Dear WinkWorld Readers,

If you are a regular reader of WinkWorld, you know that I am writing about a  tiny school, Atall, on the prairies.  You also know that I find Missy Urbaniak, to be an awesome teacher of Atall School (K-8).  In the photo above, Missy meets reknown children’s author, Jan Brett, who is autographing a book which I gifted to Missy and students of Atall.

Recently South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB) did a feature on the tiny schools in our county.  We, prairie people, have enjoyed many parts of this video, but for our purposes today on WinkWorld,  I invite you to meet Missy.  Thank you to SDPB for sharing this link  publicly. The video is about 5 minutes total.  Missy first appears at about 57 seconds, and again at about 4 minutes.  She concludes the video at about 4:40  when she spontaneously says, “It’s my dream job.”

The  Rural School Traditions of Meade County, Dakota Life, SDPB

SDPB Radio | By Tim Davison
Published December 8, 2023 at 6 AM. CST

Rural schools brought people together before they were called South Dakotans. Today, those schools continue to keep strong and unique rural traditions alive for the next generation of students and teachers.

Link to article on SDPB Radio website:
https://listen.sdpb.org/rural-life-and-history/2023-12-08/the-rural-school-traditions-of-mead-county-dakota-life

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

If you are a reader of WinkWorld, you know that I am focused on pulling together prairie pedagogy stories which I have collected; this post is part of that series.

As we think about these tiny schools on the prairies, sometimes people wonder:  How do these students do when they move into town for high school and on to higher education?

Tiny Prairie School Emeriti*

As I reviewed the 10+ years of my observations, I am comfortable that these rural kids go on to thrive and make their ranch families very proud.  As I collected the 10 years of photos, it was so clear that the kids are productive, and they are great citizens.

You may see these photos in the post below.

Prairie Pedagogy: Pulling the Past 10 Years Together in One Big Story

“Hard Rules”

Recently, I noticed on social media that two of our tiny school emeratae* were talking about their self-imposed “hard rules” which guides their first year at the university.  These rules help keep them keep on track physically and emotionally.  When I  saw this, I thought: A-ha, there is a story here somewhere. So, Wynn Wink and Dawn Wink (my trusty assistants) and I checked in with them on ZOOM.

Mariah and Shaniah are twins and attended Atall School.  Jeslyn attended another tiny school, Hereford School, about 30 minutes away, mostly on gravel, which is a close neighbor for prairie people, who have to drive miles and miles for the basics of life. Mariah and Jeslyn are in their first year at the University of South Dakota, and Shaniah is ranching and driving big equipment.

On the left meet Mariah, Jeslyn, and Shaniah. On the right you see them today in their dorm room.

Above you see Jes and Mariah in high school, and on the right you can see what they look like today at the university.

When I think of Hereford School, I always think of the kids riding horseback to the first day of school.

See this previous WinkWorld.

Riding Horses to the First Day of School: Hereford (K-8) School

In addition, I have fond memories of Jes when she used to attended with her mom a grad class I was teaching at Black Hills State University. Below is Jess in that class.

A Peek Into Our Class

Shaniah, Mariah’s twin sister. is ranching and driving large equipment. See below.

Alanah, their younger sister in high school is getting her pilot’s license in her spare time. 

Respect and Collaboration

I asked the young women what part of their tiny rural school experience did they most value? They reflected that they went forward to high school and higher education with greater respect for others (including teachers and professors) and a greater ability to work with diverse groups of people on multiple projects.

Tiny school emeriti*, if you leave us with these two characteristics, respect for others and the ability to collaborate with others, our tiny prairie schools are doing fine and dandy!

*I doubt that I have ever used emeriti or emeritae in my prairie pedagogy blog  posts, but it is time.  My Mobridge High School Latin teacher would be proud.  Thank you, Hazel Grace Johnson.

It is an honorable  title awarded to a former exceptional member, professor, or student.

