the #exposeChristianschools hashtag. He was just writing a report on it and was happy to hear from everyone.
I write about American youth, and the hashtag #exposechristianschools, which I didn't create, went viral in recent days. I'm writing about the response to it and want to hear about all experiences, including positive stories/impact about your time in school. Plz DM me.
— Dan Levin (@globaldan) January 25, 2019
If you look on his Twitter page, Levin has been retweeting many of the positive reports he's received. Let's hope a good many of those actually end up in his piece.
Or, as someone suggested, perhaps Levin should abandon his original prompt for a much better one.
How about my horrible experiences in public schools #exposepublicschools
— Marty (@marty_b1) January 24, 2019