Incorporating Rural and Farm Novels in the Secondary School Classroom: Where We Come From is Who We Are

Place-based education has received significant attention in recent years. This article briefly surveys common place-based education models and then argues for a more place-focused English language arts classroom in secondary schools where rural and regional literature is often absent from the curricula. The author posits that teacher-education programs do not usually address rural or regional literature and consequently, teachers enter the classroom unprepared to teach it. The article presents a rationale for focusing on rural literature written before 1965 as well as a rationale for foregrounding the rural experience in such a course. The author then describes the process of researching and developing a course template for teacher-education programs wishing to focus on regional literature. Also included are the course template and materials developed using the Rural Lit. R.A.L.L.Y. regional and rural authors database. “I went up on the rimrock and felt the sun and looked way off to the mountains. It was almost as though I told all the places I loved that I’d be back ” – Mildred Walker, Winter Wheat, 1944 The role of place in education has received a great deal of attention in recent years. Teachers and researchers alike argue in favor of a "new localism " (Gruenewald & Smith, 2008