Teachers, Leaders, and Schools: Essays by John Dewey

Introduction: The Democratic Society

209 Introduction: The Democratic Society WHAT DO WE MEAN BY democracy and what are its implications for teachers , leaders, students, and society in general? The word democracy derives from the Greek demos, meaning “people,” and kratos, or “strength, power,” so literally it means “the power of the people to rule themselves,” or “government by the people.” Dewey understood that government by the people was not a given, a simple matter, or a purely governmental question. It was more than a political process or one form among the many possible forms of government. It is a form of ethical association, an ideal that challenges people to interact, communicate, develop community, respect diversity, nurture commonalties, and create culture . Dewey saw it as an active endeavor, a process of engagement and inquiry, never the mere acceptance of beliefs, values, or structures, certainly not without questioning them. An admirer of Thomas Jefferson, Dewey reveals in The Public and Its Problems (LW2.365) and other works his faith in the ability of the general population to learn to judge events and to make intelligent decisions, and he argues that leaders create most of the societal problems through their misuse of power and disregard for democratic values (LW2.365). Dewey believed that education plays a crucial role in providing the kinds of conditions to cultivate a climate of experimental inquiry. Education in a democratic society, he insisted, also needed to be democratic to prepare the student for deliberative participation in school and societal concerns. This type of education pays attention to the world of students, their communities, and their cultures. Moreover, it is rooted in a respect for all students, their ability to become reflective thinkers, and their capacity of playing an active role in community and societal development. And this kind of education ties together students’ out-of-school and in-school experiences with the selection, teaching, and learning of subject matter. 210 The Democratic Society Accordingly, Dewey’s emphasis on democracy has political, social, and individual dimensions. Political democracy includes the political process and the structure of government and underscores such values as respect, equality, justice, tolerance, and freedom. Social democracy implies an enactment of the values of political democracy throughout a society at the level of common interests, interaction , compassion, and communication. The personal dimension of democracy refers to individuals’ personal attitudes, dispositions, habits, and behaviors that make social and political democracy possible. Without the personal dimension of democracy, the social dimension is superficial and the political is hollow. When all three dimensions of democracy are strong and vibrant, the educative forces of society are coherent, active, and complementary. But this has seldom been the case and certainly an ideal democracy has yet to materialize in human history. Nevertheless, this is not grounds for pessimism. Instead, it is an opportunity for intentional, intelligent development, both individually and socially. Democracy, in its several dimensions and manifold complexities, is vitally related to education and the growth of desirable dispositions and habits of thinking and acting. Dewey believed the democratic community called school should guide the development of open communication, common interests, mutual respect, and shared goals. Within this environment, administrators, students, teachers, and other stakeholders would learn to live, think, and act democratically by experiencing democratic processes on a regular basis. Inquiry into fields of understanding would be similarly democraticized in that claims, information, data, and arguments would be considered and evaluated on the basis of relevant public criteria, not irrelevant matters, such as a person’s social class, religion, economic status, age, race, sexual orientation, or gender. A genuinely democratic educator integrates the political, social, and personal aspects of democracy into daily activities whether in the classroom, the principal’s office, or the superintendent’s suite. The three dimensions are woven together to form an intricate and developing culture of democracy. In this way, freedom of inquiry, mutual respect, and friendly communication form a nexus of experience. For these reasons, Dewey believed that freedom of intelligence (freedom of inquiry) and freedom of speech were cornerstones of the democratic way of life and education. But these freedoms need to be buttressed by the value of respect for the rights of others to their opinions, including the right to disagree. Hence, students as inquirers and young citizens should learn to listen to others, consider others’ interests, discuss issues, and, frequently, dispute socalled facts, findings, and interpretations. Whether in familial surroundings, school classrooms, neighborhood gatherings, corporate boardrooms, civic engagements, or government chambers, the values of democracy—guided...