Emeritus – singular male

Emeriti – plural  male and female

Emerita – singular female

Emeritae – plural female

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

As I shared in the previous blog post, we are working on Prairie Pedagogy.  Our purpose is to save the stories and the history.  Missy Urbaniak, the teacher at  Atall School, has already prepared the history, and selected  sections will be each chapter.  In addition, we have more stories prepared than we can possibly use, but here is  a peak into some of the stories which might make the cut.

We appreciate the help of Wynn Wink in the preparation of the manuscript.

Below on the left is the enrollment of Atall 2012-2013, and on the right is that of 2023-2024.

2002-2014

• Prairie Pedagogy Index 2002-2014. https://www.joanwink.com/prairie-pedagogy/

2015

• March 3, 2015. Books Beget Books: Burnett Did This to Me. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/books-beget-books-burnett-did-this-to-me/
• April 21, 2015. My reading of “Book With No Pictures.” https://www.joanwink.com/latest/my-reading-of-book-with-no-pictures/
• October 22, 2015. Critters, Polacco, Novak, and Atall. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/critters-polacco-novak-atall/
• December 16, 2015. Strega Nona, Atall School, and Country Kids. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/strega-nona-atall-school-country-kids/

2016

• November 21, 2016. Flat Stanley, or Jaylee on a Journey with Joan. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/flat-stanley-or-jaylee-on-a-journey-with-joan/

2017

• May 10, 2017: Prairie Pedagogy: Paul Interviews Missy, https://www.joanwink.com/latest/prairie-pedagogy-paul-interviews-missy/
• October 7, 2017. Prairie Pedagogy: The Scientific Method. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/prairie-pedagogy-the-scientific-method/

2018

• January 15, 2018. Jack Frost or Robert Frost. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/jack-frost-or-robert-frost/
• February 22, 2018: Prairie Pedagogy: A Story about a Bromeliad and a Geranium, https://www.joanwink.com/latest/prairie-pedagogy-story-bromeliad-geranium/
• August 19, 2018. Many Ways to Begin the School Year: Annie, Missy and Tammy. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/many-ways-to-begin-the-school-year-annie-missy-and-tammy/
• August 29, 2018. Riding Horses to the First Day of School: Hereford (K-8) School. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/riding-horses-to-the-first-day-of-school-hereford-k-8-school/
• December 18, 2018. Writing Projects: 2019. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/writing-projects-2019/

2019

• February 18, 2019: Prairie Pedagogy: The Book Challenge, or Just Read, Read, Read. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/prairie-pedagogy-the-book-challenge-or-just-read-read-read/
• February 19, 2019. Research Rapture and The Din In The Head: Part Two. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/research-rapture-and-the-din-in-the-head-part-two/
• May 21, 2019: Prairie Pedagogy: A Reflection on Free-range Reading, https://www.joanwink.com/latest/prairie-pedagogy-a-reflection-on-free-range-reading/
• June 11, 2019. Beautiful Books by the Churchmans. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/beautiful-books-by-the-churchmans/
• September 27, 2019: Kids, Cows and Community: Prairie Pedagogy, https://www.joanwink.com/latest/kids-cows-and-community-prairie-pedagogy/
• October 2019. A Year at Atall. https://www.joanwink.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Atall-SD-Mag-final.pdf
• November 2019. The Prairie School Post. https://www.joanwink.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Prairie-School-Post-15-NOV-DEC-19.pdf
• December 5, 2019: Prairie Pedagogy: Grandparents’ Day Program at Atall School, https://www.joanwink.com/latest/kids-cows-and-community-prairie-pedagogy/
• December 21, 2019. Prairie Pedagogy: A County Christmas Celebration. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/prairie-pedagogy-a-country-christmas-celebration/

2020

• January 17, 2020. Prairie School Post (PSP): A Student Newsletter. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/prairie-school-post-psp-a-student-newsletter/

2021

• January 31, 2021. Eulalia (Sister) Bourne: Rancher Schoolteacher. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/eulalia-sister-bourne-rancher-schoolteacher/
• May 2, 2021. Free-range Reading. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/free-range-reading/

2022

• January 27, 2022. Reading a Story in a School: Imagine! https://www.joanwink.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Atall-SD-Mag-final.pdf

2023

• January 5, 2023. Books 2023, January. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/books-2023-january/

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

If you read WinkWorld consistently, you are aware that I have been taking books and reading stories to students in a tiny little school on the prairies, Atall School. If you want to read any of those previous posts, just type in Atall or prairie pedagogy into the search bar over on the left of my main page, www.joanwink.com   On my computer, Chrome works well on the search bar–less so, Firefox and Safari. 

