“I Bet I Could Do That”: Perceptions of Preservice Teachers in a Rural Grow Your Own (GYO) Teacher Education Program

School districts across the United States (U.S.) are experiencing persistent teacher shortages. These are especially acute in rural areas, where it is difficult to recruit and retain teachers, especially certified teachers for diverse learners with differentiated needs. Grow Your Own (GYO) programs, where school districts provide support for current students to become teachers, continue to gain popularity in hard-to-staff rural areas. This case study examined one rural school district’s GYO teacher education program through the lens of program participants at the university stage of the six-year GYO commitment. The participants described three critical tensions: their sense of place between home and school, their desire to serve the rural community conflicting with their desire to explore new opportunities, and their sense of responsibility to others in tension with their own self-interests. In analyses of these findings, we offer guidance toward more student-centered GYO programs in teacher education, with particular attention to student recruitment, program structure, and student well-being.