Davidson selected

Derrick Miller
The Duncan Banner

MARLOW August 28, 2008 01:24 pm

— MARLOW — Just because Timothy Davidson’s school address is his home address, it doesn’t mean he can’t be involved.
So what if Timothy can’t join a high school sports team or an academic club because he isn’t in public school?
He has stayed involved in the community through his church affiliation and his loyalty to 4-H. It is his involvement in the latter that paid off most recently for him.
Timothy, 15, of Marlow, was inducted into the Oklahoma State 4-H Key Club. He traveled to Stillwater for the distinction, which is bestowed on fewer than 1 percent of 4-H members.
“I love it,” he said. “It’s an honor to be a member of it. It really wasn’t something I had to do suddenly.
“I’ve been working at this for a while.”
Key Club selects students who possess leadership, loyalty and a sense of responsibility to the 4-H program. The selection process works on a point system, which focuses on activities, presenting 4-H and Key Club speeches to civic groups, leadership workshops, assisting/training other 4-H members, serving as a group leader for community projects, entering county and state 4-H events, and recruiting new 4-H members.
Timothy is the son of Larry and Janice Davidson of Marlow. His mom, Janice, is also his teacher.
Together, they spend more than 200 days a year, surpassing the required 180 days, in school. Like many students, they start class at 8 a.m., but they go until the lesson is done, which usually happens somewhere between 3 and 4 p.m.
Timothy has participated in 4-H for eight years. Through the organization, he has won numerous awards, much more than membership to the Key Club. In May, he was selected for the National Society of High School Scholars.
Many of the plaques he has received are hanging on a wall in his bedroom. Since the wall was filled with these awards, the two most recent years aren’t displayed. His mother joked about how the family would need more room if Timothy continued to win more awards in the two years of school he has left.
“We almost need another room to hold it all,” she said.
For the family, 4-H has been a blessing. The organization has gotten Timothy involved in the community, while working on his leadership skills.
He said he liked the hands-on aspect of each 4-H project because it gave him a more interactive way to learn.
“I like how I can learn by doing different things,” Timothy said.
The club has also gotten him involved in trap and skeet shooting, and woodworking. He has won awards for these hobbies, including state trap shooting.
Janice Davidson said she liked how the club focuses on leadership, and also gets youths ready for post-school lives by helping them find what they’re interested in and acquire the skills necessary to be successful in such endeavors.
“4-H is really big on leadership and citizenship activities,” she said. “4-H is really good about reaching out to the community and making leaders.”
She said some 4-H activities can been geared differently to what each club member is interested in learning about.
“It helps them focus in,” Davidson said. “It’s great help in planning for life.”
This kind of flexibility is also available through homeschooling.
Timothy’s goals for college include attending Le Tourneau University in Longview, Texas, and majoring in electrical engineering. His mother can help him achieve this goal through what she teaches.
While all required areas are covered, more time can be spent in the areas of math and science.
“I can funnel lessons to what he’s interested in,” Davidson said.
The flexibility also comes in handy when learning something difficult. Instead of hammering at something he knows well, more focus can be devoted to what he hasn’t quite grasped.
As the lone pupil, Timothy gets help in the areas he needs it the most.
“If I understand something, we can move on,” he said. “If I get lost or don’t understand something, we can spend more time on it.”
Whether lessons in school or those learned through 4-H, Davidson said she has seen Timothy mature and grow. He has gone to assist his community, aided his fellow 4-H members and dedicated himself to his faith in God.
His mother attributes much of this to the 4-H organization, which she said has not only inspired the leader inside him, but has also sparked curiosity.
“He takes the initiative to find out, learn by himself,” Davidson said.

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