| In high schools and in some middle schools, most | | | | in doesn't matter nearly as much as how much |
| education models have students elect class | | | | teachers are going to get paid, which teachers |
| presidents. In my high school, the class president | | | | are going to work at the school next year, what |
| got involved in decisions like where the prom | | | | the rules are the frame clashes between |
| would be held. I actually remember one of our | | | | students, and so on. |
| first meetings with the entire freshman class, | | | | On the other hand, systematically excluding our |
| about 135 of us, most of them new to me, and I | | | | class presidents from the mechanisms that drive |
| asked our advisor what it was the president | | | | the community also has big consequences. Giving |
| actually did. She replied, "If you were presidential | | | | an elected president superficial power undermines |
| material, you'd know what to do." And the entire | | | | self-esteem. It sends a message to the students |
| class roared. In unison. | | | | that their voices don't matter; the person elected |
| So not only was there going to be no real power | | | | is a puppet. This creates apathy towards the |
| for the president, but the job would include | | | | community and government. I mean, if they're |
| working beside an advisor who chose to dodge a | | | | getting excluding from making the rules, why |
| sensible question and humiliate a student to get a | | | | SHOULD kids care about the school? This policy |
| cheap laugh. Very empowering. | | | | produces the apathy that results in so few people |
| What most class presidents certainly DON'T get | | | | voting in adult elections; people feel like their |
| involved in are issues like: how the school budget | | | | voices don't matter much, because that's what |
| should be spent, what staff should be hired or | | | | they've always experienced in school. |
| fired (I know one lady I wanted to fire), what | | | | Perhaps schools shouldn't even have class |
| curriculum should be used, what the school rules | | | | presidents; if the school is small enough, that |
| should be and how rules should be enforced. The | | | | school might be better served through direct |
| students and their elected official are excluded | | | | democracy, where the students vote directly on |
| from all the essential mechanisms of the school | | | | the issues instead of voting for people to |
| community, and instead given authority over | | | | represent them. Sudbury Valley has about 200 |
| matters like where the prom will be held. Why? | | | | students, and use direct democracy. I'm not sure |
| I think the common answer is that kids can't | | | | how big the numbers should get before switching |
| handle the power well enough. Although at The | | | | to representative democracy, although I wish we |
| Sudbury Valley School in Framingham, | | | | had more schools experimenting with this model |
| Massachusetts, kids run their community. Not just | | | | so that we could find out. |
| the teenagers, but even 4 year olds get one | | | | In the end, if students grow up in a school |
| equally powerful vote on any issue they're | | | | community with rigid hierarchy and no meaningful |
| interested in. This school has been around since | | | | power in how that community is run, these |
| the 60's and has been featured in the main | | | | people are more likely to leave that school for a |
| stream media like CBS's "60 Minutes" and on the | | | | job where they also have a sense of meaningless |
| front cover of "Psychology Today." | | | | contribution. Even if these traditionally educated |
| So how come that even after the proven | | | | new graduates WANT to fully contribute to the |
| success of that education model, we still have | | | | community, they haven't had any significant |
| most class presidents limited to superficial power? | | | | practice, so they have to start from step one. |
| I'm not saying that proms and dances aren't | | | | It seems to me that our schools MUST give |
| important, they are. But what about the essential | | | | more power to students in every way they can. |
| dynamics of the community? Presidents with real | | | | One easy place to start is with the class |
| decision-making power in the community would | | | | president. Let that person sit in on the important |
| foster lessons about responsibility, compassion, | | | | school meetings and slowly get involved. |
| politics, relationships, that would go far beyond the | | | | Everybody benefits when more people feel |
| academic lessons of math and English. | | | | empowered. |
| Leadership is both a blessing and a burden, and to | | | | (c) 2008, Brooks Elms Reprint rights granted so |
| fully feel the weight of both, a leader needs to be | | | | long as article and by-line are published intact and |
| given significant responsibilities that have significant | | | | with all links made live. |
| consequences. Which building the prom will be held | | | | |