Student Council Leadership
Collaboration through Communication (Pilot Program)
Leadership comes in many forms, but it's very difficult to "teach" leadership. Concepts can be described and examples can be provided, but students must ultimately experience the responsibilities and challenges of leading in order to fully appreciate what it means to be a leader.
For this course, students will take part in weekly Student Council meetings, and then work together to address student concerns, plan events for the student body, and document how decisions should be in a democracy.
Graduation Credit
The nature of this course would allow it to contribute either to English credit or Social Studies. To earn a half credit (for one semester), students will need to produce at least 25 pages of writing to accompany active participation in readings, meetings, and planned events. Full course credit will follow the 50 point system from the Full Course Guidelines.
Writing for English credit can focus on creative reflection, possibly accompanied by readings from literary works such as Lord of the Flies or To Kill a Mockingbird.
Writing for Social Studies credit can focus on systemic reflection, in particular examining how the committee work of a student council prepares students for future employment or develops a deepter understanding of citizenship.
Partial Participation can still provide points toward other English courses.
Course Activities: Running an Effective Student Governance Committee
As this course is in the very, very early planning stages, here's a very general overview of the activities. For each activity, students will write out their individual goals for each meeting as well as personal reflections on what was accomplished.
Determining Representation
The first step for any representative body is to determine how membership is set. In this case, any student who volunteers to take part will be welcomed, but the group must then decide how best to reach out to every student in the school. How do we ensure that every voice is heard?
Setting Priorities
Every organization must choose a direction. Will this group focus on events? Or are there specific student concerns in need of redress? Given the limited number of members and the eternal constraints of time, how will this group manage its efforts?
Writing a Constitution or Bylaws
Most organizations have an organizing document to provide continuity across multiple years. For this course, composing that document will be part of the class — each year, students will reconsider the past and start anew. This will force students to decide what matters most, what they'd like to change, and what they'd like to attempt in the document that will determine their year of collective governance.
Delegating Responsibilities
No single person can be a committee. For specific events, the group must determine who's in charge. Who will lead each initiative? Who will conduct follow-up? What methods of accountability will the group put in place? And, most importantly, can the group set reasonable goals for each individual?
Reviewing Results
After events and at the end of the year, students will discuss what they achieved and what they wish to have changed. Individual written reflections will complete the balance of writing for the course.