By Gillan Herzog Pushing for the ability of students to have a fair and powerful voice in our education has faced numerous roadblocks — too numerous, in fact, for one article. But one obstacle, in particular, has come as a surprise: it seems that some administrators don’t quite understand the principle of student voice. I won’t bore you with the details, but I went to Coffee with Curt — an event designed to allow the community to “get to know” our district Superintendent and ask questions in an “informal setting” — because I am 1) a complete nerd, and 2) still determined to trudge up the steep path to empowering students. About an hour into this meeting (at 7 PM on a Monday, mind you), my daydreaming about being literally anywhere else, was interrupted by someone telling me that every student does, in fact, have a voice. I repeat: every student already has a voice. And, oh boy, was that news to me. Here’s what our voice looks like: we can complain to the employee closest to the problem or our guidance counselor and then maybe the building principal or the Superintendent and the Board. Each time we attend a ‘complaint meeting,’ we should make note of what exactly was talked about and with whom — that way, when this 100 percent effective process leads to the turning of the wheels of unnecessary bureaucracy, we won’t be redirected (as much). Obviously, the whole process is perfect and my efforts have been completely in vain this whole time. All I needed to have done was read the applicable Board policy and I would have already known this. The funny thing is that, as mentioned before, I am a complete nerd. I have read the applicable Board policy — policy 219, thank you very much. It is entitled “Student Complaint Process” and it was adopted in 1995 — five years before I was born. I can not possibly stress enough that the idea that this policy is an adequate representation of student voice is almost humorously dismissive of what voice is supposed to be. Literally, voice is, yes, the way by which we speak on our own behalf, but it is also a range of sounds. It is a collection of most of the possible variations of guttural noises and exhales and tones, but only when united do the separate noises actually mean something. The same principle applies here; one student complaining about a school policy or something of the like is nothing more than a sound — an aural drop in the bucket, but when students are given the institutional agency to engage with each other and adults in meaningful discussion about how to improve Wilson — that is when we have fostered the voice of the students. When students are involved in the decision-making process — when our input is actively sought out to inform policy before it is enacted — that is what voice looks like. Voice is not complaining. It is not a rigid process; it is not something to be regulated or heard only when convenient. It is a collectivization of the ideas and constructive criticism of the student body. In 2008 Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, said, “students know what's working and not working in schools before anyone else." This is still true. So why would we be so averse to promoting the student's institutional agency in a way that goes beyond the limitations of a student council? In a way that recognizes that self-government and self-advocacy are two entirely different spheres? The answer is simple and unfortunate: the communicative gap between the student body and the administration has led to more misunderstanding than previously thought possible.
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Elena Caputo
Hi! My name is Elena, and I'm a senior at Wilson and one of the Editors of the Editorial section. If you have any questions or ideas or if you want to write, email me at [email protected]! Olivia MonosHello! My name is Olivia and I'm a junior this year, and one of the editors of the Editorial section! I'm really excited to write for the Paw Print again this year!
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