Finding Rural: Welcoming Road Changes

Interstate becomes County Road

Hallways, a certain sheen about them, like a freshly paved highway. There is a slight bump as new road merges with old. Students traverse it with a bit of trepidation, the first few weeks. This seam that you rarely notice, as you are driving, until you pass over it, becomes apparent. A quick signal that the road ahead is not, necessarily even. Personal and profession merge, one becoming clearer in the rear view.

This thump, adjustment, is worn down overtime, blending in with the concrete underneath. Speeding vehicles no longer notice the transition and sync with the grooves. These indentations have ingrained themselves in the asphalt. This corrugation becomes familiar, comfortable. A signal that our focus has aligned with our surroundings. We no longer need the GPS, we know our route. Each landmark, guiding us down the bustling highway, we call a school. The academic interstate that is our educational road map.

Interstates, freeways, tollways: whatever pavement you choose to navigate is a busy thoroughfare. Rarely empty, generally hustling with momentum and velocity. Lane changes, acceleration and traffic flow. In a constant flux of commuting and road trips. Some transporting goods, while others are simply trying to get home, after a hard days work. Gridlock may be avoided, but there is always a movement. A haulage of information that keeps the interchanges dynamic and the off-ramps, clear. A continuity like no where else.

Once exit occurs, onto county road, there is a sense of calm. There is a crispness, less exhaust fills the air. Horns are silenced. There is a lull for once. Flashing signs, guiding one to the the 4-way intersection. Street Lights swaying in the summer breeze. Tall city-scapes transition, to fields of possibility: wheat and corn rustling. The slow pace of life, tractors plowing, animals strolling, lines of mailboxes line the artery- the connection between urban and rural. The trail may narrow but the community deepens.

Farm to Market

When I moved to Texas six years ago, there were two main differences when it came to the roadways and traffic. The first was many roads are called FM with a number. FM 246 or FM 425 etc. I had lived here for a few months, before I was told that FM means farm to market. A road that linked rural farmers to the town market places. This instantly made my local area seem much more community oriented. It felt like a connection, a deep seeded history that even now, reverberates in the many small towns across the state.

The second was access roads. The long business clad avenues that parallel the major interstates like I-10. These are basically speedways. They took me awhile to get used to. If you are in the left lane, cars are exiting the interstate and if you are in the right lane they are merging into traffic, from the parking lots that contour the other side. The speed limit is 45 miles an hour and let me tell you, it looks very much like a game of 'Frogger' -cars weaving back and forth in rapid succession. It was amazing to see at first, even with my clenched fists grasping the steering wheel.

Access roads make any of the large Texas cities, feel very crowded and chaotic.This hustle and bustle feels like a bell has rung and a class change is underway. The noise is fluid, ebbing and flowing with the different small groups as they laugh and play. But as the classroom doors are closed, as commuters reach their destinations, there is an energy that remains. The intensity of concentration, the vitality of action, the endurance of city sprawl. It is entrance onto the FM roads where true learning takes place. Where growth leads to wisdom. Where the town square is the center of it all. Gazebo filled parks and mom and pop shops. This is where crowd becomes individual and student body becomes community.

Slowing Down to a Rural Pace

Hallways become highways, classrooms town squares. Lifestyles amplify and intensify. Time seems to dwindle at an astonishing rate.We all need to exit the thoroughfare, travel the FM road and enter our own township. The quiet, idyllic locale where we call home. Where the rustic, simple, gait slows us down so we can enjoy the landscape and venues we seem to miss at our usual speed.

Where we stroll alongside a quiet, country road. Where foot traffic is the pace. Where nothing is expected and the din of city life eases and the stable, wholesome cadence of diversion filters in. Voices are lulling and tranquil. Family is around the dinner table. Electronics are off and conversations are the entree. This neighborhood is small and its residents are related. A Main Street, where the entire town loves to congregate. This is home.

If we remain in the commotion for too long, our senses are dulled. If we keep the acceleration constant, when we brake, it will feel sudden. Our tires will skid. But, if we practice our deceleration, learn to turn in to the skid, we will safely make it to the shoulder. If we keep our eye on the oil gauge and fuel level, we will be prepared for the road trip. These road trips, long weekend drives, these are what keep us healthy, energized and excited to be an educator.

We are educators because we love the journey- the different scenery we view from our vehicles. We are educators because we appreciate the panorama that a school provides: bustling hallways of vibrant faces, the community driven classrooms we inhabit, the programs we can mentor, the relationships we build. Ultimately though, we are all vehicles, travelling at different speeds, intersecting, passing and following one another in an endless labyrinth of roads, avenues and thoroughfares- and this is life. Just make sure you find those dirt roads that lead to nowhere, this is where we relax and refuel. This is where we rediscover why we are educators.

