“We Are Gonna Miss Too Many of Them”: Rurality, Race, and the History of Grow Your Own Teacher Programs

Abstract

This article employs historical methodology to explore the evolution of Grow Your Own (GYO) teacher programs. These initiatives, which continue to rank among the most popular methods of teacher recruitment, originated as “future teacher” clubs designed to attract students into the profession during a severe staffing shortage that occurred during the 1940s and 1950s. In that era, recruiters attempted to hook students with appeals to the joy of working with children and a conservative version of public service. During the 1970s, recruiters shifted their language to reflect the emergence of a more progressive iteration of youth culture. However, when viewed over the long term, the newer invocations of teacher activism seem like a reformulation of traditional appeals to patriotism. In particular, supporters of GYO programs continued to hope that rural students and students of color would be especially receptive to a nonmaterial emphasis on civic duty. Despite these earnest efforts, future teacher clubs had a relatively modest impact on recruitment. This history provides a cautionary reminder of a widespread tendency to attribute teacher behavior to personal qualities rather than structural forces.