The theme of next Monday's walk-and-talk is another of the school's founding beliefs: That the best way to learn democratic culture is to grow up with democratic rights. Here is a seed for the investigation:
There is considerable agreement that being an effective adult in Canada includes being skilled in the practices of democratic culture. The Ontario Ministry of Education's social studies curriculum mandates that students do the following:
"They learn about Canada and the role of citizens in a democratic society within a culturally diverse and interdependent world."
"They also acquire skills of inquiry and communication through field studies and other research projects"
They also "make decisions on issues that are relevant to their lives."
Consider how these are achieved by Sudbury-model students:
Sudbury-model students learn the role of citizens in a democratic society by being citizens in a democratic environment.
They acquire skills of inquiry and communication because their strong drives to inquire and communicate are allowed and nurtured in their school environment.
They make decisions on issues that are relevant to their lives, all day every day. It's the most challenging task a person can have, and it's the foundation of democracy.
In Sudbury-model schools, there is little evidence of students focusing on fitting in, or on doing what they're told (they respect the firm behaviour rules, of course). The democratic school culture flows naturally into the broader democratic culture.
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