Bush Tracks

Book excerpt: Transitioning from place to place has been identified as a key marker of many teachers’ lives. Notions of place and transition have been researched for new teachers as they move from university to rural teaching positions; and, for experienced teachers who may move from school to school, town to city, city to rural town. Since 2002, the Bush Tracks Research Group has explored the lived experience of teachers in rural schools. Bush Tracks: The Opportunities and Challenges of Rural Teaching and Leadership is a compilation of more than a decade of research conducted by this multidisciplinary group of academics from the University of New England, New South Wales, Australia. Employing a variety of methodologies, these researchers have worked to understand the intimate lives of teachers working in rural schools – the personal and professional challenges of being in relentlessly close proximity to students and their families; the supports needed to continue professional pathways; and the opportunities for accelerated leadership, all while living in the ‘fishbowl’ of a rural community. Chapters also explore the working lives of small school principals, specifically, some of the innovative methods they use to circumvent metrocentric policies; how ingenuity can resolve challenging teaching and leadership situations; and, what can be done to reconcile sometimes conflicting roles. This book will be of interest to all teachers who have ‘gone bush’, or have ever wanted to; and, to teacher educators who want a text that is nuanced in discussing the challenges and opportunities of teaching in rural schools.