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Narrative: Brawnerville was started by third grade teacher Sherri Brawner at Waverly Elementary School as a "mini-community of responsible citizens learning how to be future leaders of our country." Brawnerville is an effort to connect all skills development to the community.
The classroom has been set up as a mini-community. The students are all young citizens of a small town. The room is decorated in red, white and blue and the main goal is to teach the children to learn responsibility, as they are educated in the core areas. The learning is centered on the community itself.
Students have elections for mayor, vice mayor, alderman, etc. These elections occur several times a year. The local election commission designs the election ballot for the students. The children then use real voting instruments to cast their votes. The duties of the mayor include welcoming visitors when they visit the classroom. In addition, students have "jobs" typically found in all communities for which they must apply. These include city manager, postmaster, accountant, courier, custodian, librarian, police officers, private investigators, and a secretary. The job descriptions relate to activities in the classroom (example: the postmaster delivers mail from the teacher and places it in student mailboxes. Students check their mailbox before going home each day). These jobs last one week and students can apply for a different one each week.
It Works! Support from the community and parents have been overwhelming. The mayor of Waverly invited the class to a city council meeting where students learned more about the community. The class was given a "key to the city". Students begin to understand the process of democracy and look forward to campaigning for the election. They also learn responsibility as they complete the various duties of the jobs they hold.
Contact:
Rebecca Peek
Humphreys County Education Edge
2443 Highway 70 East
Waverly, TN 37185
(P)931-296-2568
(F)931-296-6501
E-mail: peekr@12ktn.net