In writing Ruminations & Rabbit Trails, I briefly touched on the transformation taking place in the field of education – a transformation that is blurring the lines concerning the landscape of teaching and learning. As I stated then, now is the time to nurture that change. However, as Rosebrough and Leveratt (2011) describe,

“Many teachers have the tendency to put their heads down, noses on grindstone, and plow straight ahead through what it is they think they are supposed to be teaching. Suddenly they look up to see that not only has the subject matter changed almost overnight, but that students themselves have changed” (p. 2).

When that sudden ‘look up’ realization occurs, it can be overwhelming. It may force some educators to put their nose back to the grindstone – hiding their face in their work – not wanting to look up. It is at that moment we need to ask ourselves, “What really matters in education?”

Rosebrough and Leveratt (2011) put forth that, “What really matters in education is not what but who” (p. 8). Teaching is a human endeavor, taking a human touch. If we, as educators, chose to teach due to our content or focus on athletics or desire for advancement, we’ve truly lost our way. In a period of such transformation within the field of education, where 21st-century students bring their 21st technologies and 21st-century trauma into our classrooms, now is the time to have a clear vision – a clear purpose.

Recently, I asked a group of upperclassmen students, “Now that you are nearing the end of your high school career, what would be ‘one thing’ that you believe would have helped you prepare for NOW/college/career/life?” They were to respond with an online posting, giving a two paragraph response. Afterwards, I had students create #summaries of what they had posted. The data results are insightful and powerful. Below is one group’s #summaries:

As a rural educator with a deep commitment to the rural identity, #sproutchange speaks to me! This group of upperclassmen sees a need to #stopconformingtooldways – a desire for a 21st-century educational system that is #newwave and that #workstowardfuture.

As noted above, education is about WHO. As Rosebrough and Leveratt (2011) remind us, “Education begins with learners and their transformation” (p. 14). The voices of those learners, like my upperclassmen above, reminds us of the needed change to our educational system – one that will be transformational in their 21st-century lives. They are also a reminder of WHO is needed to make this change – US. Now is the time to #sproutchange – to nurture that transformation – because, yea, #StudentsMatter.

REFERENCES

Leverett, R. G., & Rosebrough, T. R. (2011). Transformational Teaching in the Information Age: Making Why and How We Teach Relevant to Students. ASCD.

“Despite all of my fancy degrees, I was never an educator, only an instructor . . .” (Seaton, 1948). So were the words spoken by Prof. Edward Bell, portrayed by Edmund Gwenn (think Santa Clause in Miracle on 34th Street). It was a simple, Saturday morning movie. Yet this old film snapped me back to the realities of why I teach – why educators are so important.

Earlier in the film, Prof. Bell was lamenting the students he encountered – the generation of youth coming into his classroom. As he sat with at the table with two of those young people, he remarked, “You young people are a paradox . . . you’re ingenious, resourceful, yet you have no discipline, no dignity, no respect for tradition nor people . . . none of you seem to have any purpose” (Seaton, 1948). Although this film comes from a different time, a different generation, Prof. Bell’s words are echoed by teachers today in every hallway, classroom, and staff lunch room of schools across the country. Times are so different but yet still the same.

The young college student (played by William Holden), speaking about the ‘older’ generation, tells Prof. Bell that, “Maybe they haven’t given us much reason to respect them” (Seaton, 1948). Now, it would be quick for us of the ‘older’ generation to point to this as a prime example of that “no discipline, no dignity, no respect” that Prof. Bell spoke to. I have witnessed this repeatedly during my time as an educator. In a break from the expected, Prof. Bell tells this young college student, “Perhaps” (Seaton, 1948).

It is this “Perhaps” that leads the professor down a path in which a strong relationship with the two college students forms. It is through such relationships that the professor, near the end of the film, comes to realize the true meaning of being a teacher. As he described the importance of what the new found relationships had done for him, he describes, “Despite all of my fancy degrees, I was never an educator, only an instructor . . . An educator isn’t one who gives examinations and lectures but someone who lights up dark places” (Seaton, 1948).

It is amazing what building relationships with your students will do. Teaching is a human endeavor, taking a human touch, so #RelationshipsMatter. Yea, students today say and do things that I never would have considered in ‘My Day.’ However, it is no longer ‘My Day.’ It is “Their Day.” #TeachingMatters because #StudentsMatter – so why not build those relationships – why not give them a reason?

So, are you an educator or an instructor?

REFERENCES

Seaton, G. (Director). (1948). Apartment for Peggy [Motion picture].

As I noted in my Ruminations & Rabbit Trails post, my doctoral journey awoke something within me that goes beyond the walls of my classroom. As I explored the possible paths outside those walls, I have a come across a common thread within the field of education. This shared perspective is framed within phrases like a “deep commitment to social justice” and “visible contribution to advocacy.” This common aim is part of creating an inclusive culture across the educational profession. This is all well and good but there is a noted absence of an underrepresented population – rural students, rural teachers, and rural life.

