KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A group of fourth-graders at Kansas City’s Crossroads Academy took a trip back in time today to learn about the grievances colonists had with the British government, which led to their design for a new constitutional government in the United States of America.

Judge Janette Rodecap, an associate circuit judge in Jackson County, used the presentation titled “Good Riddance, Mean King George!” to give the students a better sense of what happened during the colonial period, when the protections now afforded by our court system were not available, leading to the development of our United States constitution.

“I love having you in the classroom with us,” Jennifer Dye, the student’s teacher, told Judge Rodecap after the presentation. “Your civics lessons are fantastic supplements to social studies standards I am already covering in class alongside our ELA [English language arts] standards. The students always look forward to your visits and hearing from someone other than me sharing your expertise, versus the primary and secondary sources we typically explore.

“Having you join our class helps drive home to students and families that the community is an extension of our classroom, and what we learn in class has ‘real world’ relevance,” Dye continued.

Judge Rodecap gave the presentation to about 45 fourth-graders. She also answered their questions about her role as a judge and her path to the bench.

The “Mean King George” presentation explains how King George III of England treated British colonists in America, how the colonists responded – leading to their Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War. It also explores the new constitution the colonists wrote to establish a different kind of government in which the constitution – not a king – would determine the supreme law of the land. The presentation was the first of 20 developed by the Supreme Court of Missouri’s civic education committee. 

To request a visit with a local judge, please contact the civic education committee at Civic.Education@courts.mo.gov.