Communist high school model?

[cabaretlights]

Hi everyone,
My name is Jill, and I'm a student teacher in Montreal. I'm just about to start teaching a unit on Animal Farm in a gr.9 English class, and am focusing on promoting critical and independent thought amidst all political (and social) ideologies -- something I think everyone here can agree is important! This will be done through group discussion and reflection papers, coupled with careful instruction on what, exactly, propaganda/Communism/politics itself are.

My cooperating teacher has suggested I come up with a model of a Communist high school. That is, to make the idea of Communism concrete to an adolescent, we create a theoretical high school and structure it according to Communist principles. I am having some trouble doing so, and was hoping someone on this awesome board might have some ideas (about that particular problem, or teaching Communism in general).

Thanks in advance, guys -- I really appreciate it!

[FreeFocus]

I don't know how high schools in Canada and Quebec are structured, but I'll operate on the basis that they're similar to the American structure.

Theoretically, communist schooling would not have a principal, who is usually appointed by the local board of education. There would be student unions and a mixed board of teachers and student representatives in each school. These mixed boards would determine basic school policy and planning (events and the like). A lot of support would be given to extracurricular activities.

I envision that schooling after middle school (6-8th grade) would be more like college, in that you have much more freedom to choose your own classes and pursue your own interests.

Anywho, good luck, and welcome.

[Idealism]

Hi everyone,
My name is Jill, and I'm a student teacher in Montreal. I'm just about to start teaching a unit on Animal Farm in a gr.9 English class, and am focusing on promoting critical and independent thought amidst all political (and social) ideologies -- something I think everyone here can agree is important! This will be done through group discussion and reflection papers, coupled with careful instruction on what, exactly, propaganda/Communism/politics itself are.

My cooperating teacher has suggested I come up with a model of a Communist high school. That is, to make the idea of Communism concrete to an adolescent, we create a theoretical high school and structure it according to Communist principles. I am having some trouble doing so, and was hoping someone on this awesome board might have some ideas (about that particular problem, or teaching Communism in general).

Thanks in advance, guys -- I really appreciate it!

Hello Jill,

I am sorry to say that High School is not at all a good example, for it doesn't have anything to do with wealth. If you were trying to think of what a high school would look like in a communist society, there would be less authority of teachers and more participatory decision-making.
Communism not hard to understand, even for 9th graders, there's need to make it that concrete.
If I were to explain to 9th graders, I would say this:
1. Communists divide society into two main classes the working class and the upper class (proletariat and bourgeois respectively)
2. Communists see the capitalist system as unjust because the working class does all the work, but the rich just appropriate it. In other words, the person who works gets nothing and the persons who do not work get everything. This means that the workers are little more than slaves, wage-slavers to be precise. (Though, I should add, there are many more problems with capitalism.)
3. Because of this wage-slavery, Communists think that the workers should take away control of the means of production from the capitalist and manage it themselves, creating a system in which no one appropriates another’s labor. This is called revolution.
4. The end goal of this is classless and stateless society, meaning that communists want to abolish the state. Many people say wrongly "communists want the state to control everything", whereas this is somewhat true, the supplementary part of this that is always left out is that communists want to make everyone part of the state. They want everyone to be a part of the state, to be a part of an extremely democratic system, such that the state is no longer an authoritative structure in society.
And now you have explained the very basic ideas of communism

[cabaretlights]

Awesome, thank you both so much for such quick replies --


Idealism: I am RIGHT with you on the fact that high school is a faulty example. My cooperating teacher has been pushing for it, but I have been totally uncertain as to how to approach it if there is no wealth or real property involved. I'd thought my inexperience with the topic meant I was missing something, but I guess it just really is a bad example. Your basic description is excellent, and I will definitely be making use of it. Thank you!

FreeFocus: thank you for your thoughtful comments on a Communist-esque school. Quebec actually does have a mixed board (the 'Governing Board') consisting of admins, teachers, parents, community reps, and students...but it doesn't do a whole lot, especially considering voting rights are a bit restrictive.



I think the issue is finding a 'hook' to interest the students -- you know, kind of tricking them into finding politics intriguing. Any ideas on that? I was thinking maybe a part-time job scenario..

