Proud Rural Teacher

In this episode, we're heading to the Riverdale School District. The Riverdale School District is about 50 minutes north of Platteville. It encompasses several small towns, but most notably Blue River, Avoca, and Muscoda. The high school, where we're going today, is in Muscoda. The district itself is definitely rural with just over 700 students K12. You're joining me on this three-part tour with their agricultural education teacher, Kally Koch, to learn what their agricultural education department of one is doing and how the school district has supported her and her kids, and lastly how the community has historically wrapped around agricultural education. It's absolutely remarkable what they have for assets in the district. You're going to tour the following three places: 1.) the building at the high school, 2.) their school farm, And lastly, 3.) their brand new agricultural center, the Jack Meister Agricultural Center, is just 3 miles from the high school. This is definitely gonna be one of our longer episodes, so stick with me. Be sure to check out the show notes at proudruralteacherpodcast.com. I'll include a lot of photos to help match what Kally telling you and give you some inspiration. Stick with me. It's gonna be a good one. So, we're heading up to Muscoda, Wisconsin today to learn all about the agricultural education program and community support with the Riverdale School District. Visit the ProudRuralTeacherPodcast.com for photos and relevant links.

Today I'm talking with Dr. Jill Underly, the State Superintendent of Wisconsin Public Instruction. On July 5th, Governor Evers signed off on a two-year spending plan for the state of Wisconsin, and I've been following all sorts of reactions. On more than one occasion, I found myself thinking, "Gosh, I wonder what Dr. Underly thinks." So, here we are. This episode is a conversation with Dr. Underly to hear thoughts. To learn more about the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, visit https://dpi.wi.gov/. To read a full transcript of this podcast episode, visit https://proudruralteacherpodcast.com/.

This episode is all about trout in the classroom. I knew that an occasional agriculture teacher here and there might have fish in the classroom, but I had no idea that teachers all across Wisconsin are raising trout for their local communities, including in the Driftless region of Wisconsin. It happens to be a perfect classroom for such adventures. Today you're meeting three people. Kurt Meyer, a middle school science teacher at Fennimore Middle School, Ellen Meyer, a 7th grader in his classroom, and lastly, Scott Allen at the State Council Chair of Wisconsin Trout Unlimited. By the end of this episode, you'll know just about everything you need to get started with trout in your own classroom.

To learn more about trout in the classroom, be sure to check our show notes, though you'll find relevant links to Trout in the Classroom, Trout Unlimited, and funding sources to get started with trout in your Classroom.

This is probably one of the most difficult episodes to weave together because back in my own K-12 teaching days, I think it’s fair to say that I could’ve done better to integrate indigenous perspectives and history into my English classroom. It’s something I look back on with regret. I know that in my own undergraduate studies, I learned very little about Act 31. The School of Education here at UW-Platteville has made it our mission to make sure our students truly understand the importance of responsive teaching practices and how to authentically and respectfully integrate education on the history, culture, and tribal sovereignty of the 11 federally recognized tribes in the state. For me, that means immersing myself in opportunities like supporting our pre-service educators during their practicums in the Bayfield school district, attending book studies and workshops, and having honest, humbling conversations. Last summer I attended the virtual Wisconsin American Indian Summer Institute and this fall I joined in on a virtual book study on Anton Treuer's book “Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but were Afraid to Ask.” All great opportunities. I was doing some research, recently, looking for Wisconsin K-12 examples of educators integrating Wisconsin indigenous history, culture, and contemporary issues into coursework. Most of my discoveries were from school districts adjacent to tribal land or where the student body was mostly Native American. I really had a hard time finding solid examples the further I looked south, for example. Now that could be simply because someone’s efforts were published online, but what if that true that the further we are from tribal lands or native nations, the less authentic our schools integrate education on the history, culture, and tribal sovereignty of the 11 federally recognized tribes in the state. In order to prompt some discussion on this, I decided to reach out to Dr. Anton Treuer, professor of Ojibwe Bemidji State University in Minnesota, and Dr. Georgo Delbow, a social studies teacher in the Clinton School District, in Southern Wisconsin. If you’re in a school not near tribal land or native nations, I’m hoping you’ll feel inspired to tackle this work even if it's challenging and uncomfortable. And if you’re already working to appropriately integrate Wisconsin indigenous history, culture, and contemporary issues into your coursework, I’m hoping this episode inspires you to share your story as a way to inspire other teachers.

Anton Treuer's Website

George Dalbo's Website

Wisconsin DPIs American Indian Studies -- Be sure to check out the upcoming events!

Wisconsin First Nations -- Spend lots of time here! It's packed with resources.

