This autobiography relates the early teaching experiences of Kentucky teacher and author Jesse Stuart (1906-1984). Barely 17 years old, he first taught in a one-room, isolated rural school in eastern Kentucky for $60 a month. His 35 barefoot students in the eight grades ranged in age from 5 to 20 years. The students' passion for learning…

This collection of 31 essays examines the idea of community rooted in a particular place, usually a small town or rural place. Many essays comment on the role of education in promoting the transient materialistic lifestyle or suggest ways in which education could foster place attachment and community building. Essays specifically focused on…

A series of chapter essays delves into the author's experiences as a high school teacher in Vermont's rural "Northeast Kingdom." In essays on such subjects as the Future Farmers of America, sex, courtesy, parents, college, and lovers' quarrels, anecdotal narratives are woven together with reflections on the challenges of teaching,…