I Am A Rural Teacher

Hello, and welcome to the I Am A Rural Teacher Podcast, a project of Rural Schools Collaborative and the National Rural Education Association. Rural teachers know that their students deserve the very best, often continuing their own education so they can better serve their learners. Dr. Brandon Renfroe completed an EdD in Rural Education at the University of West Alabama, a first-of-its-kind program, before becoming a rural science teacher in Geraldine, Alabama. Dr. Annah Rogers, RSC's GRAD Partnership Black Belt Regional Hub Coordinator and an assistant professor at UWA, sat down with Brandon to discuss his experiences as a rural teacher and community leader.

Supporting place-based learning in rural communities is core to the missions of RSC and the NREA, as evidenced by our shared grant work, the National Signature Project Award. Kim McCully-Mobley is a high school teacher in Aurora, Missouri, who won the 2023-2024 award to support her work creating murals with her students representing the history of her hometown. Thank you for listening to this episode of the I Am A Rural Teacher Podcast. We'd like to thank our partners at Community Foundation of the Ozarks and Missouri State University for jointly leading the Rural Schools Collaborative Missouri Ozarks Regional Hub, where Kim is based. Special thanks to Kim for telling her story about place-based education in Aurora, and to Brian for sharing his perspective, as well. I Am A Rural Teacher is a collaborative project between Rural Schools Collaborative and the National Rural Education Association.

One angle for tackling the nationwide teacher shortage is the funding and implementation of teacher corps programs, which train educators in supportive cohorts to transition into teaching. Freda Calloway is one such graduate from the Arkansas Teacher Corps, which prioritizes placements in rural areas. Freda now teaches English and Journalism in a rural high school in McGehee, Arkansas. We'd like to thank our partners at Rural Community Alliance and Arkansas Teacher Corps for jointly leading the Rural Schools Collaborative Arkansas & Delta Regional Hub, where Freda is based. I Am A Rural Teacher is a collaborative project between the Rural Schools Collaborative and the National Rural Education Association.

Rural teachers are the heartbeats of their community, encouraging students to do their best and supporting programs in their schools. Brian Skinner is a high school special education teacher from Newton, Kansas, who was named a 2023 Kansas Teacher of the Year for his outstanding work with his students. This story is especially near-and-dear to Rural Schools Collaborative Executive Director, Taylor McCabe-Juhnke. Taylor first met Brian when they were in the same class at Bethel College, in North Newton, Kansas, and Brian now teaches at Taylor's hometown high school alma mater, Newton High School. We'd like to thank our partners at Kansas State University for leading the Rural Schools Collaborative Kansas Regional Hub, where Brian is based. Special thanks to Brian for sharing his story, and congratulations again on being a Kansas Rural Teacher of the Year. The I Am A Rural Teacher Project is a collaborative project with the National Rural Education Association.

Many imagine rural communities as homogenous, non-diverse places, but in recent years especially quite the opposite is true. With rural populations diversifying in a variety of ways, it is critical now more than ever for teachers to be representatives and role models for the students they serve. Shawntasia Butler is a third-year educator in Morehead, Kentucky, who believes that her identities as a special education teacher and as a black woman are solidly intertwined. We talked with Shawntasia about how she helps students value the ways that diverse rural communities celebrate their differences while bonding over what makes them the same. We'd like to thank our partners at Morehead State University and the National Rural Education Association for collaborating with us on this episode. Special thanks to Shawntasia for sharing her story, being a role model for her students, and serving on the Young Educators' Advisory Council. The I Am A Rural Teacher Project is made possible by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Education is an invaluable force for the health and strength of rural communities. Osbaldo (Ozzie) Gonzalez, a first-year, Dual Language elementary teacher in Nyssa, Oregon, knows this first-hand. Ozzie is passionate about building a sense of hope, empowerment, and determination in his students, a lifelong mindset that he worked hard to cultivate within himself.  We'd like to thank our partners at Eastern Oregon University for connecting us with Ozzie for this episode, and our partners at the National Rural Education Association for collaborating with us. A special thank you to Ozzie for taking the time to meet with us after the school day, and for being an incredible rural teacher. The I Am a Rural Teacher project is made possible by a grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Max Frommelt, a digital media teacher in Wisconsin and a member of RSC's Young Educators' Advisory Council, is only in his second year of teaching at Dodgeville High School, but he has hit the ground running by building an innovative, new program from scratch. In this episode, we talked with Max about his own experiences in school and how they led him to become the teacher he is today.

Content Warning: This episode contains mentions of the Holocaust. The bonds forged among people in rural places are often driven by how community members can relate to each other, and how they share something in common. However, rural schools can also create a fantastic environment for learning about other cultures in a real, one-on-one way. Taylor Kilgore and Linda Hooper collaboratively run the renowned Paper Clips Project at Whitwell High School in rural Tennessee, which focuses on remembering and learning from the tragedy of the Holocaust. These two outstanding educators share how this project has not only been a classroom lesson for their students, but a medium for deeper understanding and connection between community members.