I fully acknowledge my affinity for rurality that my background instilled and the personal connection I have with rural places and people. However, the rural influence is a distinct educational environment that brings with it an intensity that can only be found in the rural experience. Research tends to marginalize rural life and individuals, often portraying rurality as the problem that needs to be fixed. Rural is the neglected ‘R’ in culturally relevant pedagogy (Azano, 2014).

Based on the NCES definition, there are close to 10 million students enrolled in rural school districts, comprising over 20% of all public schools (Johnson, Showalter, Klein, & Lester, 2014).  Within the state of Ohio (where I reside), the rural student population is the fourth highest among the 50 states, with more than one in four Ohio students enrolled in a rural school (Johnson et al., 2014).  Moreover, the rural school enrollment continues to outgrow non-rural enrollment (Johnson et al., 2014).

Rural school districts, and the communities they serve, all share unique characteristics that provide a distinctiveness from their urban/suburban counterparts (Burton, Brown, & Johnson, 2013; Fishman, 2015; Sundeen & Sundeen, 2013; Tiecken, 2014; White & Corbett, 2014).  Rural schools are typically the centerpiece of the community in which they serve, an institution connecting generations of families (Hassel & Dean, 2015; Lin, Isernhagen, Scherz, & Denner, 2014; Wilcox, Angelis, Baker, & Lawson, 2014; Witte & Sheridan, 2011).  As Tieken (2014) noted in her recent work, Why Rural Schools Matter, “[the rural school] is more than a job or an institution; it’s an identity” (p. 65).

For this, the rural identity, I do hold a deep commitment to social justice. It should not be the neglected ‘R’ within a culturally responsive educational system. I will continue to make visible contributions to and be a voice for its advocacy because, yea, #RuralMatters!

I am not alone in this. There are other voices out there speaking up for the neglected ‘R’ – standing firm for the rural identity – because they too believe, #RuralSchoolsMatter. My thanks and my support go out to those individuals and organizations.

A few of those voices:

Dr. Mara Casey Tieken Dr. Allen Pratt (@PrattAllen) Dr. Steve Johnson (@johnson557377) Dr. Claudia Coughran (@cdcough) Kirk Koenneche (@GLSSuperFalcon) John White (@RuralED) Emily Meier (@MisforMidwest) Kelly Peaks Horner (@ACOFEE) Linda Aragoni (@LindaAragoni)

The National Rural Education Association (@nrea1) AOC (@OHAppCollab) Ohio SRC (@ohio_src) TN Rural Ed Assoc (@TNREA) Rural Ed Chat (@RuralEdChat) Rural Schools Collaborative (@Rural_Schools) Rural Trust (@RuralTrust) Rural Education News (@RuralEdNews) The National Center for Research on Rural Education (@RuralEdCenter) The Holler (@Holler_network)

REFERENCES

Azano, A. P. (2014). Rural: The other neglected “R”: Making space for place in school libraries. Knowledge Quest, 43(1), 60-65.

Burton, M., Brown, K., & Johnson, A. (2013). Storylines about rural teachers in the United States: A narrative analysis of the literature. Journal of Research in Rural Education (Online), 28(12), 1-18.

Fishman, D. (2015). School reform for rural America. Education Next, 15(3), 8-16.

Hassel, B. C., & Dean, S. (2015). Technology and rural education (ROCI). Retrieved from http://www.rociidaho.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ROCI_2015_RuralTech_Final.pdf

Johnson, J., Showalter, D., Klein, R., & Lester, C., (2014). Why rural matters 2013-2014: The condition of rural education in the 50 states. A report of the Rural School and Community Trust. Retrieved from http://www.ruraledu.org/user_uploads/file/2013-14-Why-Rural-Matters.pdf

Lin, S., Isernhagen, J., Scherz, S., & Denner, P. (2014). Rural educator perceptions of parent involvement in public schools: Perspectives from three states. The Rural Educator, 36(1), 40-56.

Sundeen, T. H., & Sundeen, D. M. (2013). Instructional technology for rural schools: Access and acquisition. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 32, 8-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/875687051303200203

Tieken, M. C. (2014). Why rural schools matter. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.

White, S., & Corbett, M. (Eds.) (2014). Doing educational research in rural settings: Methodological issues, international perspectives and practical solutions. New York, NY: Routledge.

Wilcox, K. C., Angelis, J. I., Baker, L., & Lawson, H. A. (2014). The value of people, place and possibilities: A multiple case study of rural high school completion. Journal of Research in Rural Education (Online), 29(9), 1-18.

Witte A. L., & Sheridan, S. M. (2011). Family engagement in rural schools (R2Ed Working Paper No. 2011-2). Retrieved from http://r2ed.unl.edu/workingpapers/2011/2011_2_Witte_Sheridan.pdf