Transactions, Bargains and Negotiations

Abigail Adams:  learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.

Life is full of transactions, bargains and negotiations. Every day as we navigate through life, we make choices based on our understanding of the world. We meet people who inspire us and motivate us to grow and adapt, while we also come across individuals who somehow make us disengage and detour. But, ultimately it is our fixation and interest that keep us moving forward. We learn best when we have options how to demonstrate and build our framework. Sometimes we sit down and listen, other times we actively seek knowledge. Either way our brains are designed to absorb new information. To analyze, interpret and update. This is why even when we are day dreaming and quietly relaxing, we are still processing data and adding it, to the plethora of concepts and comprehensions that make us unique.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr: Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.

Once we acquire new information, we may not understand it at first. It may take us some time to solidify it into our schema. But, the way we see the world is forever changed. Every new idea, new image, new trending topic, gets layered into our fabric. The tapestry of senses that wraps our universe. This bubble is forever expanding and shifting in order to accommodate our ever changing perceptions, interpretations and convictions. Once we learn something, internalize it, find its relevance and purpose- it becomes a stitch in our texture, each binding together, the pieces of the quilt, to form our point of view- each original and personal.

We form our mold, stretch our imaginations, and weave in our relationships, as we experience new things. The words spoken to us, even if insignificant, resonate into a memory. They clarify, amplify and quantify our reality. We all take meaning from language in our own way. That is why what offends some, does not phase others. Why humor is subjective and art is interpreted differently by all. Beauty is relative, based on our individual likes and interpretations. The knowledge we fold into our sense of our surroundings, this is what allows us to form our own opinions. This is why we learn, why we are wired to make sense of things. We are on an inevitable path with learning- all we need to do is embrace it.

B.B.King: The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.

Growing up with Dyslexia, put me on an educational path different from most children. I may have learned differently, but I most definitely learned. In fact I have an incredibly great memory because of how I learn. I have to replay things in my head, at least three times and in three unique ways. For instance- I have to visualize it, even if it is a nonsense image- I have to create one, then I have to see the words, literally see the letters and remember where on the page I wrote them or where in the chapter, even the exact paragraph, they are located. Then I have to make an analogy or acronym. If I do not do all three- I will lose the information. But, once its there- I own it and I keep it forever.

Steve Jobs: The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Mavericks, Maestros, Virtuoso's and Paragons these individuals have a voice and they use it. They are not afraid of dissension or negativity. They believe in themselves and the cause. They are movers and shakers and they steer our view point and mindset. They may see the world based on the big picture or they may have a more narrowed, specific approach, yet they persevere. They think outside the box. They are those trend setters that we are impacted by.

The most important thing to realize though is that they are not smarter than everyone else. They put one leg at a time in their pants just like everyone else. Their brains are designed and operate like every other human brain. The difference is that they can see inspiration in the simple things, the quiet unassuming things. They get discouraged, but their vision is so clear, that they are undeterred. We are all Steve Jobs or Isaac Newton in our resolve and determination. We all have the same potential, especially when we have mentors and educators who spark our creativity and when we have opportunities to shine.

Transactions, Bargains and Negotiations:

Every time we speak to a student, interact with them, we are leaving an impression. When they walk away, they know us, understand us a little better. We have made a transaction of sorts, an exchange of information, emotion and trust. It is these transactions throughout the day that create a safe haven for students- a place where they feel comfortable to learn. Learning takes a back seat when we feel distracted and disconnected. These transactions positive and negative alike, are the foundation of any school, when positive, they create an open, fun atmosphere where children are collaborating, laughing and above all acquiring new information to add to their framework.

We bargain every day, with ourselves, to just stay focused a bit longer, stay optimistic when we feel stressed and smile when we feel upset or frustrated. Students bargain as well, I will do my homework first before I play a video game or the reverse in some instances. We bargain to help us decide which route to take and we negotiate with those around us to help us get there. Students negotiate silently with other students to walk down the hall, or verbally to complete group work. They have friends who they share time with and peers that they collaborate with. But, as with all human beings we continually bargain and negotiate to make it through the day. 

Every transaction influences the learning process. Learning is inherent, instinctual. The learning process, however, needs some fine tuning. This is where education comes to the negotiating table. If we have the strategies, the power, the upper hand on learning, then when we enter into a contract with knowledge, we sign the dotted line with confidence and motivation. As teachers, as administrators, as educators, we need to make sure that as we enter transactions with students that they are meaningful and supportive. That when students begin the bargaining process, that we listen and nudge them to make the right choices and finally, that we teach them negotiation strategies that they can use in every aspect of their lives. The more students hone these skills, the more they will be self-reliant and self-aware and this is our ultimate transaction- providing the gift of independence.