Against the Grain: Narratives of Rural Teachers' Professional Lives

This study explored the question "What roles does rurality play in the professional lives of teachers in a Midwestern state?" Using narrative analysis of four participants' interviews about their lives and work in two rural towns, this paper compares participants' stories with dominant narratives about rural schools and communities in published literature. Common depictions of rural people, places, and work often oversimplify the complex relationships among the school, community, staff, and students. This study found that participants: (1) feel a sense of belonging in rural places despite the challenges of living and working there; (2) create and maintain a strong professional family in order to mitigate the difficulties of recruitment and retention in rural schools; and (3) experience school and community partnerships that are both supportive and challenging. As a result of this analysis, this study calls for a more critical and complex representation of rural people and places, especially schools, in order to work against the dominant narratives about rurality that exist in popular imagination.