The question that has arisen is whether or not student in America are taught to live in a democracy? Well to answer this question I have to first explain what, in my interpretation, a democracy is. Democracy is a form of government where the people get a say in what happens or our elected officials represent us. I have two answers to this question. The first is no, elementary through high school we were taught, in my opinion, under a dictatorship. Once we reach the college level though, yes, I do believe we are taught to live in a democracy.
In my high school, students didn’t have a say in anything that happened. Many of my teachers took advantage of their status and controlled their students through implicit manipulation. Although we did have a class president, only the students from Student Government were able to vote, which I’m sure it is no surprise that they were all best friends. Our president never made an effort to socialize with the students; he stayed in his little circle of friends. Even after school hours I felt like I was deprived from my right of speech. Whenever I approached teachers, in a sensible manner, that I had conflicts with they would entirely reject what I had to say before they even heard it. My high school experience seemed to be under a dictatorship form.
Once I reached college although, the professors encouraged thought out arguments, it makes you think for yourself. Everything that happens on campus we vote for. I fill out an average of ten to twenty surveys a semester of how things can improve and what we can add onto the campus. In my opinion, high school students will never truly experience democracy until they reach college.
