"If teachers are good to you": Caring for Rural Girls in the Classroom.

This article explores eight rural middle-school girls’ perceptions of connections with their teachers. It rests on the finding that teachers offer a vital source of support for adolescent girls living in rural communities as girls come to a critical juncture in the development of their identities. Drawing on ethnographic and narrative data, I discuss the way in which rumors and reputations, gendered expectations, and miscommunications complicate the development of strong ties between the middle-school girls and their teachers, leaving the girls wishing for greater support at school. I provide a narrative example of one teachers’ care for a student, and I offer suggestions for supporting rural adolescent girls’ healthy identity development in school.