How do I start a democratic school?
This has been my first IDEC, and I'm very curious to know more, learn more, and I recognise that I will need help. So I'm asking for help.
If I wanted to begin a Democratic School, What is the process? Where would I begin? Are there templates, exemplars, guides?
If you have any experience in this, then please let me know
Simone Thu 16 Apr 2015 5:27AM
I haven't started a school - But from looking into others who have, I think one very important thing is to have a community who want/need a school, and create it to meet their needs.
There are groups trying to start democratic schools in golden bay: http://www.ket.nz/
and Nelson: http://www.democraticschoolnelson.co.nz/
So they could be interesting people to talk to about it in NZ
William Asiata Tue 26 May 2015 8:41AM
I've recently been thinking about the ideal organisational structure of a school. I am soon to enter the teaching sector once I complete my teacher training diploma.
I am totally against school frameworks being controlled by central national governance.
And I've realised this. An ideal school should be democratically and cooperatively controlled by the community and staff that are a part of it - it is private from the "public sector", however it is open to any people of the wider community that wish to be a part of it.
Overall unilateral control should not exist.
In this way, for example, a principal/vice-principal/etc. will not hold their position for life or until they wish to resign or move on. Instead they are democratically elected from the teaching staff on a regular basis, whereby the school staff and student guardians/parents are the voter base.
The board of trustees will be democratically elected from the school staff and student guardians/parents. If Principal/vice are not elected to the BOT, then they have non-voting ex officio powers on the BOT.
Something like this will allow schools the freedom to move in any visionary direction the community wishes to go, come every election.
juli g Wed 27 May 2015 8:01AM
Hi William
We work in a community based small school- approx 80 studnets aged 3-13yrs called Kinma in Sydney, Australia.
The children voice their interests, passions and challenges and staff build very strong relationships with them coming to understand their learning modes, expressions and temperaments .... their needs, ideas and individual family structures which are represented in an emergent curriculum
We have a parent council and they make governance decisions - on the council sit the school manager and me- the educational co-ordinator
We carry representation from the staff and students ..... and over my 15 year connection the board are open to asking others to come along should the direction from staff be a challenge
You are most welcome to visit the school should it be of interest
www.kinma.nsw.edu.au ( http://www.kinma.nsw.edu.au )
juli gassner
personal email: [email protected] ( [email protected] )
Kinma School
[email protected] ( [email protected] )
As soon as you begin to believe in something, you can no longer see anything else.
Pema Chodron
http://freecycle.org ( http://freecycle.org ) (Don't throw away stuff you don't need. Give it to someone who does)
juli g · Tue 14 Apr 2015 3:12AM
I suggest you consider aero .... www.educationrevolution.org as one source
also there are regional idec groups in north america, europe- eudec - ask chloe from our gathering ( don't have her email) south america ( reevo) and we are starting one in asia pacific . I think gusto and ana would be really helpful also ..www.nuestraescuela.org