Lessons From Appalachia: Free-Range Kids
Children of miners, McDowell County, West Virginia, 1946. Photo by Russell Lee, public domain (via Wikimedia)
May 11, 2020
By Greg Armstrong
There are as many opinions on how to raise children as there are self-pronounced COVID-19 experts on social media. Labels like bubble-wrapped children, helicopter moms, and snowplow parents are a few examples of these approaches. As an educator, I have seen them all; I could even add a few additional labels, but I will keep those to myself. So, when a friend used the term “free-range” to describe his childhood in a small Appalachian community, I was surprised. As he reminisced, I yearned for this more innocent time,
“By 5 years old I would spend summer days roaming the town. A local grocer might let me roll coins for a treat or bite of lunch. I would visit all the town businesses and knew everyone by name. At lunch or dinner time, if I were still roaming around, someone would always invite me in for a meal. It’s just how our community was back then.”
The geographic isolation of many Appalachian communities contributed to close-knit families. Few had reason to visit or pass through these small mountain towns and even fewer had reason to leave or “travel over the mountain.” This disconnect from the outside world was special for those being raised in mountain hollows. For generations, children of Appalachia looked inward to their own communities for the standard and model for living. But like the rest of America and the world, there were outside influences which unfortunately changed the perception Appalachian people had of themselves, their possessions, and opportunities.
An influx of people to the region, as well as vast changes in technology, provided a glimpse of the outside world, while also highlighting differences between Appalachian communities and others. The increase in land and property taxes in the Northeast in the late 1970s and into the 80s brought many “outsiders” to the region. Some came to get away from society and others came to exploit the people and/or land. Some newcomers were respectful and willing to adopt the Appalachian way of life while others were not. These changes gave way to comparison, and this comparison to life outside the mountains undermined the dignity of the culture. It has been said that comparison is the thief of joy; however, many with deep roots in these mountains strive to maintain the rich culture and advocate for the unique community they hold so dear.
One such unforgiving comparison was that Appalachian communities consisted of undereducated or uneducated individuals. The value of education cannot be overstated; however, the assumptions attached to what it means to be “educated” can be misleading. Unfortunately, many in our country either devalue or give the perception of less value to those without formal education. We are programed to think that those without a formal education have less to offer, therefore robbing the individual of dignity and worth. The education that many people of Appalachia have is one of practical life skills handed down from generations.
For example, remember my Appalachian friend’s “free-range childhood”? To some, this might seem like inattentive parenting. But when he volunteered to work for local business owners in exchange for a treat or a meal, he learned that one must work to eat. He learned what day-to-day tasks looked like for these entrepreneurs and gathered a realistic impression of what each occupation entailed . As he moved around the town, he learned how to interact with different types of people in whose jobs required different social mores. He observed how/what different families ate and experienced dinner conversation with different kinds of people of various ages. Not only did he understand the commerce of his community, he was under the tutelage of its members to live out its values.
I make approximately 10-12 weekend visits to Appalachia (specifically Hancock County, TN) each year and rarely do I leave the shadow of the mountain without learning something new from those living there. Of course, there are many in this region with college degrees - the statistics concerning education are a bit misleading because many that leave their mountain home for higher education find employment and live elsewhere.
These Appalachian stereotypes are shameful examples of the majority expecting the minority to conform to the status quo and cultural norms. A more godly approach is see our fellow man through the lens of dignity and worth from the beginning!
When I assume someone is broken, poor, or lost based on a stereotype of race, ethnicity, education level, etc., prior to sharing life or hearing their story - I devalue the person. When I assert myself as the savior, I embody the pride spoken of by the carpenter of long ago – that my friends is the education imparted to me from the Appalachian community.