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Posted by:
Mark Grashow
K-12 Classroom teacher
Brooklyn, NY
Topic:
seeking out student voices
Message:
Although I am a strong advocate of student voice and strive to increase that voice wherever possible, my high school and other large urban schools like it generally keep their student voice to a whisper. Our student government meets on a regular basis, but it fails to make any real inroads in policy change. The students that run the Student Government are selected by the Coordinator of Student Affairs rather than elected by the student body, so they are not really seen as a representative body. There is also a school-based leadership team that meets once a month to set school policy. This body is composed of administrators, teachers, parents, and students. But here again student voices are weak and generally rubber stamp policy decisions set by the larger group. If student voice is to be a real entity, then they must be allowed to express their ideas in an open forum and then provided with the means to implement them.
Within my own community service club that meets every day during a common lunch period, there is great opportunity for student voice. The meetings are student run and student organized. They are only limited by the strength of their imagination and the laws of gravity. They are free to select, plan, and execute any project that is the club agrees on. Generally 30 projects are completed each year. The only problem is that my club's enrollment averages 60 students per term. The school's population is 2,900. I leave the math to you.
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