A PROJECT OF RURAL SCHOOLS COLLABORATIVE & NREA

Celebrating great teachers in rural places.

The I Am A Rural Teacher Project is dedicated to providing resources and giving voice to rural teachers.

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Teacher Stories

These narratives showcase the perspectives of rural educators. Read the viewpoints and recommendations of rural teachers.

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Teach Rural

Job Board

Explore the next step in your teaching career, and change lives along the way.

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Rural Educators Across Borders

In addition to sharing rural teacher stories, we provide resources and events to connect educators across the globe.

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Rural Teacher Resiliency Guide

The key to making it through the first few years as a rural teacher is a lot of support. We’ve got a guide on how to find it and how to give it.

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“Rural looks and feels like people with good hearts. They’ll go to bat for you, if you go to bat for them. If you show you’re invested in them, they’ll definitely give you as much if not more back.”

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Featured Teacher Story

Ty White, a high school chemistry teacher from Willcox, Arizona, is an impassioned advocate for rural schools. You can always spot Ty in a crowd wearing his signature cowboy hat, but his friendly demeanor stands out even more so. We had the opportunity to catch up with Ty about what he's been up to since receiving the 2022 National Rural Teacher of the Year award.

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Podcast Feature

Sprinkle Diversity Everywhere

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.

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Voices From the Field

An inside look at rural teaching from classrooms across the globe.

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    Join the Conversation and Share your Story

    Get involved with the I Am A Rural Teacher Project by clicking the button below and sharing your story. Or, join the teacher-to-teacher discussion in the I Am A Rural Teacher Facebook Group.

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