Rural schools around the world have more in common than one might expect, regardless of their latitude and longitude. In particular, teacher shortages continue to heavily impact rural communities, and several organizations have made the decision to act and find and retain exemplary talent for rural schools. In this episode, we spoke with Lola Rubio Alberca about her experiences in a rural-focused teaching program in Spain. She shares how her time as a rural primary teacher changed and refreshed her perspective on education. We'd like to thank our partners at our Princess of Girona Foundation and the National Rural Education Association for collaborating with us on this episode. The I Am a Rural Teacher campaign is made possible by a grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Working in the public school system presents a unique set of challenges, especially in rural places, and certainly when it comes to special education. In this episode, we visited veteran educators Barbara (Barb) McArthy and Suzy Tomm on-site in their classrooms in Carmi, Illinois, to discuss how teaching in a rural place impacts their ability to meet the needs of their students.

Place-based projects inspire students to engage with their surroundings and assume leadership in their educational explorations. Haley Lancaster, a high school English teacher from Vincennes, Indiana, lives and breathes the history of her place. Hoping to motivate her students to become good stewards of the town, Haley applied for, and was awarded, the 2021 National Signature Project Award. Haley shares how this project exemplifies everything she loves about living and teaching in her rural hometown.

The dedication of a teacher to their students is one of the enduring qualities of the profession. Aquenetta (Netta) Davis, an outstanding rural teacher in Mississippi, has traveled around the country, putting down roots in numerous states through her time in the military and later in education. Yet at each stop along the way, her belief that “all students can learn” has driven her work to educate and inspire everyone who enters her classroom. Netta spoke with us to share more about her story, and what drives her work to make education and achievement accessible to all.

Special thanks to Jason Neises, our Iowa Hub contact at Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, for connecting us with Bellevue Schools, and to Tom Meyer, superintendent of Bellevue School District, for partnering with Rural Schools Collaborative on this story. Read more about Bellevue Schools and CFGD here. When faced with adversity, rural schools often turn to innovation as a way of not just rising above their challenges, but of defining an even higher path forward. Our Iowa Hub partners at the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque have often worked with inspired schools doing this kind of transformational work, such as the Bellevue School District in Bellevue, Iowa. Wanting to see their work first-hand, the Rural Schools Collaborative team traveled to Bellevue and interviewed Matt Jaeger and his students. A high school social studies teacher and coach, Matt is the co-leader of the district's innovative, student-led project-based learning site: Bellevue BIG. He shares in this episode how teachers eager to break the traditional mold find these student-led initiatives just as fulfilling and energizing for themselves as they do for students. Thank you for listening to this episode of the I Am A Rural Teacher Podcast. We'd like to thank our partners at the National Rural Education Association and the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque for collaborating with us on this episode. The I Am a Rural Teacher campaign is made possible by a grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In a rural setting, the impact of even one teacher can shape the human ecosystem of an entire community for generations. This is why teaching students academic skills is only one aspect of a teacher's profession. Along with lessons on language arts and science, teachers shepherd students along their journey of becoming a person as well. Jan Mathews, a middle school science teacher in Gridley, California, shares her experience with cultivating the next generation of community leaders for this episode of the IAART Podcast.

More than just a good story, teacher narratives possess a power to invite us to reflect and act. When we look to teachers from around the world, we're not only given an opportunity to appreciate our unique differences, but also to recognize what we share in common. That moment of recognition can be transformative in the effort to strengthen our rural schools and towns. This month's episode of the I Am A Rural Teacher podcast features Fredrick Mugalula, an elementary teacher from southern Uganda. Fredrick is a founding partner of a new program at RSC aiming to facilitate teacher-to-teacher conversations and learning at the international level--Rural Educators Across Borders.

In this episode of the I Am A Rural Teacher Podcast, we visit with Emma Rage and Nick Foertsch from North Dakota, who are both members of Rural Schools Collaborative's Young Educators Advisory Council. In addition to sharing their stories about being young educators in two different rural districts in Milnor and Kensel, North Dakota, Nick and Emma delve into the importance of relationship-building and community engagement for their work as teachers.

In our last episode, we are off to Wyoming. Mark Roy wasn't always a rural teacher, but being remote is comfortable to him. He likes to be out in the backcountry. He now teaches 7th and 8th grade science at the Fort Washakie School, on the Wind River Reservation. He tells us about his transition to teaching, being a teacher on a Native American reservation, and integrating nature and wilderness ideals into his classroom. --- This podcast is part of the “I Am a Rural Teacher” national advocacy campaign. We’d like to thank our partners at the National Rural Education Association, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Ozarks Teacher Corps, and The University of West Alabama’s Black Belt Teacher Corps. The “I Am a Rural Teacher” campaign is made possible by a grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The “I Am a Rural Teacher” Podcast is produced by Caitlin Whyte and Julia Levine, with music by Sam Douglass.

