Growing Up Rural, and Staying That Way

Talk to a leader in any rural community in North America today, and they’ll tell you that one big challenge they face is finding a way to keep the younger generation of workers in the community once they have headed to larger centres for their post-secondary studies. 

Many young people aim for careers in what are referred to as the human services—areas such as nursing, medicine, social work, and education--often with the intention of returning home to practice.

The problem, it seems, is that once they’ve set out for the larger urban centres, not enough make the choice to go back to their roots. As a result, people who know the community well, and who are well-known in the community, simply aren’t going home.

Some say what’s desperately needed are professional programs that allow these students to remain in their communities while studying, at the same time providing them the opportunity to maintain their home lives and work schedules.

And that’s where a program like the Werklund School of Education’s Community-Based Bachelor of Education (BEd) program comes in.

The undergraduate program, which began this summer with the first intake of 20 students, invites the students onto the main campus of the University of Calgary for a two week orientation and an introductory course in education.  Students then take the bulk of their courses on line as they fulfill their classroom practicum experience in or as close to their communities as possible.

One student’s path to the classroom

Jessica Robley is exactly the sort of student for whom the Community-Based program was designed.  Robley, who turns 23 this fall, was raised in Metiskow, a town in east-central Alberta.

It’s a very small community—about 70 people—and so most services, aside from the post office, are found in the nearby towns of Provost, Hughenden, Czar, and Amisk.  This includes schools, where the children are bussed for classes from the surrounding communities. 

It’s safe to say that in a place like Metiskow, and surrounding areas, everybody knows each other. And while it may seem too small or too quiet for some, it’s the place that Jessica Robley wants to continue to call home.

Jessica, a student in the first cohort of Werklund’s new Community-Based program, says she’s known  for years that she wants a career in education. And while she says she loves to travel and visit larger cities, she knows that she belongs in a rural setting.

“I love my small community of combined rural areas and want to teach here,” she says.  “I have family, friends, sports, community events, and volunteer opportunities that I really don't want to leave.”

Jessica’s dilemma was finding a way to achieve her goal to become a teacher while remaining at home. “I wanted to be able to work and support myself best I could while still completing my education and this program was exactly what I've been praying for,” she explains.

Jessica first heard about the Werklund School’s program on a local radio station.  Shortly after, her mother, the secretary of Hughenden Public School, and Principal Kevin Elliott received information on the program through a Buffalo Trail School District email.

“The Community-Based program is perfect for me,” she says. “It allows me to excel in the comfort of my own rural community while still managing my finances and being involved in different activities at home.”

Students and communities both benefit

Kevin Elliott says schools like his in Hughenden will also benefit from the program, which he says provides a unique opportunity to students for  complete their degrees and remain vital community members.  “This program also removes some of the barriers like cost, finding a community of support, and leaving family,” says Elliott.  “Rural communities with small populations require ways for their citizens to remain productive in the community and receive educational opportunities.”

“As a principal in, and member of, a small community, this program is a  win both for the student and the community by allowing the student to get an education at home.”

Jessica was on campus for the introductory session last summer and says the experience was exactly what she had hoped for. “I am confident with the support and teaching staff that we have in this program I will be able to say I've earned my degree, and earned it well.”

“I would recommend this program in a heartbeat,“ she continues. “In fact, I've already shared my current experiences with friends and parents in my community.  I love talking about it and encouraging others if it is right for them.”

When she finishes her degree, Jessica says she hopes to teach at the junior or senior high school level.  She is specializing in English with a minor in physical education, but she says she knows that leading in the classroom entails more than teaching. “Being an educator is so much more. I already know I will never regret such a rewarding career, whatever the obstacles may be.”