Making rural schools an option for students

There has been talk that staff in public schools are pushing anti-American, anti-Christian, and anti-freedom agendas. I see people sharing conspiracy theories and pouring fuel onto a fire that goes against everything I have experienced with public schools in our district. I can’t continue to sit back and watch people I respect, and people who are like family to me, have their character questioned and their profession completely berated by people who have either never been in a classroom or believe all the conspiracy theories they hear and feel the need to “protect our children from indoctrination”.

Seven years ago, at the age of 29, I was adapting to my new life as foster parent and going from having a toddler and an infant, to adding a sixteen-year-old to our family. Coach Jeremy Gage, the vice-principal at Marlow, pulled Stephen and me into his office any time we needed help navigating through the new world of being parents to a teenager. He was my history teacher in high school and always made his students feel supported; that didn’t stop when I became an adult and to this day, he still calls me “one of his kids”. 

For years, he has cared about my family and continues to, even when he and I don’t agree on public policy. Without his guidance, compassion, friendship, and love, we wouldn’t have made it through some of the most difficult times of our lives. Coach Gage, even still, is a phone call away when I need advice, a friend, someone to tell me the other side of the argument, or a cheerleader.

Superintendent Sheli McAdoo reached out to me during the summer and asked me to meet with a student who was wanting to get into the Naval Academy. She drove from Purcell to Oklahoma City one day to bring me his paperwork, so that we could make sure it got turned in on time and not lost in the mail.  

Newcastle Superintendent Melanie Hau sent me a text one day, letting me know they had lost a student in a car crash and asked for me to pray for the family, their students and faculty. 

Kristie Scalf, my son’s second grade teacher, told me at a parent teacher conference that she could see Jesus living in Brooks, as Christian radio played softly in the background.  

Mrs. Nicole out at Bray sent me a text while I was working at the Capitol, asking me to send a short video of myself because my four-year-old daughter missed me and was having a rough day at school. She pulled Tress out of the classroom so that she could see the video and get some extra hugs from her teacher.
If our rural schools are indoctrinating our children with anything, it’s the love of Jesus, and I’m okay with that. Our teachers and coaches in rural Oklahoma pray with and for our kids daily. They’re always there for them with unconditional love and support. 

I’ve heard people talk about how social-emotional learning and “too much playing” at school are tied to Marxism. It blows my mind that people honestly believe that recess and socialism go hand in hand.

Teaching should start at home. I truly believe if you’re teaching your children to live like Jesus, you should have peace in knowing they’ll choose the right path no matter what they’re exposed to in the world. 

I want my children to be exposed to different religions, cultures, beliefs, values, and perspectives. I want them to make decisions for themselves and not grow up to be brainwashed little robots who believe everything I’ve ever told them. I want them to think for themselves. I want them to push buttons and ask questions. And most importantly, I want them to grow up to be half as wonderful as the people who taught them in school.  

I’d highly encourage all the parents concerned about your school boards and teachers in urban districts to use the open transfer opportunity to move your kids into a rural school. They will not only get a wonderful education, but they’ll be loved and supported. And like me, they’ll have the same friends when they’re 36 that they had when they were six.  

To contact me at the Capitol, please write to Senator Jessica Garvin, State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. Room 237, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105, email me at Jessica.Garvin@oksenate.gov or call (405) 521-5522.