On April 12th, the UW-Platteville School of Education hosted the Rurally Responsive Conference, which was sponsored by the Tommy G. Thompson Center for Public Leadership. The conference included a presentation by Dr. Sky Marietta, an assistant professor at the University of the Cumberlands and author of the book “Rural Education in America: What works for our students, teachers, and Communities.” Sky grew up in Appalachian Kentucky, the fifth of her parents’ seven children. She went to college at Yale, became a teacher on the Navajo Nation, and then received her doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in child development with a focus on language and literacy. Today’s interview is just a short snip-it of what she shared on campus. Be sure to check our show notes at https://proudruralteacherpodcast.com/ for a link to her full presentation at UW Platteville from the 12th.

The spring in public school is pretty chaotic – field trips, state testing, prom, weather changes, graduation – you name it. It’s happening. As a way to throw a lifeline, I am using this episode to remind teachers about the diverse resources available from PBS Wisconsin Education. Tons of engaging material. Today you’re meeting Marci Glaus, the Education Communications Manager at PBS Wisconsin. She’s going to go over just…some tools they have to offer. Maybe you’ll hear something that can be a just-in-time lifeline for your classroom this spring. And if you like what you hear today, be sure to join us for a live webinar on April 17, 2023 at 4pm with Michael Hartwell, Education Engagement Specialist with PBS Wisconsin Education. There he’ll give you a visual tour of many of the tools mentioned today. Check our show notes at ProudRuralTeacherPodcast.com for more information on that as well as links to the PBS Wisconsin Education resources mentioned in this episode.

It’s no secret that Wisconsin is facing a teacher shortage. This episode features an alliance of rural schools in Wisconsin that have banded together to recruit and attract teachers. The school districts of Cambridge, Lodi, Sauk Prairie, and Wisconsin Heights were awarded a $264k Workforce Innovation Grant from the State of Wisconsin to implement a multi-layered approach to helping alleviate their workforce problem. In this episode, you’ll meet the DA from Wisco Heights, Dr. Jordan Sinz, MS/HS Principal and grant administrator, Elizabeth Dostal, and a grant recipient – student teacher and future agriculture and technology education teacher, Abby Kucken. In this episode, you’ll learn how these four districts created a multi-layered approach and how it’s already benefiting others. Districts like Cambridge, Lodi, Sauk Prairie, and Wisconsin Heights are setting a trend – competitive teacher recruitment needs to be part of your district’s hiring strategies. Listen to this episode to hear they created the GROW cooperative and be sure to check the show notes for links at https://proudruralteacherpodcast.com/.

So today’s episode is a little different for me in that, even though I’ve already done the interview, I still feel I have a lot to learn about funding for public schools in Wisconsin. Back in the day, when I was teaching HS English, I didn’t think much at all about school funding. I had, for the most part, as far as I knew, what I needed to do my job. I certainly did not think about the bigger picture or how financial decisions made at the state level, might impact public education. I don’t think my experience is unusual. As the years have passed, I’ve grown to understand that funding public education is certainly a challenge that’s deeply impacting our rural schools. So in this episode, I’m honestly just asking questions about funding for public schools in Wisconsin. To kick off National Public Schools week, I’m introducing you to the executive director of the Wisconsin Public Education Network, Heather DuBois Bourenane. The interview itself is actually in two parts. Part 1 was just days before the Governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers, released his proposed budget, and Part 2 was just days after. Heather will explain how funding in Wisconsin impacts public schools and how the Wisconsin Public Education Network is a strong advocate for public schools. If you’re new to learning about how public schools in Wisconsin are funded, this conversation will, hopefully, stir your mind to learn more. Be sure to check out the show notes for relevant links.

Do you want to learn more about how public schools are funded in Wisconsin?

Visit: https://www.wisconsinnetwork.org/

Today you’re meeting Jessica Rettler, the 2022 Wisconsin Agriculture in the Classroom Outstanding Educator. Rettler is a fourth-grade educator at Tri-County Elementary School in Plainfield, Wisconsin. In this episode, Jessica will share several lesson ideas and resources on how teachers can connect with community assets and state and national organizations to create agriculturally engaging lessons. To see her extensive list of links and ideas, visit our website https://proudruralteacherpodcast.com/.

In today’s episode you’re meeting Taylor McCabe-Juhnke, the executive director of the Rural Schools Collaborative. It’s important that our rural schools know who their advocates are and what resources they provide. Rural Schools Collaborative, also known as RSC, is certainly one of them. Across the county, there are 11 RSC regional hubs that align with their goals. The School of Education just happens to be one of those 11 – we are the Driftless Hub, supporting rural education in the Driftless Region of Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois. In today’s interview, Taylor will provide you with an understanding of what RSC is and why their advocacy matters. You’ll leave this episode with yet another resource.