Missy Urbaniak, the teacher at Atall and my cousin, has been gracious and welcoming as I bopped in and out of the class for 10 + years. She is central to this project and is also my co-author.  In addition, I very much appreciate the support and kindness of the families and community, who has allowed me to share stories and photos of their children.  Families, if there is every any photo, which you do not want me to share, please just tell me.  I also wish to thank Wynn Wink who is providing tech support.

This year we hope to write a history of these years at Atall School. Our purpose is to save the stories and maintain the history of prairie pedagogy for the students, families, and community.  I will post selected drafts of these stories first on WinkWorld.

Each of the following years will be organized in this manner.

A Photo

A Story

A Story Book Used in Class

A Glimpse of the History

And, of course, the heart of the book, the students.

Posted below are the school photos from each year which will be highlighted in our history.

Atall School 2012-2013

Atall School 2013-2014

Atall School 2014-2015

Atall School 2015-2016

Atall School 2016-2017

Atall School 2017-2018

Atall School 2018-2019

Atall School 2019-2020

Atall School 2020-2021

Atall School 2021-2022

Atall School 2022-23

Atall School 2023-2024

Oh, how I love these kids!  Now, I also have the joy of following them through their high school years and beyond.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

Some of you may remember the snake story.

Ranch Visitors: Blue Racer Snakes

Others of you may remember the skunk stories: First, there was the dead and rotting skunk in our cistern. Below, I am copying/pasting that story from  my July 3, 2003 newsletter.  This was before our interactive blog.

Skunk in the Cistern
We never put water in the cistern without remembering the time a couple of years ago when a skunk got into the cistern and drowned. We slowly began to notice the smell of skunk in the house and guessed that a skunk was passing through the yard during the night. Throughout
the course of the next few days, the smell increased and eventually seemed to permeate the house. Finally, one Saturday evening while Wink was in the shower, he realized what must have happened, as he smelled skunk in the shower water.  We raced outside and could see a slight opening between the concrete lid of the cistern and the rocks surrounding it.

We lifted the lid, and the horrible smell hit us in the face. From here the story goes straight downhill. We put an 8-foot ladder down into the water, but Wink was too big to get through the opening into the cistern.

I went down the ladder next, and tried to shovel that mass of rotting skunk into a bucket, but I just couldn’t stay down there long enough to finish the ugly task.  Eventually, we  brought the tractor over and hooked a chain to the front-end loader.  I slowly lowered Wink into the cistern as  he held onto the chain hooked to the front-end loader. He could squeeze through the opening of the cistern if both arms were held up above his head.  In this way, we got the skunk out, and then we had to disinfect and clean the cistern.

See the original post.

Second there was the mama skunk and 3 babies, which we caught in one trap.

Still  others of you may know my dear friend, GinnyWink#5, the most precious laborador ever; she follows GinnyWink#1, #2, #3, and #4, who were also precious.

However, GinnyWink#5 and I just had a very scary encounter with a badger.  I did not bother to snap a pix during the scary 5 minutes, so the following photo is courtesy of Wikipedia.

I was outside picking up branches under a  tree on a gorgeous fall day about 30 yards from the house.  I suddenly heard hissing and growling under the next tree about 10 yards away, where the badger and Ginny were running around and around the tree, the badger chasing Ginny. The badger was making horrible rasping, grunting, grating sounds.  I was yelling to get Ginny to come.  She tried to come once, and the badger took a little nip.  Off they went in a circle again.  I was about 10 feet away when I suddenly realized I didn’t have anything for protection.  I ran to the porch where  I remembered Wink had left a 3 foot bolt cutter. I have no idea what I was going to do with it.  Fortunately, when I ran for the porch, Ginny came right behind me.  We watched as the badger was forced to slink away in defeat.

