At the end of chapter 1, Paul muses that it is his people like his brother Toby who will be most negatively affected if small schools close. What does Paul have in mind here, and how does that unfold in the novel?

Reflecting on the Milliron boys’ experiences in their one-room school, what are some of the benefits a student might gain from a small school that a larger consolidated school with individual classrooms for the grades does not offer?

How does Paul balance his appreciation for his homesteader childhood with the depiction of its difficulties? How, in turn, does this affect his attitudes toward progress in 1950s America? Use examples from the text.