Tutoring and mentoring in a small K-12 school in the rural part of my state, I was stuck in a constant stream of teachers and administration. I understand that isolating a community can go away a bit. The difficulty of work and lack of continuity are others. Students remain almost constant: they were born here; raised here; family is here; future work, especially on the ranch, is here. Although these students are often referred to as disinterested, disabled and disabled (sometimes by law), spending time with teachers and students, I begin to better understand the situation. This school opens its eyes to a whole new level of understanding.
Part of the student body comes from a nearby reserve. As a result, education is often viewed in different ways. Each member of the tribe receives an annual government payment, and all school materials, lunch, uniforms, etc. are paid, and therefore there is no incentive for some learning, success and transition to higher education opportunities. There are also many children from the ranch. Their parents may own a ranch, or their parents may be ranch workers, and therefore their jobs in life are kind of predetermined. Life on the ranch is respected and desired by many, and therefore again there is no desire to continue their studies, although some children of the ranch who inherit their property will pursue degrees in habitat management or agriculture. Several students have parents working with the tribe, local businesses or schools. They bring a third perspective to school life. Since many of their parents have a university degree, some students will follow this pattern.
Since the city is small, isolated and rather closed for beginners, this is a difficult place to hire and retain teachers. Although the salary is quite good, housing is inexpensive, and there is a bonus for service in a remote area, residents are seventy miles from the nearest town, which is also small with a population of only 8,000 people. The drive is required for grocery shopping, full medical care and most other purchases. Teachers may be anxious and awaiting the opportunity to work with students, but most of them leave within a few years due to the aforementioned reasons and because this is not the easiest teaching position. Part of the difficulty arises from the constant change of teachers and administration, and therefore continuity is lost. In addition, many of the teachers came here as a first job, and, although they are enthusiastic, they lack the skills and experience that develop over time in the classroom.
When I watch classes, I see children who, in general, want to learn. They are skeptical of their instructors, always wondering when they will leave (not if they leave). This instability emphasizes the feeling of permanent loss, because students understand that their teachers are temporary and will soon leave them, so most students do not devote themselves to full-fledged, long-term learning, considering it to be useless. And this is probably where students lose the most. It is hard to believe in promises and ideals when they are likely to disappear tomorrow. The flexibility of staff is reinforced by a lack of trust, because students are lagging behind in their studies and studies, because excellent teachers disappear, and support and commitment to higher education and big dreams go with them. Thus, the cycle repeats itself with the possibility of graduating from high school and a little further, except to return to the reservation or ranch to get married, have children, send them to school and wait for the same disintegration of aspirations. So many things need to be changed to break or rebuild this cycle. Recognizing this is the first step. The correction is as follows.
