As part of our weekly seminar this week, our Educational Psychology class invited two members of the local school board to come discuss their roles in these positions. To be perfectly honest, I probably could not have thought of a less interesting education-related topic. Obviously I recognize that school boards wield significant power in the realm of public education, yet what exactly that power entails, I could not have begun to explain before reflecting upon Monday night’s seminar. To say that what these two particular board members revealed was “eye-opening” or “astounding” would be a stretch. However, I will concede that the discussion was educational as we received informative answers about of the inner-workings of a public school board.
During the discussion, I was specifically struck by the definition of a school board’s role provided by our guests at the beginning of the seminar. Apparently, the role of a school board is twofold: one, to set district-wide policy, and two, to hire a puppet, (ahem! Did I just say that?) I mean, a superintendent whose job is to follow and enforce policy. At the time, I again found myself thinking, how boring! For me, at least, the term policy conjures images of piles of paperwork that outline rules, regulations, precedents, (pardon me while I yawn) and procedures for all school district functions. Each little category of school board policy may vary, from the broadest concepts regarding district-wide curriculum to the most miniscule details concerning middle school dress code. Nevertheless, as I think about and attempt to describe what I perceive as school board policy, I realize I am beginning to discover the real power a school board possess. These policies, which may be consequential or seemingly irrelevant, have an impact in the classroom, in the school, and possibly in the community. Though I find the idea of school board policy-making and policy-reviewing extremely tedious, I can only begin to fathom the profound impact such guidelines have on teachers. School boards can potentially influence and even dictate precisely what is included in the curriculum, how this curriculum is taught, and the type of environment in which the material is presented. This is something I will definitely have to keep in mind as I begin my own teaching career in a few years. Indeed, this week’s seminar has led me to conclude that perhaps I should really re-think my rather unenthusiastic perception of school boards. After all, you are supposed to “known thine enemy,” right? (I’m kidding. Mostly.)
ElMusedTech is Moving!
2 years ago
1 comment:
I have a lot of experience with "boards." Throughout high school, I was involved in many "boards." From my town's Youth Advisory Council, to the Dollars for Scholars Committee, to the church council. I also attended several school board meetings as a representative for Student Council. I found most of those meetings a little boring, but interesting at the same time. Can you imagine the pressure placed on the members of the school board? All the parents, teachers, community members, etc pushing to get what they think is best. I would not want to be in charge of dealing with that type of responsibility. I have a lot of respect for school board members, because they constantly have to make hard decisions which will impact the entire community.
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