Several teachers thought that their Midwestern upbringing would insulate them from any sort of separation they might otherwise expect to feel from their rural neighbors. All of the novice teachers discussed their movement from separation, to self-realization, to finally inclusion in their classrooms. They all spoke of the realization that came in embracing that rural students were culturally unique and that such students needed to have their curriculum customized in order to reflect those differences. Once the teachers began to embrace and acknowledge those differences instead of rejecting them, they were able to witness growth, not only in their students but in themselves as well.