How community happens

PSCS Staff Meeting | 05/14/2008 | 4:00 – 6:00 pm | Attendees: Director,
Administrative Director, 3 Teaching Staff members, myself

My Foundation of Education coursework is getting increasingly focused on the dichotomy of whether education needs to first meet the needs of society or those of the individual. I have found this dichotomy to be at the root of every significant reform and event in the history of American education. I have been curious about how it comes into play at schools like PSCS that honor the individual and also emphasize community. I posed this question to PSCS Director, Andy Smallman. He re-enforced what I had guessed — at PSCS, community comes first but that it is never forced. Honoring the individual is required. Confusing? Let me clarify — you cannot force the concept or creation of community. A sense of community and belonging only comes about when the individuals moviebox app download for iphone in the community feel honored, accepted, trusted, loved and respected. But for that to happen, there needs to be a sense of “community” that brings about the desire in each individual to honor, accept, trust, love and respect every other individual. So, how does this work?

It works by having the adults in the community be the models. They model the sense that there is more than just themselves. They keep the common good ahead of themselves at all times. They create the space, through activities and actions to create a sense of being connected to each other. They welcome, honor, accept, trust, love and respect all community members. They also never force community. Instead, in their interactions with students they honor the individuals, allowing them then to do their own honoring, accepting, trusting, loving and respecting.

At the last meeting I heard the staff talk about all the “Community” action happening at their Intensives. This made me realize how much of “art” there is in making community happen at PSCS. So, I decided to take this exercise one step further and list all those activities and actions that create that sense of community, without ever overtly forcing community. The following are all the pieces that create the gallery of the “art” that PSCS is —

Check-In
Check-Out
Appreciations
Orientation Week
Last Week of School
Service work
Full Value Community Contract
Graduation
Soul Food
Student Showcase
Potlucks
Annual Play
Annual Comedy Night
Music Classes and Performances
Intensives
Building stuff together
Civic actions
Super Meeting concept

(If you are someone who is not familiar with the activities listed above and wants to know more about them, please contact me for an explanation.)