If I see a child in town, chances are I know them, their older siblings and their parents.
The chickens cross the road to go to school and see what the kids are doing.
Photo credit: Vicki Russell
I am one of the first to hear the story of how a young hunter got his or her first deer and admire the pictures (I had to get used to this one).
I have tried deer jerky and liked it… proudly given to me by a student who dehydrated it himself from his first deer.
Our school has a garden that grows enough food (with some donations from local farmers) to host a harvest supper in the fall and feed the community.
I am helping a child knit a sweater… for her chicken.
Little gifts from the earth… a bag of organic vegetables, bunches of wildflowers (sometimes still with roots), a bag of dried herbs…
If I need fresh eggs, chances are I can find a student to purchase them from.
I hear all kinds of adventurous stories about runaway goats, cows, ponies, and of course chickens!
Everyday I get to drive through incredible scenery and watch the transformation from season to season.
Photo credit: Iman Poeraatmadja
My Random Wonderings 
Love the idea of sweaters for chickens…even i this is Maine, we’re talking about. Very different world than mine, Diana.
We are lucky to live in Maine! I love the idea of a garden with a supper from the crops. Who takes care of the garden in the summer?
We have a group of parents and children called Food Freaks that tend the garden in the summer. They cook and prepare the meal for a few hundred people.
Yes! I, too, teach in a rural area and share some of these joys. Not the deer jerky however, you’re on your own there!
I love the diversity that we see in a rural school. It’s all there, the hunters, the amazing musicians, the snowmobilers, etc. Maybe because I love my own rural life. I don’t think it’s easy to pigeonhole us.