Matthew McCombs

To be a rural teacher, in many ways, means an ability to translate "farm" speech into academic language and use students' everyday environment as a base for real and meaningful instruction. In many ways, agricultural communities are excellent areas for the sciences. Topics ranging from the alteration of the water cycle by reservoir construction, biodiversity impairment due to human expansion, fertilization and eutrophication from runoff, soil ecology, and many more topics are a part of my students’ daily interactions (whether conscious or not). My school community is also extremely unique in that there is a high concentration of Punjabi immigrants. The valley, and Yuba City, in particular play host to the largest Sikh community outside of India and Pakistan. Each November, Yuba City hosts a city-wide procession in which food is free and available to all who come.