Over the decades, the United States has evolved immensely. The country has united to create states, governments, communities, schools, and so much more. The nation as a whole is still growing in population, but every state has had its setbacks and problems. Iowa is one of the many states that has been stereotyped for a long time. Many people think it’s full of corn and farms, but what people don’t know is that Iowa has more than agriculture. Iowa has kind people, athletic stars, famous actors, and amazing activists. The country needs to realize that Iowa can bring great potential and is not just the “corn state.” There is so much more to Iowa that people outside the midwest should know about.
One of the biggest challenges is that people don’t understand what Iowa has to offer. Jonathan Mitchell has been a social studies teacher at the high school for eight years. One of his popular class options is Iowa History. He enjoys spreading the awareness of Iowa to the younger generations of students. Throughout his years living here, Mitchell thinks that the state gets overlooked all the time. He explains that when one goes to the U.S. history book and looks under Iowa, there is not much mentioned, but there are so many other states that have tons of information about them. There is not much recognition whatsoever, and state leaders could do better at showcasing the state.
This isn’t the only change that needs to be made. There are also stereotypes that were wrongfully put on the state for no reason. One of the misconceptions is that everyone is a farmer or related to a farmer. Many people don’t have people in their family who live on a farm or are involved in any kind of farming. Iowa does export some of its corn, which gives a lot of people the influence that corn is all the state has. Another stereotype that is sometimes proven true is that kids just want to get out of the state and explore the world. Issac Harris, sophomore, has lived in Marion his entire life. Harris is unsure what he wants to do in the future but is thinking of moving out of state for a little bit. Harris said, “My whole family is here, so I would like to stay, but I’d definitely like to live somewhere on the coast for a couple of years.” But, there are others who just want to continue to live here for the rest of their lives.
Many Iowans are very family-oriented. A lot of people have their whole family here, which makes it really special. Family is very important to people around here. Mitchell said, “I love that my favorite people in the world, my kids, my wife, my brothers and sisters, my best friends, my parents, were all Iowans. So whatever you do, it’s about the people, and I love that the people I love the most live in Iowa.”
Iowa is a state that has been overlooked throughout the course of history. The state has been through many more ups and downs than what people think. Others should come and experience what it is really like to be in Iowa instead of just putting stereotypes on the state that are highly inaccurate.
