Appalachia in the Classroom: Teaching the Region

Introduction

xiii Introduction As we move into the second decade of the twenty-first century, the scholarly discipline of Appalachian Studies continues to evolve and change to keep pace with the living culture on which it focuses. While Appalachian Studies must remain mindful of the past to understand and inform the present, educators and scholars should maintain a contemporary focus on the region and its people in order to address current issues. Rigorous study and critique of both old and new Appalachian arts and literature legitimize this still relatively young discipline and provide students with critical thinking skills that can be applied in any context. Moreover, students acquire cultural awareness and sensitivity both particular to Appalachia and yet transcendent of it, enabling them to apply their Appalachian Studies knowledge to other cultures throughout the world. Appalachia in the Classroom: Teaching the Region seeks to contribute to this twenty-first-century dialogue in Appalachia by offering different topics and teaching strategies that represent the diversity found within the region. And therein exists one of the challenges, yet realities, of studying Appalachia today. How do educators avoid essentialism and essentialist thinking while still acknowledging that a distinct region and culture exist? Such tension plays an integral role in postmodern Appalachian Studies as educators move beyond solely debunking reductive stereotypes and grapple with complex contemporary Appalachian subject matter in a cross-curricular context using interdisciplinary teaching methods. As some educators may struggle to come to a solid understanding of Appalachian Studies in the twenty-first century, the contributors to this collection offer several answers, although the answers are not always tightly contained or given in black and white. In fact, how do educators and students even designate Appalachia? The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) offers one understanding, certainly, albeit politically and geographically prescribed.Yet scholars have debated the ARC’s changing boundaries since the commission was conceived in the 1960s. Additionally,theregion’simagehasbeenshapedovertimebyliterarytreatments , from frontier explorers and local color writers to more contemporary xiv Introduction authors who hail from both inside and outside Appalachia. Even this distinction between“insider” and“outsider” proves challenging with the region’s history of out-migration, as does rural versus urban Appalachia. In the spirit of deconstruction, however, must educators choose an either/or dichotomy? A “both/and” approach seems much more useful, for Appalachia comprises insiders and outsiders,rural and urban,Northern,Central,and Southern,black, white, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian. And again, it’s important to emphasize that the Appalachian culture is alive and evolving, continuing to respond to and incorporate local, national, and international influences. The contributors to this work clearly believe a distinct Appalachian region exists and have focused on the cultural, historical, literary, economic, environmental, and political circumstances that bind the residents. As a result, they offer pedagogies to reach the twenty-first-century student .While some contributors focus on their specific students and how those students have responded to the materials,others take a more general approach in offering teaching tips that could be adapted to different types of schools or students. It’s important to note, however, that with both types of chapters, the editors did not want to present lesson plans that were too prescriptive or canned.Appalachian Studies, and really education in general, should not promote a one-pedagogy-fits-all approach because it cannot. We value academic freedom and promote individual teaching strategies and choices. In fact, not all contributors to this collection even teach Appalachian Studies in Appalachia . The educators hail from as far as Texas and Utah. They range from the seasoned and retired to the new and nascent.Additionally, students attending a large public Research I institution can be quite different from students at a small private liberal arts college. Nevertheless, the editors did want to offer practical strategies that educators could acquire by simply reading these chapters and then trying them in their own classrooms. The most obvious educators the collection will appeal to are those already teaching Appalachian Studies or who have a desire to start. Even those who may have been incorporating regional materials for several years will find unique pedagogical approaches that can energize and freshen their teaching. Education professors will find the collection useful as they share with student teachers the value of place-based education and how certain faculty members go about implementing it in their classrooms. Because Appalachia in the Classroom is a pedagogy book, education majors can analyze and critique the methods put forth by the contributors and at...