Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit .
Dear Harry and friends,
It may be less a disagreement then ... hmm. We鈥檙e talking about different issues. I鈥檓 exploring the basic 鈥渕echanics鈥� that allow citizens to govern their government. What other 鈥渟tructural鈥� elements must exist. My definition of structure is pretty broad.
For example. democracy requires that its citizens not be afraid to act politically on behalf of their own beliefs. It requires that they鈥攐r those they agree with鈥攈ave sufficient resources and power to if not match those of any other citizen in pressing contrary beliefs, be in more or less in the same ball park. Which in turn requires a sufficient degree of equality of wealth and access to be a player in the contest between ideas, policies and candidates. This in turn requires that we all have been educated sufficiently well to make it hard to con us, bewilder us or overwhelm us with fake news! (I call those 鈥渉abits of mind鈥� compatible with democracy.)
Somewhere between democracy and dictatorship, we are at various stages of being in position to have more or less equal voice in the operation of our government. That鈥檚 of, for, and by.
But, there is an added feature that you鈥檝e focused on. Citizens also need to see themselves as governors of their government, as active agents of change, or鈥攚hat we used to call it in early childhood education鈥攁s 鈥渉aving agency,鈥� or assuming that their voice (be it even a baby鈥檚 cry) matters in the world. Clearly part of this 鈥渟ense of empowerment鈥� radiates from their family鈥檚 sense of empowerment. And one can even belong to a powerful family who does not see their power as effective outside a limited circle. But the school in hundreds of big and little ways can solidify children鈥檚 sense of agency or undermine it. To start with, it鈥檚 an example, at best, of a benign dictatorship. And we take this for granted. Why?
The tone of voice we use in school, not only with the child but with their family, carries weight. The way the student鈥檚 community is spoken of, the way their particular language (including dialect) is viewed, not to mention the experiences and knowledge that they bring with them. Any rank ordering tends to do the same鈥攅ven lining up by size or alphabet for very young children can seem demeaning to some children. Being anointed a 鈥渓eader鈥� early in life vs. 鈥渇ollower鈥� has repercussions.
Conferences between family and teacher in which the student voice is not heard also carries a message, for example. Stories in which no one talks or looks or lives like you do carries a message. As do stories of history that focus only on leaders and heroes or distort how change is made by focusing only on individual acts. As well as stories that never discuss individual acts by forgotten heroes.
We undermine democracy when we suggest that there is only one right answer to most questions, as well as when we suggest that the right answers are always matters of opinion.
A world of atomized individuals who rarely meet face to face or meet in groups where each other鈥檚 opinions and ideas matter (about small matters or large ones) makes it hard to develop the qualities of citizenship described above. That鈥檚 why you and I are both alarmed about where we are headed: schools where teachers are replaced by machines who know all the right answers, and where equations and algorithms are viewed as an improvement over human judgment on matters big and small. Trying to figure out where and when we should rely on machines and where we should not is not easy. Elections should not be decided by polling or sampling. Juries should not be replaced by algorithms. Education should not replace families. Group-think can be dangerous (or it can be essential, depending on...).
The work you do in opening up spaces where human apprentice citizens can explore, argue, and act together is an essential part of learning how to be a citizen. It will take many experiences of such action for each individual to best see his or her potential. There鈥檚 no substitute.
Like all things, context matters and what may sometimes look like voluntary action must itself be queried. That is, as some of those who question our school tactics rightly fear, kids in school are far from voluntary subjects. They too (and their families and teachers) need to learn about how to be effectively insubordinate, when orneryness helps and when you have an obligation to say 鈥渘o.鈥� We have to be as good at saying no as well as saying yes, of gong along at times, and putting our feet down at other times. 鈥淣ot me.鈥�
Today I fear we are in a transition between an oligarchic democracy to a democratic oligarchy. The forms of democracy are weak enough now, but in four years I do not know where they will still matter鈥攁lthough they will, I鈥檓 sure, still exist.
But I think we can fight for democracy and acknowledge that it may not fulfill all our requirements, but still keeps open the way forward, the fight my grandchildren will make (they are all over 21), for a fulsome democracy, without the powerful oligarchy we鈥檝e settled for most of our lives.
Deb