Educational Considerations - Volume 48 - Article 4 - Redesigning Field Experiences to Support Rural Schools: A Praxis Reflection

Oct 15, 2026

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Redesigning field experiences for rural schools is examined through a praxis reflection by Vicki S. Sherbert. The narrative centers on preservice teachers in fall 2020 participating in an English Language Arts methods and practicum course during the COVID-19 pandemic. It describes virtual relationship-building, reflective writing and sharing, and the tension between desired in-person placements and pandemic constraints. The article argues for reimagining field experience structures to better support rural educators, students, and communities while addressing long-standing rural funding and diversity challenges.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Redesigning Field Experiences to Support Rural Schools

Building connection during remote coursework

Rural schooling challenges and inequities

Reimagining practicum structures during COVID-19

Educational Considerations Volume 48 Number 2 Rural Revelations: Our Path Forward Article 4 July 2022 Redesigning Field Experiences to Support Rural Schools: A Praxis Reflection Vicki S. Sherbert Kansas State University, [sherbev@ksu.edu](sherbev@ksu.edu) Follow this and additional works at: [https://newprairiepress.org/edconsiderations](https://newprairiepress.org/edconsiderations) Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Secondary Education Commons, and the Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Sherbert, Vicki S. (2022) "Redesigning Field Experiences to Support Rural Schools: A Praxis Reflection,"Educational Considerations: Vol. 48: No. 2. [https://doi.org/10.4148/0146-9282.2331](https://doi.org/10.4148/0146-9282.2331) [This Article is brought to you for free and open access by New Prairie Press. It has been accepted for inclusion in](This Article is brought to you for free and open access by New Prairie Press. It has been accepted for inclusion in)[ ](This Article is brought to you for free and open access by New Prairie Press. It has been accepted for inclusion in)[Educational Considerations by an authorized administrator of New Prairie Press. For more information](Educational Considerations by an authorized administrator of New Prairie Press. For more information), please [contact](contact cads@k-state.edu)[ cads@k-state.edu](contact cads@k-state.edu). Redesigning Field Experiences to Support Rural Schools Vicki Sherbert I vividly recall the preservice teachers’ faces opposite me on the screen the night of our first class of the Fall 2020 semester. We were gathered virtually for our English Language Arts (ELA) methods and practicum course. The past few months had been hard—teeth-clenching, muscle-cramping, soul-draining hard—as we coped with a volatile social and political climate and navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. On this night, I believe we all craved connection and community as we faced the unknowns ofthe semester. We began by listening to the song,“Many Roads,” written and performed by Andrew Peterson (2010) . After the last refrain, we opened our notebooks and, for ten minutes, wrote our way into the night. Then, as we shared our thinking and writing, we spoke of places we came from and roads that led us to this semester. We described homes, hometowns, and schools and how these places had influenced our decisions to become teachers. I described my own journey as a student and educator from rural schools. Raised on a farm in a midwestern state, I attended classes in the same school building from kindergarten through 12th grade. After college, I returned to that community and taught in the same rural district for 28 years before becoming a teacher educator in higher education. As I spoke of the opportunities and challenges of learning and teaching in a rural setting, two undergraduates who had attended rural schools nodded in recognition. Others who had attended larger, suburban schools expressed frank amazement as they tried to imagine the context. Issues of rurality have always been near to my heart. Looking back on my school years, I recall more positive than negative experiences. Most of my teachers who had served in our school for many years remained part of my life after graduation and followed my journey as I became an educator. These relationships played a role in my decision to return to the community and the district. I wanted to have similar relationships with my own students. I wanted to encourage them and be part of their lives, celebrating their successes as my teachers had celebrated mine. I knew there would be challenges. I knew rural schools were historically perceived as lacking diversity and often got lost in the shuffle as funding formulas favored larger districts. Rather than di

FAQs

What prompted the need to redesign rural school field experiences in 2020?

The COVID-19 pandemic made many traditional in-person practicum placements impossible, and the broader social and political climate increased stress for students, families, and educators in rural settings.

How did the course begin and support preservice teachers emotionally and intellectually?

After listening to “Many Roads,” participants wrote for ten minutes and then shared reflections about their backgrounds, homes, hometowns, and roads that led them to teaching.

What does the author emphasize about rural schools and teacher education?

The reflection highlights long-standing perceptions of rural schools lacking diversity and being disadvantaged by funding formulas, and it argues for creating field experiences that sustain relationships and better prepare teachers despite resource and logistical constraints.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca