Published: April 07, 2008 05:21 pm            

Living 4-H: Connor teaches through OSU Extension

Director of youth programs teaches many

One look at the pig lungs Cindy Connor, a 4-H agent with the OSU Extension Center in Enid, takes around to schools in the Garfield County area may be enough to stop anyone from smoking. The blackened and harden lungs of “Nicki Tar” are a frightening image of the possible picture inside the body of smokers.

Talking to kids about smoking is not the only responsibility Connor has as a 4-H agent, though. As a 4-H agent, Connor is responsible for teaching kids life skills and goals and how to be responsible enough to learn how to achieve those goals.

“Learn by doing is our motto,” she said. “Most of our projects focus on life skills. We look at responsibilities, public speaking, organization and time management. We teach community skills and do a lot of community service projects.”

Connor works directly with 4-H Youth Development. The youth development program provides Oklahoma youth, families and communities with educational programs, including school enrichment, special interest and mass media programs.

Connor takes her presentations to all the local public, private and county schools. Teachers contact Connor, and she goes out to the schools with a variety of different props, used both to educate and entertain the children.

She teaches kids how to grind wheat and prepare tortillas with Tortilla In A Bag. She brings her Sally Smoker doll outside the classroom and building to show kids the amount of nicotine and tar one cigarette produces. Connor takes “Pinky Rose” with “Nicki Tar” to show kids the difference between a smoker’s lung and a healthy one.

“There is air that goes into the lungs, and they actually get to touch the lungs,” she said. “We focus on the health aspect and try to do it at a younger age.”

One of the more popular classes involves Ice Cream In A Bag. It focuses on changing a liquid into a solid, scientifically, and looks at the nutrition and food sciences.

Connor also works with driver’s education students to prevent drunk driving.

“I have also the drunk driving goggles that I take out to driver’s ed classes,” Connor said. “We also do it at the fair with public.”

The importance of health eating habits is another one of Connor’s classroom focuses. She looks in-depth at the amount of sugar content in many of the things kids eat each day as well as the amount of fat grams in many of the more popular fast food restaurants. Connor said a grossly dramatic replica of five pounds of fat is something that usually leaves a big impression on the kids. She hopes this will help kids realize the importance of portion control in the amount of food they eat with each meal.

“Kids don’t realize what they are eating,” she said. “These presentations help them at least realize and look at the label of what they are eating. I have three huge test tubes, and I say if you had one Twinkie and a Dr. Pepper before you go to school today, you have had three huge test tubes of sugar.”

Connor became involved with 4-H as a member when she was younger as something of a family tradition.

“In the ‘60s, my mother was a 4-H member, and back in 1926 and 1927, my grandmother was a 4-H member,” she said. “That’s where it began.”

With this, she follows the 4-H pledge, which she can recite by heart.

“I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living for my club, my community, my country and my world,” Connor recited — verbatim.

The experience working with these kids has been quite rewarding for Connor, who was a school teacher for 27 years before becoming an agent. She has been working with the OSU Extension Center program for seven years.

“You work with young people who are very deserving,” she said. “I have respect for all kids who take the positive road to help others.”

Her experience has also made her responsible for training many of the 4-H students to become leaders and volunteers themselves. This gives her a great feeling that she has taught many kids how to go out and teach others to be better people.

“It’s rewarding working with kids, and it puts me back in the classroom,” Connor said. “It is an honor to work with these good kids and their families.”