Train Them the Way They Should Go

Abstract

As the COVID-19 pandemic winds down, the devastating results are evident in rural America. Many teachers joined the “great resignation” and left classrooms that moved between remote and physical for two years. Who will step up to serve these students who have experienced learning losses at unprecedented rates? Who will understand the connection between devastated communities ravaged by a deadly virus and the classroom exploited by politicians and the media as never before? Rural communities have experienced isolation among typical threads which have traditionally provided solid rural support. This Educator Preparation Program established a requirement of service for aspiring educators. Over 600 volunteer hours have been documented among these aspiring educators between community and school involvement with students reflecting upon their address of personal biases, deficit thinking, and the development of an understanding in a real way of the needed connections that support future classrooms and students in these rural areas.