The Path to Equity is Personalized Education
How one educator's journey transformed her vision of teaching into a personalized learning approach that truly meets each child's unique needs.
The Path to Equity Is Personalized Education
In my early childhood, I lived in Los Angeles, where I saw firsthand the inequality in the schools I attended from kindergarten through third grade. Later, I experienced a nearly ideal education during my high school years at a private school. I came to understand what a great classroom should look like. However, when I became a teacher, I struggled to meet everyone’s needs. There seemed to be insurmountable barriers in such a large, bureaucratic system. The turning point came when these education issues reached my own children. My oldest was not thriving in school. He was becoming depressed, withdrawn, and agitated, so we began homeschooling when he was seven.
Through all of these experiences, my ideas about education shifted and evolved. I began working with homeschooled children in 2008 and had the opportunity to teach a much smaller group of about eight or nine students. I was able to let them choose the topics they wanted to focus on and provide individual mentoring. This work felt like what I had always wanted education to be. After working in the homeschool community for nine years, I realized that I wanted more control over my schedule, the classes I taught, and the students I worked with, so I decided to start my own business.
Encourage Education Services was born in the fall of 2017. I offered handwriting and creative writing classes twice a week through a local homeschool center and began taking on tutoring clients. Two families whose children started tutoring with me that year are still with me today. Since my business opened, I have taught classes at two learning centers, as well as online, and have tutored many students both in person and virtually.
What makes my business unique is my focus on personalization. Although this is a buzzword in education today, it usually refers to a computer program that adjusts to a child’s level. However, we are so much more than our academic levels. I call what I do “authentically personalized learning” because people have strengths, weaknesses, and preferences in creativity, environment, social skills, and more. Some of us are fiercely independent, while others would rather have someone else take the lead. We also have natural interests in certain areas. When lessons and activities are customized to fit all of these dimensions, an ideal learning environment for each child begins to emerge. I can find each child’s comfort zone and gently push beyond it as it evolves over time. Whether I’m tutoring one-on-one or teaching a small group, I can consistently offer a high level of personalization.
All students can benefit from this approach, but it is especially helpful for students with learning differences, those learning English as a second language, and those who are shy or have had previous negative experiences with school. Contrary to popular belief, being tough and demanding does not work with these students. They are doing their best, and they need support. Once they know I am there to help, they begin to trust me and become more open to receiving guidance and trying new things.
Of course, it is all a balance. Children are always changing and growing, so I must remain adaptable to their individual needs. When each child is seen, heard, and supported in this way, learning can finally feel equitable and hopeful again. After all, my goal with personalization is for each child to become the best version of themselves.
