Jack A. Reavis teaches U.S. history and government to students in the Three Forks region of Oklahoma, which was a center of development in the state during the 19th century. Reavis practices Cherokee culture and beliefs.
Teacher Name: Jack A. Reavis
School Name: Muskogee High School
School Location: Muskogee, OK
No. of Years Teaching: 28 years
Subjects Taught: AP U.S. History, AP Government & Politics
Honors: Finalist for Oklahoma Teacher of the Year
As a descendant of Native American heritage, veteran social studies teacher Jack Reavis remembers how his great-grandmother and mother spoke the Cherokee language.
“My view of culture and respect for the Mother Earth and all humanity come from these two women,” says Reavis, who honors his past by practicing Cherokee culture and beliefs in the present. “The Cherokee have always stressed the importance of education.”
Practicing Native American spirituality has positively impacted his teaching philosophy and pedagogical approach. “Sometimes a hug is all a student needs, not what you are teaching,” Reavis says. “The most important thing I have learned over the years is that what I have freely given away has always come back to me seven-fold.”
Reavis teaches AP U.S. history and government at a public high school in the Three Forks region of Oklahoma, once a thriving hub for the settlement and development the great American West. Today, the area is largely rural, which presents its own teaching challenges but also opportunities.
Rural vs. Urban Schools
Like many of the teachers who use the SGAP Student Forum newsletter and resources in their classrooms, Reavis teaches at a public high school in a rural area of Oklahoma.
“In both rural and urban settings, the primary goal of the educational system is to contribute to the mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical development of youth,” Reavis says. “But a rural school that serves 250 students will not offer the same educational experience as an urban school that serves 4,500. The educational goals may be standardized but how they are realized is much different.”
Reavis believes these differences must be factored into the equation when evaluating the benefits of school choice programs, which have rapidly grown in popularity nationwide.
“School vouchers are here and they are not going away,” Reavis says. “The schools in rural Oklahoma must play the long game. If the state mandates equity, the smaller rural school districts will struggle to stay open. If these rural schools close, we will lose a vital part of our Oklahoma identity and who we are as a people.”
School Choice
School choice programs may be more functional in the urban system than rural, Reavis believes. “The busing of rural students to an urban school an hour away is not in the best interest of our students,” he adds.
How might states and communities mitigate these potential negative impacts on rural schools? Reavis suggests turning to the students themselves for their ideas and solutions.
“If we really want to resolve some of the problems that currently exist in public education, ask our young people,” Reavis says. “Turn fresh and innovative minds loose on the issues facing us. It is obvious the Boomers can’t solve or fix it. Let the young minds of today create their own future. A child shall lead the way.”