At “Chaya Mushka” Machon, the leading educational institution for girls in the Jewish community of Dnipro, preparations are in full swing for the upcoming Self-Governance Day, scheduled for Thursday, May 22. On this day, students will temporarily take over both the administrative and teaching roles.
The approach to self-governance was taken seriously, with an entire system developed to ensure the event is meaningful rather than symbolic. For example, regarding teacher substitution, even for just one lesson, it was decided that thorough preparation is essential. First, the girls were invited to indicate in a table which subject and teacher they would like to replace, agree on a lesson topic and format, and only then begin their preparations. Regular teachers assist them as mentors, helping the future “stand-ins” grasp the subtleties of pedagogical skill and approach their task with maximum responsibility.
Even more unique is the approach to substituting the key leadership positions — principal and academic coordinators. Those who wished to run for these roles submitted their candidacies and launched full-fledged election campaigns, presenting their programs and justifying the changes they would aim to implement if elected. The candidates are actively promoting their ideas, and all students of the Machon can vote for the program they find most convincing. While major changes cannot happen in just one day, the ideas and suggestions presented will certainly be taken into account beyond Self-Governance Day.
“Sometimes Self-Governance Day becomes a fun, lighthearted ‘rebellion,’ but we decided to approach it differently,” said Machon Principal Rachel Milman. “What matters most to us is real collaboration between our teachers, administrators, and student participants. We want this to be a true training experience — with playful elements, of course — but primarily as an opportunity for the girls to test themselves in a professional environment. I sincerely hope that perhaps one of them will choose this profession in the future — with greater awareness and full responsibility.”