[ZeroNowhere]

Try something resembling the Sudbury Schools. Run by the students and teachers democratically, all teachers (compare to managers) elected by students if they are to teach (often after some period of probation), and liable to be democratically recalled at any time, justice administered by democratically elected delegates, as well as other positions (for a present example, treasurers). Perhaps delegates could also be elected to an organization encompassing many schools, in order to co-ordinate events and such (in communism, at least as us De Leonites and such would think optimal, this would be analogous to the SIU, except that that would be organized by industry rather than school. Perhaps a better analogy would be a council made up of people representing each subject, but it still has its issues (there would hardly be the same type of co-ordination to do, and who would vote for each subject? In the workplace it would be more straightforward, but in schools most people would do lots of subjects at once)). And, of course, that students would have control over their own lives, rather than it being dictated to them through school boards, grades and so on. Of course, there are many more features that distinguish Sudburys from traditional schools, but I'm just naming the ones most relevant to the analogy.

It's a bit one-dimensional, though, as it mainly focuses on replacing the hierarchical structure of capitalism, while some issues (poverty, exploitation, the alienation of man's social relations from himself, the use of labour credits or free access in socialism, etc) could only be relayed through a school analogy by making it pretty much just the workplace with younger people in it. Though it is apt in a way, as education generally reflects the society outside it (hence capitalism led to co-operative schooling, as well as co-operative labour, but its hierarchical schooling relations (and relations of production) restrained their potential. Also, poor kids go to shitty schools, schools are generally based on competition in which people are taught their place, students are taught servile respect for authority, etc).

2. Communists see the capitalist system as unjust because the working class does all the work, but the rich just appropriate it. In other words, the person who works gets nothing and the persons who do not work get everything. This means that the workers are little more than slaves, wage-slavers to be precise. (Though, I should add, there are many more problems with capitalism.)

Wage-slaves, you mean.

[Patchd]

You may want to have a look at the concept of Free/Modern/Libertarian schools, as a Libertarian Communist, I would advocate this approach to education. An example of one of these schools is Summerhill School in Britain, although this would not be the best example of what I personally would advocate, for one they could get rid of the private aspect of the school.

The authority of staff and teachers is limited, and the methods used to deal with problems that may arise is one of diplomacy as opposed to punishment, with a staff, or older pupil as a mediator. Lessons and subject taking is voluntary, as in you can choose which subject(s) to take, meaning that children are not forced into unnecessary stress over subjects which they couldn't care less about and are likely to forget everything they are taught in it once they leave school anyway, that also allows pupils to hone their skills in whatever subject they prefer, leading to a better educated population, individuals specialising in certain subjects, or a subject (and this doesn't have to be the usual, physics, maths, geography, but may, or should also include craftsmanship, scaffolding, art and such like). It also allows children the time off to relax and de-stress if need be whenever they like, which would increase their educational potential when they do return to the classroom.

Decisions over matters concerning the school are to be taken collectively, with the pupils and staff members deciding them together, obviously with the staff members helping to inform students in matters also. Good luck by the way!

[scarletghoul]

I think the issue is finding a 'hook' to interest the students -- you know, kind of tricking them into finding politics intriguing. Any ideas on that?

The reason they don't find politics intriguing is because this bourgeois 'democracy' alienates the political decision making from the people. It's seen as something purely concerning politicians (a section of the ruling class). In a correctly implemented socialist/communist society, this wouldn't be the case because the people would have power. For example, in the most recent Cuban municipal elections there was a 95% voter turnout. People can vote from the age of 16, so clearly school students can be interested in politics, its just that this capitalist system alienates politics from people and makes it uninteresting.

[ZeroNowhere]

for one they could get rid of the private aspect of the school.

To be fair, they're certainly not becoming a state school (and nor would that be any better), and they need to support themselves somehow.

[Patchd]

To be fair, they're certainly not becoming a state school (and nor would that be any better), and they need to support themselves somehow.

Yeh exactly, sorry I should have mentioned. I simply meant, were the conditions right for them not to have to be a private school in order to exist with a curriculum outside of the national one, then the private aspect should be got rid of. They won't be able to exist as a comprehensive/state/public school.

[red cat]

Hi everyone,
My name is Jill, and I'm a student teacher in Montreal. I'm just about to start teaching a unit on Animal Farm in a gr.9 English class, and am focusing on promoting critical and independent thought amidst all political (and social) ideologies -- something I think everyone here can agree is important! This will be done through group discussion and reflection papers, coupled with careful instruction on what, exactly, propaganda/Communism/politics itself are.

