By
Jennifer Cushing
April 9, 2008
Tonasket, Wash., is a very long way from Seattle. My four teammates and I crossed snowy mountain passes on our seven-hour drive, finding ourselves amid a dusty landscape that more closely resembles Arizona than Western Washington. Yet the cultural distance seems greater: The one-street town lies in cowboy and Cougar country, beyond the reaches of any radio station, and the nearest stoplight is a half-hour away.
Before leaving for Alternative Spring Break, I said I was going to “the middle of nowhere.” Though I questioned the conventional wisdom that looks down on small-town education, I still brought with me the notion of an area cut off from the rest of the world and its opportunities. As the week went on I learned that for the first-graders at Tonasket Elementary, their town is in the middle of everything, and that’s not a bad thing at all.
My team and I were overwhelmed by the hospitality of this tiny community. Though we were clearly outsiders, we were nonetheless welcomed. Our hosts treated us like family, strangers approached us to say hello and a cattle rancher let us ride along as he fed the herd.
The first-graders with whom I spent the week are like any first-graders in many ways: honest, adorable and silly, while difficult at times. It was exciting to discover their personalities in their poems and stories about compassion and about who they are.
But their writing is also tied to where they are. Kaylee wrote about the compassion that the vet showed to her horse injured on a fence wire, and Dawson’s poem read, “One time my cat/Had a cactus and I/Took it out.” Rural life is their point of reference. Another student, Jovany, put “going to Wal-Mart” on his list of favorite things. In the Tonasket area this is more exciting than it sounds, as it’s the only large store for miles.
The first-graders did not ask me about Seattle, where most have never been and many could hardly imagine. Our status as city folk is not what made us qualified to teach them or what put smiles on the children’s faces. What mattered was our participation in their community. Although we did meet with high schoolers to talk about the UW, this trip was not about widening the perspective of this town or somehow giving the children knowledge about the “real world” in which we live. Instead, the first-graders drew us into their small but richly textured sphere and taught us that it is just as real.
However, the distance to the big cities means that leaving home for college is that much more daunting in this area. In fact, one teacher told us that her elementary-age son is already planning to go to the only place of higher education nearby, an extension campus of Wenatchee Valley Community College, because anywhere else would mean a completely different life for him. He may change his mind, but it seems that children here need a lot of momentum to become highly educated.
Though education and opportunity are much different in such a remote area, to make Tonasket less like itself would not solve the problem. For the young girl growing up on the cattle ranch, learning about cow birthing is an important way to grasp the world around her. In fact, the first-graders’ smiles and stories showed me the benefits of rural life.
For now at least, the first-graders I met are focused on Tonasket, and this trip taught me that’s how it should be.
[Reach reporter Jennifer Cushing at features@thedaily.washington.edu.]
9 Comments
#1 Jason
on April 10, 2008 at 6:53 a.m.(Oroville, WA | Unverified Name)
#2 Jason
on April 10, 2008 at 7:31 a.m.(Oroville, WA | Unverified Name)
I am responding to this article to counter act the depiction of Tonasket. Yes, it is about 5 hours away for Seattle, but that does not mean that we are country hicks. For instance I am using an wireless contention to send this comment. There are areas in the county that don't receive radio, but we have three radio station in the county with three more translator stations in the Tonasket area. Being the biggest county in the state does mean travel time to go out to movies or to go to a name brand big box store, but its only an half an hour away to get to it. How many "city dwellers" take that long to do the same thing?
I sorry for getting all defensive about the depiction of are small town, but I am glad to that Ms. Crushing made the time and the energy to come over and help in educating are students. I thank her for that. here a some other facts about Tonasket.
Tonasket has a population of about a 1,000 people. The school district in area is bigger then the State of Rhode Island. The number of kids that go to school in the district is about 1,000. We have a hospital. We have volunteer Fire deportment. There is a Subway franchise in town as well as two grocery stores. we are only a short drive away from natures natural beauty like forest and lakes and a river does run through it.
#3 Craig
on April 10, 2008 at 2:05 p.m.(Olympia, WA | Unverified Name)
Golly gee!! This really makes me proud to live in such a "dusty" place "beyond the reaches of any radio station". Thank God that we have cable TV!! It also warms my heart to know that people who are "clearly outsiders", presumably because they wear clothes that come from a real store, are "treated like family". Furthermore, I cannot tell you how relieved I am to find out that our first graders "are like any first-graders in many ways". Why, they almost sound normal, which is a big relief.
