Ask a Teacher: School Elections

[cereta]

Q:Both of my kids attend the local high school, and at our school, each student organization holds elections to elect officers. I’m seeing a disturbing trend in which the teacher adviser of the organization doesn’t like the outcome of the election and instead decides to overrule the democratic results. In one case, the teacher outright decided to name a different nonwinning student president.

Another case involved my daughter, which is where this becomes more fraught for me. My daughter ran for president and lost the election. The teacher said the results were “close” so decided that each position should be jointly held—co-presidents, co–vice presidents, etc. I’ve asked my daughter to resign her “co-presidency,” since she didn’t win, but she’s refusing. She says she cares too much about the organization to see it fail. (Last year, only three families participated in the organization’s fundraiser, and she does not want this to happen again.)

When my kids were younger, I definitely bought into paying for a trophy for recreation soccer to make sure each child on the team received a trinket at the end of the season—but these kids aren’t 6 years old. Most of them are seniors and will soon be heading to college. With the whole college scandal fresh in everyone’s mind, I’m trying to underscore for her the concept of meritocracy—if you didn’t earn it fairly, then you don’t deserve it.

I’m not sure why they bother to have elections if the will of the students isn’t going to be considered. Should I force her to quit? Should I go directly to the administration and ask them to intervene?

—Disavowing Election Fraud Mom

Dear Disavowing Election Fraud Mom,

You should definitely not force your daughter to quit, nor should you ask the administration to intervene, because this should be her decision. Ask yourself why this bothers you so much. What exactly do you fear? What lesson are you hoping your daughter will learn by resigning her role as co-president? What is the harm in allowing her to serve? Conversely, how might she benefit from a leadership role in an organization she cares about deeply? How might the club itself benefit from her leadership? It doesn’t sound like your daughter is “résumé building”—from your letter, she seems to genuinely care about this organization.
I fear that if you wield a heavy hand or get too deeply involved, you’ll drive a wedge between you and your daughter instead of teaching her a life lesson about merit.

I get your criticism—why hold elections if the results won’t be honored? But I’m wondering how, exactly, you know that teacher sponsors are disregarding election results. In my experience, there’s usually more to these stories once you get the teacher’s perspective than what you hear from your children or through the grapevine. Or, perhaps the issue is overblown—perhaps it has happened once but is not a rampant problem.

I share your dismay at the celebrity college admissions scandal. Honestly, it makes my blood boil. But I am even more infuriated by the immense advantages given to “legacy” applicants who currently make up one-third of Harvard’s freshman class. Do we truly live in a meritocracy? Are you sure that the student who won the election is in fact more worthy than your daughter? While we hope that students vote for the best candidate to be the president of the student council (for example), such elections are often popularity contests instead.

It’s possible the true source of your anxiety is your daughter’s “unearned” position as co-president. Or, are you bothered by larger, societal issues of unfairness that you don’t want to perpetuate? Regardless, I don’t think this issue is on par with people who pay thousands to buy their kids’ way into college, nor do I think forcing her to resign will do anything to mitigate deep-seated inequality.

After reflecting on these questions, talk with your daughter openly about your concerns. Listen to her perspective. Ask her if she thinks elections are, in fact, the best way to choose leaders for her club. While the democratic process is important, it’s not the only path to leadership. We don’t elect our bosses, for example. Many of the “team captains” on sports teams are appointed by their coaches. Maybe some of the clubs at her school should consider other processes, and she could be the leader who brings those ideas to the table.


https://slate.com/human-interest/2019/10/school-elections-gone-wrong-parenting-advice.html

Comments

[cereta]

You know, on the one hand, I get...no, actually, I don't get the Mom's concern. If her daughter had been denied the position despite winning, or if the school had overridden the results to appoint her sole president, I could see it. But people come to positions of authority, even political positions, in all kinds of ways. Heck, if you think about it, the US doesn't really elect the VP, someone who could easily become president. And the daughter's motives are clearly good. I'm guessing the adviser saw her motivation, desire to see the organization succeed, and willingness to work to do it. I don't really see this as a "participation trophy"* issue.

[ashbet]

Agreed! The mother needs to let the kid serve, although I agree that the overall election system could use some scrutiny.

But it’s not appropriate to push her daughter out of student government just because the mother thinks it’s shady.

[minoanmiss]

I kind of want to know how/if the LW knows the teacher is "overruling the democratic results".

[cereta]

Yeah, that's...interesting.

[staranise]

Student organizations like this are often under-resourced and don't accomplish much, largely since high schoolers only have so much time, experience, and energy. I honestly don't think teachers trying to make sure committed, capable student leaders get a chance to actually lead is too awful. It's not an "unearned" resume item if she actually held the post and fulfilled its responsibilities.

[mirlacca]

I think the mother would be better off asking the principal and possibly the school board why teachers are overruling the elections, and what lessons they think that teaches.

As for forcing the daughter to resign: No. It's her school, her organization, and her business. This smacks of mommy knows best, and the daughter's too old for that.