I have since learned about a children’s book about a Canadian boy who was lost in the woods when a mama badger befriended him as he took refuge in the badger hole.  Is there a hint of truth in this story? I do not know, but I intend to read the book.

Incident at Hawk’s Hill (Newbery Honor Book)

Hello WinkWorld Readers,

If you are a regular reader of WinkWorld, you know that one of the messages I hope to send is that there is no one way to learn to read. For example, Dawn and Bo learned to read in a totally different way from the way I did. I learned through phonics in 1st grade.  They both read before kindergarten, and I have no idea of how they learned…could it have been all of those books we read during their pre-K years?  Another example of someone learning in a totally different way from how I did was Jonathan, who  puzzled me for years.

I Learned to Read Through Phonics and the Jonathan Story

Wyatt

Wyatt, our oldest grandson, is a third example of not learning  to read through phonics; he was a  sight word  reader with a photographic mind. In the third grade, Wyatt’s mom pulled him out of school for several months because his teacher accepted only one way to learn to read, phonics, which certainly was not his way. As I recall, he laid on the coach and read books for several months before his mom (Dawn) took him back to the little local school.  I remember that no one in the school questioned where he had been.

Click here to read about Wyatt.

Henry

Now, it is a ranch kid, Henry, whose literacy development fascinates me. I have written  about him previously, which is posted below.  Henry lives on a near-by ranch, 45 minutes away, and he is now 9-years-old.

Henry is the only child I know who learned to read through The Profit?

What is The Profit?

The Profit is a newsprint circular of several pages filled with information on cattle sales, new and used tractor and machinery and/or parts, various forms of cattle and  other animal feed sales,  and long charts of specific cattle sales from sale barns. Since Henry was 2- and 3-years old, he has loved it when the mail truck delivered The Profit to their ranch mail box. Through the years, I have been fascinated as Henry’s little pointer finger tried to follow the words and make meaning.  I remember the day when he proudly figured out what “weigh-up” cattle sold for at the Phillip Livestock sales barn. Many don’t know what a “weigh-up” cow is, but for Henry, it is compelling reading.

Henry is the only kid I know, who learned to read from The Profit.  He continues to read it now, but I note that he is  expanding his genre to include chapter books. Hank, the Cow Dog is his personal favorite.

Of course, Henry is now a “Just-one-more-chapter-please-kid.”

Below is a previous post I did on Henry and “junk reading.”

Summary

One size does not fit all.  There is NO one way to learn to read.

There are many ways to learn to read.

Even though I learned to read through phonics, that does not mean it is the only way.

And for the Academics Who Follow WinkWorld

Many think that phonics is the ONLY way to learn to read, but there are many ways.  Professor Emeritus, Stephen D. Krashen reminds us (in personal communication, May 20, 2023)

There are too many rules and many are very complicated with numerous exceptions. Children acquire many and probably most phonics rules by reading.

Krashen, S. and McQuillan, J. 202o. The case for acquired phonics. Language Magazine. https://bit.ly/Acquired-Phonics

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

I have been writing about a cool ranch kid, whom I have been observing.  Henry, now age 9, is the only kid I know who learned to read from ranch circulars (weekly newsprint flyers about tractors, cattle, big tires, fertilizers, etc.)  Before Henry could decode, he would run to grab the newsprint flyer, and his little pointer reading finger would go to work.  I have even seen him get excited “to read” about new credit card offers.

However, I have not yet posted the story of Henry as I keep getting interrupted by questions from friends who are relatively new to literacy, and they always ask: “But, Joan, what about phonics?” This caused me to dig out something I wrote about phonics and the “whispering of the juxtaposition” of another fabulous little guy, Jonathan.  This story was published in the first edition (1997) of Critical Pedagogy: Notes from the Real World. This story was  cut from later editions.  I have no idea why, as it was some of my best work. (Apparently, WordPress has no emojis….)