I am somewhat concerned, however, that "the first-graders did not ask about Seattle, where most have never been and many could hardly imagine." Our children have definitely been deprived and their lack of interest in the Emerald City is somewhat disconcerting. We are extremely fortunate that the benevolent people of Seattle are here "widening the perspective of this town or somehow giving the children knowledge about the “real world” in which they live." Hopefully, the wise educators from UW will be able to help us, because, "it seems that children here need a lot of momentum to become highly educated." Although we are a community in deep, deep trouble, as the brilliantly insightful author of this article pointed out, "to make Tonasket less like itself would not solve the problem." I guess when all is said and done, we will just need to keep "learning about cow birthing" and going to Wenatchee Valley College, or, even worse, Heritage University!! AARRRGH!
#4 Jim Skinner
on April 10, 2008 at 4:06 p.m.(Sumner, WA | Unverified Name)
Amid this dusty landscape, that resembles Arizona, you will find hardworking people who choose to live life we have to offer here.
Among our first graders you find intelligent, gifted students. Students who are curious about the world they live in and the world beyond. In fact, I think that describes students in every grade and in every school here.
Our children are motivated. They don't need any more momentum to become highly educated than any other youth.
The people that live here will come together to harvest the crop of an injured farmer. They'll have fund raisers to help someone beat cancer. I have seen them raise over $50,000 to help someone get a heart transplant. There are countless other examples of generosity here.
As for our county, what other town of 5,000 people have you heard of that helped build a community college and has aother college where, after people graduate from the two year college, can get a 4 year degree, or even a Masters degree. The people here took it upon themselves to make that happen, so our residetns could have more opportunity.
Our civic groups raise money for scholarships to send our children to college, so they can be whatever they choose to be.
Our people are friendly, welcoming people into their community, and to this lifestyle we have chosen to live.
There is not a lack of opportunitiy here. There are thousands of opportunities - some are just different than those offered in many parts of Western Washington. Not better - just different.
I'm proud to live here and enjoy the benefits of rural life and to live among the people who have chosen to be here
One more thing. You would think that one of the biggest retailers in the world would know the best place in teh state to locate their first store.
So where did Wal-Mart choose to locate the very first store in the state of Washington ? In Omak, just 25 miles south of "the middle of nowhere".
I hope you will come back to Okanogan County and learn what it is really like to be here. We welcome you.
#5 Jeff Erickson
on April 11, 2008 at 12:28 p.m.(New York, NY | Unverified Name)
I believe that this article has been grossly misinterpreted by the previous commentators. The comments that I have read have been concentrating only on the author's initial relative observations. I agree with the author that life east of the Cascades feels immediately different. I agree that the landscape is more like Arizona than western Washington (and yes, I have been to Arizona). I believe the author's point of mentioning these differences is purely introduction and expresses (perhaps by exaggeration) that life is different than in Seattle.
However, the author's tone quickly changes when they say "I learned that for the first-graders at Tonasket Elementary, their town is in the middle of everything, and that’s not a bad thing at all." The author then goes on to mention the hospitality of the town to foreigners.
And for you to somehow think that the author feels that they are somehow qualified to teach only because they are from the city or from the UW is unjustified, because the author writes "Our status as city folk is not what made us qualified to teach them or what put smiles on the children’s faces. What mattered was our participation in their community."
The author concludes with saying that "making Tonasket less like itself would not solve the problem," which means that the author believes that there is no inherent problem in rural life. After this even, the author praises the students for showing them the benefits of rural life.
For these reasons, I believe that this author's attitude toward Tonasket has been largely misread.
#6 Jimmy
on April 22, 2008 at 1:34 p.m.(Elizabeth, NJ | Unverified Name)
Only one WalMart? Here we have 2! I guess thats why we are sofistikateded...ps does seattle have electricity? does it rain their every day? have you ever seen a traffic jam? and are indians there or cowboys -- thanks!
#7 Jimmy
on April 22, 2008 at 1:36 p.m.(Elizabeth, NJ | Unverified Name)
PS Almost forgot to ask -- at University of Washington do you see where the president lives!! Does he have a car or horse? etc etc
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