a mojo-filled plea

from my days as a non-profiteer in india...a unpublished letter to the editor that helped me sort through my thoughts in the heavy smog of idealism. (edits to the letter have been made since)

(MLA - (elected) Member of Legislative Assembly. An MLA is to state legislatures what an MP is to National Parliament.)

Dear Editor,

I am writing to you regarding the debate surrounding the process of selecting School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) members. SDMCs consist of representatives of communities who seek to improve the quality of their school’s facilities and learning environments by holding themselves as well as other stakeholders accountable for the educational progress of their children. For the past three years participation in these newly devised structures has transpired through a community process.

Despite the initiative that many communities have taken in engendering changes in their schools, recent political dialogue and actions suggest that MLAs might single-handedly select SDMC members for their respective constituencies. If this approach of selecting SDMC members materializes in the form of a government issued circular, it will most likely counter the very purpose and potential of SDMCs.

Shifting the responsibility of selecting SDMC members on to MLAs fundamentally disempowers communities from taking an active role in the development of their schools, and thus the academic and personal growth of their children. Having said this, MLAs do have a pivotal role to play in bringing the debates and decisions of SDMC members to the forefront of public discussion.

As an elementary school teacher, I have learned that cultivating a sense of ownership means actively involving learners in educational activities. Through trial and error during my first months of teaching I have discovered that teacher- as-dictator pales starkly in comparison relative to teacher-as-facilitator. Dictatorial teachers are inclined to override students as participants in their own learning leading to mass stifling of innovation and creativity. Teachers as facilitators striving to create awareness around decisions related to learning processes inspire young people to proactively participate in their learning experiences.

(My classroom in New York City was far from the norm in terms of teaching practices and learning experiences. There were lapses in formal instructional time where I learned about the thoughts and experiences of learners, and this allowed me to tailor my lesson plans to the specific interests of learners.)

Drawing from this notion of 'learning as a means,' when stakeholders evolve as participants in the process of developing schools to meet their children's needs, their ability to contribute to the quality of dialogue around school improvement would be transformative. In bypassing SDMCs and making MLAS the decision-makers, the notion that the primary stakeholders in government schools — parents and young people — should be afforded the right to create, implement, and revise their visions for education in partnership with political and educational representatives is entirely rejected.