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Daily 173: Tipping Thursday - Democratic Workplaces

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Summary

First day of new JC procedure (clerk doesn't vote). Team needs to come up with ideas now. Beautiful day with storm rumbles, colorful umbrellas. No Article Club (business conflict) - was planning Watership Down/Dark Side of Moon sync video. New fort being built by parking lot stairs. Tip: democratic workplaces. Staff not entirely democratically controlled among selves, but students+staff together run community. Josh created democratic bicycle shop (Bicycle Works). More honest, open, genuine experience.

Transcript

0:00 Welcome to ANI In The Air, Under The Tent, and Around Baltimore, your daily podcast
0:04 briefing of all the goings ons, ins and arounds, or at the idea of the Sudbury School.
0:07 So today was the first day of our new JC procedure of having the clerk not
0:18 actually voting or motioning or whatever. I happen to have run it since our
0:25 previous student clerk had stepped down at the beginning of the month so yeah I
0:34 had the experience of how that went and you know well you know it takes a little
0:42 time that you know for the team to sometimes come up with some ideas for
0:53 stuff but hopefully over time they'll get used to the fact of they want the
1:00 thing to to finish then they should be coming up with ideas huh I'm hopeful
1:05 that's a good thing and let's see it's another beautiful day although there's
1:15 some rumbling in the air possibly some storms certainly some storms this
1:20 morning saw some very colorful umbrellas walking around the day which is
1:27 interesting and well I guess that was kind of a day it was we didn't get to
1:36 have article Club there was some business that had to be attended to that
1:43 prevented article Club from eating which is pity because I'd come up with the
1:52 video talking about fitting water ship down the movie to the dark side of the
1:58 moon the Pink Floyd album it's a you know it's a rather famous thing to do
2:05 that with the Wizard of Oz and since at least the mid 90s and someone got
2:12 inspired to try this with water ship down which apparently it worked out
2:16 fairly well so that was what I'd hoped to talk about it article Club today but
2:22 guess we'll push it off to next week
2:26 and then let's see I think that's largely what I've got to say about the
2:39 day oh and there's also a new fort being built in an area where I've never seen a
2:45 fort being built before it's just in front of the arch to the side of the
2:51 parking lot steps in front of the library bunch of our wooden planks and
2:59 stuff being put there and yeah kind of cool neat it's always nice to see
3:10 creative ideas and locations of things all right so this is Thursday so tip of
3:22 the week Thursday continue in line with what I had talked about earlier I think
3:30 I'd do a shout out to a democratically run workplace the the workers here the
3:37 staff are not entirely democratically controlled of them amongst themselves is
3:46 the students and the staff together who are doing this now running the
3:52 community but nevertheless having things decided democratically is extremely nice
4:00 in that you know like you if there are issues with a particular individual you
4:13 know it's really a matter for the community if it's if it's a real problem
4:18 or not it's not like all behind closed doors and single voices and and having
4:26 some particular person who's in charge is making that decision I think that's
4:31 you know when you have to make a decision when you are the one bearing
4:38 the authority it's all very different than when you are joining collectively
4:42 with the community to make a decision and yeah so I highly recommend it if you
4:52 can ever manage to get yourself working in a democratic place there are some
4:56 businesses that are democratically run or one of our staff members Josh had
5:02 created a democratically run bicycle shop called I believe bicycle works
5:07 it's still going on he obviously left it left to join us but you know it's it's a
5:16 very different kind of experience I think a very much more honest and open
5:22 experience and it's a challenging one you don't have to just you know get in
5:29 good with one person you got to getting you know you got to be you know genuine
5:33 only good I would say that's what you know the democratic process is obviously
5:42 you know there are people who speak well in front of others and less well front
5:47 and I think that's the difference of actually being embedded in the community
5:51 that's making a decision it's not you know it's not like our electoral
5:55 politics where it's where that is what's relevant oftentimes rather than you know
6:02 like here everyone can kind of see what you do during the day day in and day out
6:08 you know the whole year and so you know that that that is your whole record and
6:14 they know they know each of us and you know it's a beautiful thing that's all
6:20 I'm going to say about that I think thanks for listening and I will see you
6:25 when I see you