STANFIELD, AZ — At Stanfield Elementary school, most mornings start with principal Jennifer Murrieta greeting her way across campus.
"My favorite part of the day is being outside in the beginning of the day, smiling, and hopefully getting them to smile back at me. And to say hi back at me, which many of them do. It's getting better," she told ABC15.
She knows just about everyone's name. From the students to the parents.
And while the beginning of the day is one of her favorites, it's also one of the most difficult. That's because of the effort it takes to get all the school students on campus with just two full-time bus drivers to cover 600 square miles.
"We have a large attendance area. We are a very small rural school right here in the town of Stanfield but we bus about an hour south" she said.
She says it's a team effort.
"We have some back up staff members, be included who can drive the smaller fleet that don't require the CDL," she said.
Located just north of Interstate 8 in Pinal County, Stanfield Elementary school is surrounded by farms, dairies, and feedlots that employ many of the parents of the 400 children who attend.
It's a small school, with big challenges.
"You don't just come here and say I'm going to be the principal. Many days I'm the crossing guard if somebody is absent. Many days I'm the custodian. Many days I could wear many hats. And it's not just me. It's everybody," she said.
But one of the biggest challenges is recruiting certified teachers.
"We have really thought creatively on how we can make sure that we have people in our classrooms and good instruction still taking place," she said.
The search started in Arizona, spread throughout the U.S. and then across the globe.
The school has had luck finding qualified teachers outside of the U.S. Second grade teacher Stephonie Martin is at the school from Jamaica.
She's one of several certified teachers who are from other countries, including India and the Philippines. But they're still short-staffed.
This year, Martin is teaching two classes of second graders together.
Martin has been on a school-sponsored visa since 2017. She said she was looking for an adventure. And says during her first couple of years she got more than she bargained for.
"What was most surprising to me, was the poverty," she said.
Stanfield is a Title 1 school with the vast majority of students coming from very low-income homes.
"I thought the classes would've been well-equipped. Because I believe this country has the potential to equip all of the classrooms. I do. I believe the resources are here. And I thought that the education system was protected in that way because I thought it was important to educate Americans," she said.
Lessons the teacher didn't expect to learn but says have strengthened her commitment to her students.
"Because I felt like there's work to do in this community. And I want to be a part of that," she said. "It sounds cliché, but it is what teachers live for, to see that change, that growth."
Murrieta says the school in the middle of rural Arizona has the most culturally-diverse staff she's ever had.
"The exciting part is the fact that you're bringing people here who are excited to be here. They are ready to learn, they are eager. And they bring something new to the school," she said.
But their visas are temporary. And Murrieta is afraid with the low pay and the high stress this shortage may be permanent.
"What is it gonna look like when my grandkids are in school? Are they going to have teachers anymore? Are there going to be people who truly care for the kids like we do now?"
They are questions that no one can answer. So she's doing what she can to keep the staff she has and keep the students learning. Challenges and all.