Dude, Where's My Rights ?

Revolution in the classroom? Chances are if you’ve ever heard anything in the classroom about rights and responsibilities it’s been along the lines of legal and civic information, for example the right to freedom or the duty to vote. These are important but there’s more to it than that. How do rights and responsibilities affect you now, when you don’t vote yet? Are people under 18 even citizens? How can you change things if you think they’re unfair? Can you address 'real life' concerns like these in the classroom? Read on…

“A lot of students don’t get much respect from some teachers…we don’t give a lot of teachers that much respect,”

This was the opinion of students at one secondary school but does it have to be this way?

Australia is a democracy. This means we are governed by the people, who have the right and responsibility to be involved in the decisions that get made about how we live. You may not have full citizenship rights (ie you don’t vote in elections) but that doesn’t stop you being a citizen, you are still part of the Australian community right? Democracy isn’t just something for governing the nation but can work at all levels, including schools.

Democratic schools and classrooms are places where all the people involved are treated equally and are equally responsible for their own learning and growth.