This is sort of like doing your homework for reading about Henry, which is coming soon.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

As the incomparable Amanda Gorman writes in her poem, “Memorial” (2021, “Call Us What We Carry,”):

When we tell a story

We are living

Memory….

That would explain why so much great art arises from trauma, nostalgia, or testimony (p.74).

When read that, I immediately called Dawn, our daughter, who was having a particularly challenging day.  I told her to go write, and write she did! 

Hope you enjoy Dawn’s writing as much as I do. I believe that Dawn captures how such beautiful writing can come from pain.

I have written about some of my experiences which Dawn references. See below.

Critical Pedagogy 4th Ed – Pivotal Experiences

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

I love to share the books I am reading.

South Dakota One Book

The SD Humanities Council select One Book for us all to read each year.

“The Seed Keeper” by Diane Wilson

It tells the story of how the Dakhota women saved seeds for the next season and/or generation.  It is my understanding that the Lakota women did the same thing. The subplot is very much about 1862.  Hidden between the lines is the question: Who owned the land before the homesteaders?

2023 Young Readers One Book

“The Tale of Despereaux” by Kate DiCamillo

Love this book and will  try to  find my old copy somewhere.

“Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus. If you or your kids are interested in STEM/STEAM (a.k.a., science), this is a must read. I highly recommend it for women and all men.

“Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt. Loved this story, which is basically about a woman growing older. However, it is the first book I have ever read where an octopus is one of the narrators. I loved the chapters when the octopus was thinking, observing, reflecting, and speaking.  As a friend told me (Thanks, Cissa) there is a dynamite sentence near the end of the book, which I would love.  And, I did!!  Actually, I whooped when I found it. It pulled the whole book together.

Of course,  I continue to read any book about women and books.

Also, I continue to read any banned  books. It always feels like it is the non-readers who try to ban books from us, readers. It is not working here.

BEST.BOOK of the year (for me)!

“Blue: A History of the Color and as Deep  as the Sea and Wide as the Sky” by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond and Illustrated by Daniel Minter

I absolutely loved this gorgeous book.  If you are a teacher of any age group, you will find it filled with history, geography, science, social studies, and art. If you are not in school, it is just pure joy also.

I took a copy over to Atall, a little country school near us (50 mi. away).  And, I also took a copy for Missy Urbaniak, the teacher,  so she could read it to the kids.

I also took some chapter history books and a selection of the new Little Golden books.

Oh, how I love these kids.  Just had to grab a quick hug.

Literacy educators/teachers/librarians always talk about how kids need to see themselves in the books they read.  Me, too. This is why I dug out my Judith Viorst and Mary Pipher books. I seem to find myself on every page of these two stacks of books.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

My six-year term of service as a member of the South Dakota Board of Regents has ended, and the other members of the board, the central staff, and academic leaders of the six universities and two special school gave me a very special “send-off” which I will always  treasure.  During my term of service, I had the opportunity to make incredible memories and friendships which I will carry always in my heart.

The following photos capture the joy which I experienced. Thank you to Elizabeth Varin of Northern State University and Shuree Mortenson, Director of Communications, of the SD Board of Regents.

I must have been pretty happy with whatever was just said.  I love looking at the expressions on the faces of my friends, the academic folks, behind me.

Dr. Erin Fouberg, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dr. Anna Schwan, Dean of School of Business and Interim Dean of School of Education of Northern State University.

Harvey Jewett, Regent Board president from 1997 to 2017.

A  humbling moment…

These are my fellow board members.

I  gave a book as my gift to each board member.  I wrapped each Little Golden  book without  a name tag and  told them that the gifts were similar and different, and if they did not like their book, they could trade. I did notice that Judge Bastian received the book on Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Jeff Partridge received the book on Dolly Parton, so in the end it must be true that the universe takes care of all of us.

You can see that it was a moment which I will treasure forever. Thank you, friends.