Teaching today is not the same as it was thirty, even five years ago. As the students change, so must the teachers. As the curriculum changes, so must the teachers. As technology changes, so must the teachers. Through all of this change, however, one thing has remained constant, the need for developing democratic communities within the classroom and school. While creating a school-wide democratic community requires collaboration, cooperation, and time, we will focus on creating a democratic community within the individual classroom. This is not to say that a school-wide democratic community should not be a goal, it is just more difficult to attain.
John Dewey once said that “school is not preparation for life, it is life”. As such, teachers must treat their classrooms like the “real world”. Too many teachers instruct their students to prepare them for life beyond formal schooling. Instead, teachers should be instructing students to become life-long learners, meaning that schooling is never finished. Everybody learns throughout their entire life, not just within the walls of a school. Part of teaching life within a classroom is teaching and building democratic communities. This nation was founded on the idea that it is one large democratic community, based on the principles of self-determination, equity, and freedom. Freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom from oppression, and recently, the freedom for free and appropriate education. These principles need to be taught, demonstrated, modeled, and valued in every American classroom. Doing so will create a classroom that is not managed by a teacher, but rather has numerous citizens all with different strengths that work towards a common goal with a shared purpose.
Building a democratic community today is so important because of the demise of the traditional family structure and an increase in violence and alienation among America’s youth (Larrivee, 2005, p. 68). Schools should not only meet the academic needs of our youth, but also their emotional and social needs. A democratic community meets those needs. Today’s youth grows up watching television and hearing news about violence, discrimination, and hate. A democratic community within a classroom teaches tolerance, acceptance, respect, participation, equity, and inclusiveness. By teaching these concepts and and implementing them in the classroom, teachers will eliminate a lot of negative behavior because the students have a vested interest in the well-being of the community. This is why we need to create democratic communities within our classrooms and strive to create a larger democratic community throughout the entire school.
Larrivee, B. (2005). Authentic Classroom Management: Creating a Learning Community and Building Reflective Practice. Pearson Education, Inc.: Boston