My cooperating teacher has suggested I come up with a model of a Communist high school. That is, to make the idea of Communism concrete to an adolescent, we create a theoretical high school and structure it according to Communist principles. I am having some trouble doing so, and was hoping someone on this awesome board might have some ideas (about that particular problem, or teaching Communism in general).

Thanks in advance, guys -- I really appreciate it!

You can try to make them interact with the working class. If there is some place where the worker's are not getting enough education, set up a school kind of thing with your students. All this won't be easy as you may be rejected by the workers themselves. So you have to be patient. If you can make students interact with the workers, they will have an insight into the conditions of the proletariat so that when they start learning Marxism, most of them will automatically take the workers' side in class struggle.

[Rusty Shackleford]

Well, ill try to give some tips on how to do this by watering it down for a 1 class situation. im no expert on this so far but education is something i feel is a necessity in any society. I also want to reiterate what some comrades have said. i think this could be applied to a whole school easily. the principles of communism are simple to understand. the application may be a bit tougher, and obtaining the ability to apply the simple principles is the hardest part of all

In this situation, its about student control. and the way the students control it is democratic. communism, contrary to contemporary thought, strives for democracy.
through democracy the workers/proletariat cannot win a fundamental change in society though, at least not through current forms of democracy. to grant everyone the right to democracy and freedom from exploitation or being ruled by a minority class it must be fought for. Why? The current form of democracy practiced on national a national scale are representative of the minority(bourgeois) class needs FIRST then the majorities(proletariat) needs SECOND so, if the minority is threatened by the majority, they will use force through the state(police, military) to keep their power

Basically, take as much power away from the teacher and yourself as possible and give it to the WHOLE class. You, the instructor, and the students. once that takes place, have the class elect an instructor(cold be the old teacher, the assistant, or a student) that preps the class and tries to teach the students on the subject. (just let them read notes from the teacher, make teaching a class effort though) and if the class decides to elect anyone else as an administrator of some class function, let them. When a person is elected they can at ANY time be democratically recalled. in which case, the elected person has no say.
Dont let the student run campaigns like American politicians do, it is a waste of money and does not show their true abilities. it merely represents capitalist ideals and is generally gaudy and full of lies.
If you want the teacher to represent the bourgeoisie(class enemy of the proletariat), then let the students have all the power MINUS the teachers and assistants and continue on as i said before

Oh! and collectivize the class utilities. Example: Have the students bring in their loose leaf(binder) paper and put it all into a pile, which they can take paper from freely based on how much they need. (a simple example of the way a communistic economy might work) I would also say collectivize the pencils, but if some students are sick then it would probably be a good idea not to do that.

If you want to go a bit further, have the kids sing The Internationale!

Also, about actual class relations. (proletariat-bourgeoisie) maybe instead of the normal curriculum, try to teach them about wage labor, explain what capital is and also explain exploitation. be careful when doing this though, refrain any forms of bias and examine these things to get their meaning. if you start reading Wage Labour and Capital and you go into it thinking "dirty commie crap" you wont fully understand it. try to remain neutral. then discuss it. i dont know a good reading list for 9th graders though, and i dont know if that fits your curriculum, but the students could change it if they have the power. But, dont make it homework, or even extra credit. it will make it merely an opportunity to advance their grades. if they are truly interested they will participate.



good luck!

this is a rough outline but this is the way i could see it working. if anyone wants to nitpick or counter my ideas or help improve them feel free to do so.

[MarxSchmarx]

You can try to make them interact with the working class. If there is some place where the worker's are not getting enough education, set up a school kind of thing with your students. All this won't be easy as you may be rejected by the workers themselves. So you have to be patient. If you can make students interact with the workers, they will have an insight into the conditions of the proletariat so that when they start learning Marxism, most of them will automatically take the workers' side in class struggle.

I'd go further than this. How about a high school where students actually get on the job training, with 9-5 duties. Whatever the job is. The vast majority of jobs out there, high schoolers can contribute in meaningful ways. I know, I worked with a lawyer as a high schooler helping him in his research. I also helped a relative on their farm during a long vacation. So I think a "communist" high school, at the very least, would get students out into the working world, appreciating that they are part of a larger community and are doing "useful" work.

[NiK]

Too small of a model, but if you want something which is slightly parallel to Animal Farm...
The students are the proletariat.
Teachers are the bourgeois. :P


For an example of how high school really was back then in the real world in the Communist Bloc...
High School in was considered a school for intellectuals. You had all those who are going to do desk jobs, government jobs, jobs in science and etc., went to High School (since that was where they went after they graduated).