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QMC School Governance: Learning Through Democracy


Student and teacher morale is high at our school due in part to our unique approach to the teaching and learning process. QMC empowers students to take ownership of their learning and their school by transforming power from “Power Over” To “Power With.”

 

Our Democratic Learning Community

The learning community at QMC sincerely believes that all people are trying to do the best they can with the resources they have at any given time. Because of this optimistic view of human nature, we selected the philosophy behind Dr. William Glasser’s Choice Theory as the model for our school.

 

Choice Theory teaches us that all people have five basic human needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom and fun. We teach our students Choice Theory to help them better understand their own behavior and the behavior of others. When students in our community begin to understand this theory, they are able to relate to and form deeper relationships with their peers, leading to a more harmonious society and happier lives.

 

However, the goals of our democratic learning community extend beyond harmony and happiness. We expect students in our community do the right thing because it is right and beneficial, not because they are afraid of the consequences. We expect students to do quality work because they see the value in it, not because their parents or teachers tell them to. Our goal is to create a place where students don’t just develop positive relationships, but continually work on developing successful habits for school and life.

 

We are proud to say that many students refer to our school as their second home.

 

Town Meetings

We use Town Meetings as a forum for collaborative problem solving, addressing challenges and exploring opportunities to improve our school. All students participate in this school governance process and have opportunities to run the weekly meeting.

 

Historically, we have accomplished much as a result of Town Meetings. For example, a primary challenge we confront each year is student attendance. We brought this issue to the entire learning community during a Town Meeting and worked collaboratively to develop a comprehensive set of attendance protocols that are utilized today.

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