Good Citizens

I attended a K-12 school in the small community of Quill Lake where citizenship education was apparent but hidden at the same time. By this I mean we had some students who wanted to be involved and learn more about civic engagement. These students were more educated about the topics of honesty, self-discipline, hard work and volunteering in comparison to the other individuals who had no interest in citizenship education. Being a member of the student representative council (SRC) for 7 years has positively influenced my character and citizenship understanding.

Some examples of citizenship education that took place in my school:

• WE group
• SRC Events
• Canned food drive
• Town-wide litter cleanup
• Voting campaigns
• Schoolyard improvement/cleanup
• Recycling
• Christmas meals on wheels

If I had to pick one type of citizenship that was the focus at QLS I would pick the ‘personally responsible citizen’ because we fit the criteria given. Joel Westheimer’s article outlined this person to “act responsibly in his/her community by picking up litter, giving blood, recycling, obeying laws, and staying out of debt. The personally responsible citizen contributes to food or clothing drives when asked and volunteers to help those less fortunate.” (p.3) The students at school were usually very good at contributing and participating in the events/fundraisers and community service. Our SRC frequently organized events that promoted students to be engaged in community activities such as; picking garbage, food drives or any volunteer service. I would also point out that all members that were a part of the SRC or WE group can be considered ‘the participatory citizens’ due to the fact that they took part in the activities AND organized them.

Although our staff and school groups worked hard to support and encourage all students to be good citizens, I do not think all areas and perspectives were thoroughly covered. Positive outcomes did arise and were successful during the events that took place, but I think it would be more beneficial if all 3 kinds of citizenship curriculum were covered in school. By educating students about the personally responsible citizen, the participatory citizen, and the justice-oriented citizen I feel that this would help students develop an in-depth definition and understanding of a good citizen. No one wants young generations to lie, cheat, and steal! As a result of citizenship education, students will learn the importance of good citizenship and be on the path to becoming a good citizen themselves!