Over the years, I have been writing about misconceptions regarding the schooling process. The purpose of these posts is to explain why I disagree with various comments that I have heard people make about schooling. These are meant as personal thoughts rather than conclusive proof, and I will admit that I'm not always the best at explaining my thoughts. Regardless, I have decided that I should be willing to share these posts when I encounter someone online who makes an argument that I have already discussed.
I have already discussed why students should not be required to maintain a certain GPA in order to participate in extracurricular activities. There was one activity in particular that I wanted to address, student government. While the reasons I have already provided remain valid, student government is a different beast. The implications of GPA requirements are far more substantial.
Children should have a say in their own lives. They should have a say in their own educations. For the most part, this can be viewed as promotion of a self-directed approach. There should also be student representation throughout the schools. A lot of this can be done through student governments.
A GPA requirement restricts the types of students who can have a voice in the student government. Those who are doing fine with the system as is are the most likely to meet GPA requirements. Those who see and know the problems that need to be addressed are likely to struggle. With GPA requirements, the individuals who are most capable of having a positive impact in a student government are effectively prohibited from pursuing a position.
For those who do well in school, keep in mind what that means. Teachers promote obedience. To do well in school, you must be obedient to your teachers. By requiring good grades, we effectively require obedience to the teachers. As a result, most student governments represent the teachers more than the students. For the most part, members of student governments are pawns of their teachers.
In many ways, this is like the credential requirements for entering the teaching profession. We are ensuring that the only people who become teachers are those who are willing to invest time, money, and effort into the system as it already is. This prevents people who see the problems from having any say. By requiring strong GPA's for student governments, we are disqualifying students who see problems from having a say. Both concepts push to maintain the status quo in an area where society desperately needs change.
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