蜜桃视频

Six 蜜桃视频 College of Education students stepped off the beaten path and into 蜜桃视频’s rural classrooms through the Teaching in Rural Areas Immersion Learning (TRAIL) Experience in May 2025.

Funded by a College of Education’s Dean’s Excellence Grant and led by ISU Teaching and Educational Studies faculty Amanda Eller and Suzanne Beasterfield, TRAIL provides teacher candidates with a week-long immersion in a rural-remote school and community, allowing students to exprience what teaching and living in these settings is like.

This year, ISU students Mya Ariwite, McKenzie Garcia, Hawley Hennen, Kailey Marler, Rindy Sutherland and Paul Sweeney traveled to the Cassia County School District in Oakley, 蜜桃视频, and spent a week learning in either an elementary or a secondary education setting.

Oakley, 蜜桃视频, is a historic small town with a population of roughly 800 people, offering a quiet, close-knit community. Living and teaching in a rural community like Oakley comes with unique opportunities and challenges that differ from those in urban settings.

“Sometimes rural schools aren't on students’ radar, and they might have a naive view of what it means to be a rural school teacher,” Beasterfield said. “It is important that we give students a more nuanced picture of the many amazing possibilities that are part of teaching in a rural school. Rural-remote districts can have trouble attracting qualified teachers. We hope this program shines a light on these districts and makes them viable choices for our candidates.”

Each day after school, students gathered to reflect on their experiences, engaged in discussions around topics and received brief instruction to deepen their learning. They also had valuable opportunities to connect with educational leaders, including the Cassia County School District superintendent, local principals, and Legislative District 27 State Representative Doug Pickett, who chairs the House Education Committee.

TRAIL also aims to introduce candidates to local attractions, showcasing one of the unique benefits of living in rural-remote areas. On their last day, the group visited the City of Rocks National Reserve, where they had the chance to experience and explore some stunning natural landscapes.

“TRAIL gave me a strong insight into the benefits of teaching in a small town,” said Paul Sweeney. “In my previous occupation, I visited a lot of small rural towns and had become familiar with the challenges small, rural schools faced. TRAIL showed me a very positive side of these schools.” 

Participants like Sweeney described the TRAIL Experience as both inspiring and transformative, and walked away with a stronger sense of purpose with a deeper understanding of rural communities. 

“This experience gave me a unique experience to observe in an area I wouldn't normally and helped me realize what I want from a school I teach at," Sutherland said. 

“We love how excited our candidates get during their TRAIL experience, and how they thrive on this more-intensive social interaction with fellow aspiring teachers and with teachers and students from our TRAIL schools,” said Eller. 

Filling teaching positions in rural and remote communities is an ongoing challenge, with many schools struggling to attract and keep qualified educators. TRAIL helps teacher candidates gain meaningful, real-world insight into the unique dynamics of rural education. 

To learn more about the ISU Teaching and Educational Studies Department, please visit isu.edu/tes.