Student Leaders

Something that has been documented in other sudbury schools, and something I have now witnessed myself during the last 6 months at a Sudbury school, is a phenomena of student leadership.

So at my school, I identified two students leaders, one male and one female. There could be more, and I am not necessarily right, but from what I see I do see these two as having a significant impact and forming part of the direction that the other students go to. So that is why I call them leaders. Because what they say matters, meaning their opinion matters. Not always of course, but many times, when they have an idea about what to do, others join them. They also tend to be a sort of moral attitude as well as a role of teacher, meaning they show and set an example of behaviour. And noticeably, groups of students follow them in certain activities. When they are absent, the students tend to diffuse and spread out amongst themselves. Why this is and why this happens for me is quite intuitively clear. Because they set a point of organization and groundedness that the other students can rely on. They are also quite confident about themselves, and quite clear and expressive. So these may be attributes that are attractive, where other students gravitate to these expressions and character.


Piaget, wrote about a phenomena where older children tend to teach younger children roles, lessons etc... For me, it is intuitive, that what someone has to share/give to another, one does so quite naturally when in a space/environment that supports them to be able to do so, which means a stable environment that provides all that they need, and so they can go after and achieve what they want and so satisfaction of their self.

And for these students who are leaders, I have seen that they themselves have had leaders they followed, and do follow. Meaning they were taught and shown what it means to be a leader. So you would expect the same to happen continuously throughout time.