This year has been strange for even the most experienced teachers. But this is only Sharon Laredo Christie’s 3rd year of teaching - and she has been at a different school for each one. Sharon teaches in Douglas, Arizona, it's a town right on the US Mexico border in the southeast corner of the state. It's not always easy to live here, she says, but it's home. Before she moved back, she said the border calling her. She tells us about life in a border town, her father's legacy as a teacher, and why she wanted to pursue the craft. --- This podcast is part of the “I Am a Rural Teacher” national advocacy campaign. We’d like to thank our partners at the National Rural Education Association, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Ozarks Teacher Corps, and The University of West Alabama’s Black Belt Teacher Corps. The “I Am a Rural Teacher” campaign is made possible by a grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The “I Am a Rural Teacher” Podcast is produced by Caitlin Whyte and Julia Levine, with music by Sam Douglass.

In this episode, we are going about as rural as rural gets in the United States. To the North Slope of Alaska. While stories of 24-hour darkness, 10 dollar gallons of milk and towns with no roads out are always popular when talking about far northern Alaska, there is so much more to these places. Patti and Rod Lloyd have been teaching in Northern Alaska for 24 years, and in this episode they discuss teacher turnover, being a white teacher in a native place, and tailoring the curriculum to the culture around you.  --- This podcast is part of the “I Am a Rural Teacher” national advocacy campaign. We’d like to thank our partners at the National Rural Education Association, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Ozarks Teacher Corps, and The University of West Alabama’s Black Belt Teacher Corps. The “I Am a Rural Teacher” campaign is made possible by a grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The “I Am a Rural Teacher” Podcast is produced by Caitlin Whyte and Julia Levine, with music by Sam Douglass.

Michael Melton has been teaching for over 20 years, and has held so many roles. Not only inside the walls of a public school building but in the community of Whitesburg Kentucky as well. For Michael, being a teacher in a place like this is much more than the curriculum he talks about in a typical school day. He knows that being in a small town, you're never really off the clock as a teacher. Michael tells us about his mission to be not only a teacher but a role model as well, and why he wanted to teach back in his hometown.  --- This podcast is part of the “I Am a Rural Teacher” national advocacy campaign. We’d like to thank our partners at the National Rural Education Association, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Ozarks Teacher Corps, and The University of West Alabama’s Black Belt Teacher Corps. The “I Am a Rural Teacher” campaign is made possible by a grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The “I Am a Rural Teacher” Podcast is produced by Caitlin Whyte and Julia Levine, with music by Sam Douglass.

Melissa Wyman is born and bred in New England. After growing up on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, she went to college at the University of Vermont in Burlington and eventually made her way down to White River Junction, a village within the town of Hartford, Vermont. And she’s been teaching at Hartford High School for 10 years now. Listen as she talks about her plans for a school garden, meeting students where they are, and teaching kids to value their communities. --- This podcast is part of the “I Am a Rural Teacher” national advocacy campaign. We’d like to thank our partners at the National Rural Education Association, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Ozarks Teacher Corps, and The University of West Alabama’s Black Belt Teacher Corps. The “I Am a Rural Teacher” campaign is made possible by a grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The “I Am a Rural Teacher” Podcast is produced by Caitlin Whyte and Julia Levine, with music by Sam Douglass.

Jolene Smith teaches 5th grade at the Kayenta Unified District, a school on the Navajo Reservation in Kayenta, Arizona.  Jolene exemplifies a mission of culturally responsive teaching in her lessons. Her curriculum isn't just about the math, the social studies, or how to read. It’s also about incorporating the Navajo culture into those lessons, integrating community into the classroom. Listen as she tells us about her own grade school experiences, teaching on the reservation where student's homes are quite spread out, and navigating COVID-19 precautions.  --- This podcast is part of the “I Am a Rural Teacher” national advocacy campaign. We’d like to thank our partners at the National Rural Education Association, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Ozarks Teacher Corps, and The University of West Alabama’s Black Belt Teacher Corps. The “I Am a Rural Teacher” campaign is made possible by a grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The “I Am a Rural Teacher” Podcast is produced by Caitlin Whyte and Julia Levine, with music by Sam Douglass.

This is the “I Am a Rural Teacher” Podcast: A project of the Rural Schools Collaborative. My name is Julia Levine. Over the past year, I’ve been traveling around the country talking with rural teachers. Now, we’re taking things virtual. Please join us as we explore what it means to be a rural teacher from six different perspectives around the country.