Abstract

Naturally Small presents ethnographic case studies of two one-teacher schools in rural Nebraska, "Bighand" and "Upper Rill," led, respectively, by the redoubtable "Mrs. Hoffman" and the more approachable "Teacher Will." Mrs. Hoffman is what some readers might call "very traditional," whereas Teacher Will might be characterized by some readers as a "standards-based" educator. Swidler astutely avoids such assessments, and this restraint helps him take seriously the real issues of curriculum and pedagogy that animate two very different schools. This is the intellectual move that makes this book particularly rare and particularly valuable. At 118 pages, moreover, it belabors neither the obvious nor the obscure.

How to Cite:

Howley, C. B., (2005) “Book Review: Naturally Small: Teaching and Learning in the Last One-Teacher Schools”, Journal of Research in Rural Education 20(21), 1–3.

Rights: Copyright