This qualitative study explored rural veteran teachers' perceptions of career longevity attainment. Interviews, focus group interviews, and a review of documents were the sources of data for the study. The study produced four emergent themes from interview data: Respect and Recognition in the Community, Involvement with the Community, Intrinsic Rewards, and Self-Identified Drive to Teach. The study also returned four emergent themes from focus group interviews: Loss of Curricular Depth, Decline of Student Involvement, Finding Solutions to Maintain Effectiveness, and Importance of People to Professional Life. Findings from the study concluded that teachers who had more than 20 years of experience in the classroom were able to access the wherewithal to remain in the profession as a conscious matter of choice, even in light of shifts in curriculum and policy. Recommendations for research include a study of the same phenomenon in a distant or remote rural area, a single case study of a long-term rural veteran teacher, a comparative study of rural veteran male and female instructors, and a mixed methods study of rural veteran teachers' career longevity. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]