The school system is full of many different
hierarchies that determine what is taught in the classroom. In EDUC 3P70, we
learned that both the Minister of Education, as well as the deputy minister of
education are not teachers. This made me wonder, how are these people, the ones
at the top of the hierarchy, able to make accurate decisions that will severely
impact education, if they have no other background knowledge on the system?
If you look at the hierarchy link attached
here, you see all of the different branches and divisions that are included,
with the teacher not even on the list. This hierarchy makes me think about the
importance of education to the public, and who’s voices are actually heard, and
who’s are stifled.
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| http://schools.bvsd.org/p12/monarchk8/PublishingImages/Forms/DispForm.aspx?ID=151 |
We initially discussed
whether or not teachers should have sole access and control over the
curriculum. At first glance, this seems like a great idea – why not have actual
educators, people who see the impacts of certain policies and procedures, take
over the education system? They would be able to implement policies that
actually matter since they know and live through the system every day. However,
through further thought onto this matter, I wonder how much bias certain
teachers would bring with them. If we let teachers have utmost control over the
curriculum, then their own biases will be brought with them, causing further
strife and unrest within the system itself.
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| http://quotesgram.com/student-leadership-quotes/ |
This leads me to
wonder whether or not there will ever be a ‘perfect system’? Who’s voices
matter the most, and why? I definitely think that some changes need to be made,
especially when related to the number of people who have utmost power, and
their minimal background pertaining to the education system. I believe that the
needs of the students should be put first, as this is generally the first need
that is often ignored. The students are never brought into any conversations,
and are the first to be ignored when it comes to their wants and needs. I found
this to be ironic, considering the whole idea around education is to educate
the students. As Wallin (2015) says, “since students are commonly cited by all parties as the prime
beneficiaries of schools and the reason we have schools, it seems odd that they
have typically had no formal role in making decisions about various aspects of
schooling.” I agree with this completely, what is the point of having an
education system without hearing the input from the most important part of
education – the students themselves? Hine (2014) points to the immense importance
of student’s agency, especially since it can so highly impact the future.
This youtube video shows students establishing their own goals, and leading
their own conferences. This type of power given to students is, arguably, the
exact type of education system we need. Students are not blank spaces in which
teachers deposit their knowledge, otherwise known as the banking model for
education. Students instead should be empowered, and given more control over
their education. It was not until I entered into University that I really
realized what I wanted to do with my life, and found my own passions. I
strongly believe that this is because of the independence that I have been
given while here, able to choose my own courses, based on my likes and
dislikes. This type of agency earlier on in my life would have only given me
the confidence that I needed to succeed further in high school. This is exactly
why I believe that students should be given more leadership opportunities, and
that their voices should no longer be stifled. If the current system is flawed
because of lack of knowledge of those on the top of the hierarchy, if teachers
alone will not be able to accurately create the curriculum without integrating
their own biases, then it is the perfect time to implement student voices, in
order to work towards student successes. As Kid President says, we are all on
the same team, and I think that it’s time everyone works together to create a
communal voice, instead of stifling the voices of those who matters most.
Young,
L., Levin, B., & Wallin, D. (2014). Understanding Canadian schools: An
Introduction to Educational Administration (5th ed.). Available at http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wallind/understandingcanadianschools5.html.
Hine, G. C. (2014). Student Leadership Development: A Functional
Framework. Journal Of Catholic Education, 18(1),
