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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

School council elections

23 replies

lunchboxloony · 18/07/2018 00:52

It's not AIBU but I can't decide what I think.....

DD (10) just stood for school council elections and was thrilled to be elected. There were about double the number of candidates as posts, and they all had to write (with help) a manifesto and stand up in front of the whole school and read it out. The school then voted by ticking (max number of posts) names in all the boxes on a voting slip.

I'm all for children understanding how voting works, and also for not always winning - but I did feel conflicted about the children who weren't successful. Firstly - it must feel to them (and is, basically...) a popularity contest. Some of the unsuccessful children might have been far better councillors, but kids will vote for their friends, and the young ones will choose the ones they think they liked best. So those who didn't get the votes are bound to feel unpopular. 10 is a really sensitive age for friendship issues and I really felt for them.

Also - there were a couple of children with additional needs who may (or may not..?) realise they aren't especially popular due to issues with social skills, but perhaps felt they would be good councillors and would be judged on that. I feel so gutted for them for having the courage to put themselves forward, when any adult could have guessed they were unlikely to succeed. It could be really damaging for them going forwards, as well as being seen by them as 'unfair' now.

I can't decide if I think this is a good learning experience for the children, or not. Any thoughts?

OP posts:

Original poster

lunchboxloony · 18/07/2018 01:14

BTW - I think DD would have been sad but OK if not elected, but she is fairly robust emotionally (let's hope that lasts into secondary school!) Perhaps the others are all the same, and I'm being over-sensitive......

OP posts:

Disquieted1 · 18/07/2018 01:31

"Also - there were a couple of children with additional needs who may (or may not..?) realise they aren't especially popular due to issues with social skills, but perhaps felt they would be good councillors and would be judged on that. I feel so gutted for them for having the courage to put themselves forward, when any adult could have guessed they were unlikely to succeed."

This has made my head explode.

You don't have the first clue what you're talking about and you don't even realise it.

elliejjtiny · 18/07/2018 02:28

My son has aspergers syndrome and he has been elected into the school council twice.

MarieMorgan · 18/07/2018 06:25

I don't think it's a popularity contest. My dd got voted onto the school council one year and she wasn't one of the popular kids. She did though write her manifesto entirely on her own and the kids really liked what she had written. Most kids aren't as shallow as some adults think they are!

edwinbear · 18/07/2018 06:27

You are massively over thinking this as well as stealth boasting. DS stands for school council every year (Y4) and has once made it as a deputy. He doesn’t give it a second thought, it’s a non issue.

Sirzy · 18/07/2018 06:30

I agree with everyone else, and of course the pupil council should be decided by pupils as it is designed to give them a voice!

SharronNeedles · 18/07/2018 06:35

This reads like you are looking for a cause or someone to feel bad for.

BiggerBoat1 · 18/07/2018 06:41

How else do you suggest it could be done?

CambridgeAnaglypta · 18/07/2018 06:42

Perhaps it should have anonymous.

edwinbear · 18/07/2018 06:42

I will also add that at our school, it most definitely isn’t a popularity contest - that’s a pretty shitty school if it works that way at yours.

Sockwomble · 18/07/2018 06:52

"Most kids aren't as shallow as some adults think they are!"
Exactly.

OP your post is wrong on so many levels.

Oblomov18 · 18/07/2018 07:09

You are overthinking this. Child presents their ideas and the children vote. So? How else could you do it? It's fine.

Witchend · 18/07/2018 11:28

It was always a popularity vote at my DC's schools. Often the child who won hadn't even bothered to do the poster and only said "I want to do it vote for me" in the speech they were meant to do.
It was hurtful for the children who did put in the effort, and by about year 5 most children had given up trying.

Katri0na · 18/07/2018 11:44

some kids are more popular than others, so what. Of course an election means the most popular person wins, not the most qualified for the job. It's good to teach the children to be rejected sometimes anyway. Some will be disappointed, they'll get over it. Not a big deal.

Sirzy · 18/07/2018 11:50

Come on let’s think of “adult” elections they are hardly based solely on policy! How many people wouldn’t vote for labour last time round because of Corbyn? How many people would be put off voting conservative because of May?

Personality plays a role in elections at every level!

TheCakeCrusader · 18/07/2018 11:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SunnySomer · 18/07/2018 11:51

I think primary school is a good time to learn about seeing through election campaigns. Someone was elected house captain in my DS school a couple of years ago due to a joke he made and his ability to dab. The other year groups spent the rest of the year observing that he never did anything, always played the fool and was a wasted vote. I think it taught them something.

Storminamug · 18/07/2018 11:53

It's a life lesson. It prepares children for things like Brexit and Trump.

Original poster

lunchboxloony · 18/07/2018 11:55

Sorry - it was not meant to be a stealth boast.

I also have an autistic son and it could easily have been him in that situation - and my heart would have broken for him if he had felt he would been a better candidate. So I do know what I'm talking about, but maybe I'm too soft.

I just wondered if people felt it was a bit of mean thing to put children through, or perfectly fine - views seem mixed - so fair enough.

OP posts:

ForalltheSaints · 18/07/2018 12:03

I'm all for children learning about democracy, elections etc from that age. You can of course have a vote on something other than choosing children for a school council though. When I was at school at that age we used a vote on favourite music as a way of demonstrating this.

TheCakeCrusader · 18/07/2018 12:07

The teacher did explain to the class beforehand about voting ‘etiquette’ and to consider what each child standing had written rather than simply voting for their friends. This played a positive impact, I believe.

Yokatsu · 18/07/2018 12:12

Welcome to the difficulties of democracy

Screaminginsidemeagain · 18/07/2018 12:22

Don’t get me started - the two ringleaders of bullying my eldest suffered from were allowed to stand for school council and were elected!

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