Loraine Glidewell's passion for rural education runs as deep as the Arkansas River
Before stepping into the world of academia, Loraine Glidewell was waist-deep in the waters of the San Luis Valley, sometimes literally. The photo of Glidewell proudly holding a trout on the Arkansas River says it all: “The level of stoke on my face is basically the same level of stoke I feel when I get to talk about rural education!”Ěý
“I originally worked with fish,” said Glidewell. “But I accidentally became a middle school science teacher—best accident ever.”
In Monte Vista, Colorado, Glidewell taughtĚýseventhĚýgrade, everything from chemistry to dance. But more than the subjects, it was the students and the landscape that shaped her. A snapshot from a field trip to the Great Sand Dunes shows a class of seventh graders learning about science under a sky wider than any classroom ceiling.
“I believe there is magic in rural schools,” said Glidewell. “I've seen it, felt it, experienced it and loved it. I miss it every day.”
The first in her family to graduate from high school and college, Glidewell never imagined pursuing a PhD. But her students sparked a new mission: to advocate for rural schools that are too often overlooked.
Now in the CU Boulder School of Education’s STEM Education program, Glidewell is working to ensure that the realities of rural teaching aren’t just known, they’re respected. That’s why she launched the Rural Breakfast Club, a space where future teachers gather at on Friday mornings to talk about rural education and eat donuts—reviving a tradition Glidewell used to do with her middle school students.Ěý
“I piloted a survey in 2023 here at CU Boulder to see what our pre-service teachers know and think about rural education,” said Glidewell. She was shocked to learn that they knew very little and didn’t think much about it.Ěý
“Given that nearly 85% of school districts in Colorado are rural, many of those districts experience severe and continual teacher shortages, and the intersectionality of some of these districts being in some of the highest poverty counties in Colorado and the United States...I felt like I had to do something.”
The breakfast club has since become a small but mighty community, diving into everything from social justice in rural contexts to dismantling stereotypes. Eventually, the group will create a product to promote rural education on campus.
Glidewell originally dreamed of running a field program—Teaching Science in the San Luis Valley—to bring pre-service teachers to rural schools to learn “what science education looks like when you have small class sizes, access to the outdoors and an environment where the school is the heart of the community.” But funding challenges shifted her plan. Instead of bringing students to the valley, she brought the valley to CU.Ěý
“It still makes my guts churn that I had to leave my students,” she said. “But I told myself I’m going to bring badass teachers back to them.”Ěý
Glidewell's work is personal, purposeful and packed with pride, just like the slides she prepares for class.
“I spend way too much time making them beautiful,” she said. “I know the content is more important than the appearance, but I can’t help myself. I'll spend way too much time on colors, pictures, finding the perfect gif...it's really inefficient, but it makes my heart happy.”
Glidewell will fight tooth and nail—and apparently eyeball—to seek joy and stand up for what she believes in. She once got a fishhook in her eyeball. Yes, really.Ěý
In between research, club meetings and dreaming big for rural kids. Glidewell finds joy in the little things.Ěý
Because for her, teaching isn’t just about the content, it’s about the community, connection and believing that even the most remote corners of Colorado are full of brilliance worth celebrating.
In her own wordsĚý
Tell me a bit about yourself:ĚýĚý
"I am a fourth-year PhD student in Teacher Education and STEM Education at CU Boulder. That’s crazy to say, considering I was the first person in my family to go to college and even to graduate from high school. Before coming to CU, I lived in what some people describe to be “the middle of nowhere”- also known as the San Luis Valley, a magical rural place on the border of Colorado and New Mexico. I highly encourage you to road trip there. Maybe wrestle alligators at the Gator Farm, summit the 14er called Mt. Blanca, see the Sandhill crane migration, learn about the Sangre De Cristo National Heritage Area, or visit the Great Sand Dunes National Park like I used to do with my students. I originally worked with fish, but accidentally became a middle school science teacher. Best accident ever. I taught 7th-grade science along with a slew of other subjects, ranging from dance to chemistry. It was a privilege to teach the students of Monte Vista, and I think about them and miss them every single day. My students are the ones who inspired me to pursue a PhD and become an advocate for rural schools."
Tell me about the Rural Educator Breakfast Club!
"I believe there is magic in rural schools. I've seen it, felt it, experienced it, and loved it. I miss it every day. I piloted a survey in 2023 here at CU Boulder to see what our pre-service teachers know and think about rural education. I was shocked to learn that they knew very little and didn't think much about it. Given that nearly 85% of school districts in Colorado are rural, and many of those districts experience severe and continual teacher shortages, and the intersectionality of some of these districts being in some of the highest poverty counties in Colorado and the United States...I felt like I had to do something. Rural students, families, and communities deserve for these pre-service teachers to know they exist. My hope is that this club can create opportunities for pre-service teachers to come together to learn about rural education. To me, the fact that folks have shown up at 8 am on a Friday morning is amazing, and it honors rural places and people that are often left out of the conversation."
What’s something you’d want people to understand about your research?
"It was really hard to leave my students out in the San Luis Valley, to come here, I had to contribute to the teacher shortages in my area. This is something that still makes my guts churn when I think about it. But I told myself it was going to be okay because I was going to help bring badass teachers back to them. My original goal was to run a field experience called "Teaching Science in the San Luis Valley", where I'd bring a group of pre-service teachers out there to learn about what science education looks like when you have small class sizes, access to the outdoors, and an environment where the school is the heart of the community.Ěý But then a reality bomb got dropped on me....money. It turns out, as a doctoral student, the logistics and cost associated with bringing a group of CU students 4-5 hours away just were not feasible for my dissertation. So I had to get creative and instead think about how I could bring rural education to pre-service teachers. That led me to the breakfast club, something I actually used to do with my middle school students, where we got together in the morning, shared donuts, and built community. I rekindled this memory and retooled this idea to work for pre-service teachers, where we get together, still with donuts, but build community through having conversations about rural education. It's been a small but mighty club so far, and our conversations have been richer than I could have dreamed of. So far we have spent time blowing up stereotypes, discussing why rural education needs to be included in conversations around social justice, sharing ideas on how rural education could be incorporated into teacher education courses, exploring the challenges and benefits of teaching in rural schools, and we are going to end by creating some type of product that helps promote rural education to pre-service teachers here on campus. These conversations have been inspired and driven by club members' questions, which is really cool."
What’s your motto?Ěý
"Nothing, what's a motto with you! JK- Sorry, I couldn't help myself."