A Fresh Start: Encouragement in Education

Welcome to Enriched Insights - a renewed vision guided by mission.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you might remember that Enriched Education started with homeschool curriculum. 

This is the first post I've written in quite a while. In my time away, I completed a second Master's degree in Educational Leadership. This season of growth helped me refocus and recognize a greater need that I feel called to meet. I have found myself leaning harder into what I’ve always loved most: speaking life, offering encouragement in education, and empowering both students and teachers to grow. So, I’m shifting gears.

This refocus will not only be reflected in the products I create, but will be reflected in my blog, now titled "Enriched Insights", as well.

What we educators do matters. Profoundly. 

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A story of impact:

There was a student on the struggle bus - not turning in assignments, disconnected, and seemingly apathetic. This student had caught the attention of our MTSS team so we put several supports in place, one of which was assigning a daily check-in person.

That person? Me.

Every day, we checked for missing work. I was intentional in speaking to this individual even if this student did not converse with me. I encouraged. I gave authentic compliments. I reminded this student that they were capable. At first, I got nods and shrugs.

But slowly, change happened.

By the end of the semester, the student was passing every class and had no missing work. I started seeing some smiles. I noticed more laughter. I saw this individual get out of a comfort zone to make friends. Next year, that same student will be a peer tutor!

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Encouragement in education matters and you can make a difference.

But let’s be honest: It costs something.

Showing up for students takes energy. Loving on them when they’re disrespectful, distracted, or hurting drains us. It requires patience, presence, and sometimes a little prayer.

But that student might not hear a kind word from anyone else that day.

You may be the only adult who believes in them. And that’s why you play such a vital role in your students' growth and future. So, what do we do when things get difficult?

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Here are a few practical reminders:

1. Don’t take it personally. Student behavior is communication. There’s always something underneath it. Disrespect, shutdowns, laziness—they often come from fear, trauma, anxiety, or shame. When we take it personally, we stop being curious. Stay curious.

2. Have real conversations. When things get difficult with a student, stop and take time to have a private conversation. Try: “I noticed you’re struggling with (insert issue). What’s up with that?” Avoid asking why —it almost always ends in an “I don’t know.” But "what's up with that?" invites honesty. Listen. Don’t interrupt. Work toward a solution together.

3. Practice gratitude. Yes, loving others will cost you something. But gratitude resets your focus. Even on hard days, find one thing to be thankful for.

And most importantly...

Remember that you are shaping the future, one interaction at a time. You may not always see the impact. But you are sowing seeds.

So as you step into this next week, keep your head up. Your presence matters. Your patience matters. You matter. Enriched Insights is here to remind you of that. Each post, each story, each resource—it all points back to one simple truth:

You can change the world, one child at a time.

Welcome to Enriched Insights. Let’s go make a difference.