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 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. She tells us about life in a border town, her father's legacy as a teacher, and why she wanted to pursue the craft.

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 and $10 gallons of milk 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.

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.

Melissa Wyman is born and bred in New England. After growing up on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, she eventually made her way to Hartford, VT, 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.

Jolene Smith teaches 5th grade at the Kayenta Unified District, a school on the Navajo Reservation in Kayenta, Arizona. 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 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.