logo
Login Subscribe
Google Play App Store
  • News
    • Obituaries
    • Lifestyle
    • Opinions
  • Sports
  • E-edition
  • Calendar
  • Archives
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Advertisers
    • Form Submission
    • About Us
    • News
      • Obituaries
      • Lifestyle
      • Opinions
    • Sports
    • E-edition
    • Calendar
    • Archives
    • Contact
      • Contact Us
      • Advertisers
      • Form Submission
      • About Us
Civics education necessary for a brighter future
Opinions
March 27, 2024
Civics education necessary for a brighter future
By Joe Dorman CEO ? OICA,

Our public schools provide an array of opportunities for students to become good citizens, from student government to civics education. In fact, America recently celebrated “Civics Education Week,” noting the importance of the subject for both students and society.

Student government teaches public service. Good government requires young people to become active voters once they reach the age of 18 and beyond. That understanding led OICA to offer a program called Kid Governor to elementary schools.

Kid Governor provides curriculum to 5th grade classroom teachers developed with lessons about state government, voting, and elections. OICA additionally created an educational comic book showing how the process works in our State Capitol and ends with games to teach about definitions tied in with government lessons. All of this is free for schools and covered by the funds we raise.

In Kid Governor, participating classrooms hold elections among the students, naming winners who become nominees. In the state race, the nominees submit two-minute videos out-lining positive ideas they would like to see become law. A committee selects the top seven finalists, and their videos are sent to the classrooms for the students to watch, along with a ballot like ones used in Oklahoma state elections. The student receiving the most votes is elected Oklahoma’s Kid Governor. This teaches the importance of civic engagement.

In 2022, Mila O’Brien of Enid was selected to be the state’s Kid Governor ; she has done a phenomenal job promoting youth mental health issues statewide, speaking to civic organizations and classrooms, and lawmakers like Rep. Jeff Boatman, R-Tulsa, who authored Maria’s Law to enhance youth mental health.

We started with great interest for this school year. More than two dozen classrooms enrolled early in Kid Governor; but by the time the program was to begin in October, each classroom had backed out. The reasons were disheartening, but unfortunately valid, and broke along three issues: • Classroom overcrowding was the most frequent response. One teacher explained to us she had 52 fifth-graders due to another teacher leaving with no available replacement.

• Teachers reported the need to focus on the lessons in which fifthgraders would be tested by the state, and there was no time for additional items such as our specialized civics curriculum.

• Finally, many teachers told us they were afraid of retribution should they implement anything that might be viewed by some as “indoctrination” of students.

We explained that the state Department of Education had approved the lessons, and that Gov. Kevin Stitt and former Govs. Mary Fallin, Brad Henry, Frank Keating, David Walters, and George Nigh all endorsed the program. Even so, that assurance did not ease teachers’ concerns.

There are fixes for overcrowded classrooms through incentives to enter the field of education and overcoming learning loss through additional tutoring, but resolving the anxiety of educators is tougher. Elected officials need to consider the plight of what teachers, parents and students alike are facing, and have rational, civil conversations about solutions, followed by implementation.

We are not giving up easily. Mila will serve an additional year as Kid Governor while the program adapts. OICA plans to partner with another program to hold the lessons and election as an extracurricular activity in the Fall. Not an ideal situation, but still providing lessons for many students.

Please help us encourage young Oklahomans to learn more about civics education, and if you know a 5th grader who would be interested, reach out to our office at https://www. oica.org so we can connect them with a local Kid Governor program. Please also contact Oklahoma’s policymakers and express your desire to seek solutions to these challenges.

School Board Association honors Pippenger, Madewell
A: Main, news
School Board Association honors Pippenger, Madewell
September 17, 2025
OKLAHOMA CITY - Eufaula School Board President Jeff Pippenger and Checotah School Superintendent Monte Madewell were honored for their contribution to education during the annual Education Leadership ...
A: Main, news
Brace yourself for traffic disruptions
September 17, 2025
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will begin its long-awaited street project on Main Street (SH 9) in downtown Eufaula next week. An ODOT spokesman said traffic control will begin Monday, Sept...
A: Main, news
McIntosh is Candidate for 2025 Miss Indian Oklahoma
September 17, 2025
Miss Janaya McIntosh of Eufaula is a candidate for the upcoming 2025 Miss Indian Oklahoma pageant. The Oklahoma Federation of Indian Women (OFIW) pageants offer young Native American women a chance to...
A: Main, news
Ford holding food drive
September 17, 2025
Ford dealers around the world are joining together to conduct the World’s Largest Ford Dealer Food Drive, now through Sept. 25. The local dealership where you may drop off food is Sam Wampler’s Freedo...
A: Main, news
LEA 2025 Golf Tournament Sept. 26
September 17, 2025
The 2025 Lake Eufaula Association Golf Tournament is just a week away, to be held Friday Sept. 26 at Arrowhead Golf Course, 3657 Main Park Rd., Canadian. Registration is at 8 a.m., shotgun start is at...
A: Main, news
POW/MIA Ceremony is Friday
September 17, 2025
On Friday, Sept. 19 the VFW Post 8798 Auxiliary will host a dinner in honor of soldiers who have not returned home from battle. The event will begin at 6 p.m. in the Post dining room on SH 9 east.
ePaper
google_play
app_store
Editor Picks
A: Main, news
Lake Eufaula Out of Darkness Walk this Saturday
September 17, 2025
Don’t miss the Lake Eufaula Out of Darkness Walk this Saturday, September 20. Come walk and show your support as locals bring awareness to suicide and how you can prevent it. “Being able to see the wa...
A: Main, news
Flag exchange drive
September 17, 2025
VFW Auxiliary 8798 would like to help you properly dispose of your worn out flags. We will exchange your worn 3x5 United States American Flag for a brand new one. Dates will be shared over the upcomin...
A: Main, news
Tribal Town Spelling Bee Sept. 27
September 17, 2025
The Eufaula-Canadian Tribal Town and the MCN Language Preservation Program will host the 10th annual Mvskoke Language Spelling Bee Competition on Sept. 27 beginning at 10 a.m. at the Eufaula Indian Co...
A: Main, news
Suspect awaits sanity decision in Minner case
By MICHAEL BARNES 
September 17, 2025
When a June 10 headline shook the community—Selby Minner, beloved blues musician and cultural icon, found dead—the shock reverberated through Rentiesville and far beyond. The one arrested for her murd...
Oklahoma Farm Bureau hosts 4th Annual Capitol Camp
news
Oklahoma Farm Bureau hosts 4th Annual Capitol Camp
By LaDonna Rhodes Staff Writer 
September 17, 2025
117 FFA and 4-H students from across the state convened at the Oklahoma State Capitol for the Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s 4th Annual Capitol Camp held Sept. 3 – 4. The camp was an immersive twoday experien...
Facebook

THE EUFAULA INDIAN JOURNAL
100 N. 2nd Street
Eufaula, OK 74432

(918) 689-2191

This site complies with ADA requirements

© 2023 THE EUFAULA INDIAN JOURNAL

  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Policy