I Am A Rural Teacher

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

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

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

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

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.