Teaching at a small, rural school is an adventurous road indeed. The happiness I feel to know each of my students by name is refreshing. The ability to have a conversation with each student is something I don't take for granted. Large schools just don't feel this close-knit.

Small schools, like small towns, bear certain annoyances that can scare any well-meaning person in the opposite direction. For instance, a school employee can be fired on a moment's notice if they don't get along with the right people in town. What do we make of this?

In a small town, it's almost like it is more to a person's advantage to be good at schmoozing than to be good at one's own profession. I've seen far too many schmoozers get away with things that well-trained professionals couldn't. What values are we really teaching in these small towns?