{"id":466360,"date":"2026-10-15T02:38:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T02:38:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/466360\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T02:38:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T02:38:27","slug":"elementary-teacher-wants-students-to-feel-seen-and-supported-texas-tech-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/466360\/","title":{"rendered":"Elementary Teacher Wants Students to Feel Seen and Supported | Texas Tech Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michelle Kirkpatrick\u2019s goal is to help students thrive as learners.<\/p>\n

\t\tCREATORS<\/p>\n

\"Portrait<\/p>\n

In her first year with Texas Tech K-12, Michelle Kirkpatrick<\/a> earned the 2025 Teacher of the Year for the district. Now in her second year as a
\n third-grade teacher, she clearly understands one of the biggest challenges of teaching
\n online: creating a strong sense of connection when you don\u2019t see your students every
\n day like a teacher would in a traditional classroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"KirkpatrickKirkpatrick helps a student with a project at TechFest, an event at Texas Tech DFW.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes intentionality to make sure students know there is a real person behind
\n the computer who cares about their learning and their success,\u201d Kirkpatrick said,
\n smiling. \u201cI strive to convey care and connection in my feedback to student work and
\n when students join discussion-based assessment (DBA) meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kirkpatrick has about eight years\u2019 teaching experience, and for Texas Tech K-12 she
\n teaches math, science, ELA and social studies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She has taught everything from kindergarten to university courses, including English
\n literature courses at the middle school and college level. One of her favorites focused
\n on her favorite author, Jane Austen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Michelle<\/p>\n

Drawn to Texas Tech K-12 because she believes in the opportunities that online education
\n can provide for students and families, Kirkpatrick loves that the school gives students
\n the opportunity to receive a rigorous education while having the flexibility to learn
\n in a way that works for their individual circumstances. She was also excited about
\n the relationship to Texas Tech University<\/a> and the opportunity to be part of a community that values learning, growth and student
\n success.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy teaching philosophy is centered around relationships,\u201d Kirkpatrick offered. \u201cI
\n believe students need to feel seen, known and supported before they can truly thrive
\n as learners.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen students join a DBA meeting, I want them to feel as though they are the most
\n important person in the world. I hope to make students feel safe and seen, enabling
\n them to feel confident enough to try, to make mistakes and to learn that hard work
\n really does translate into success.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MichelleKirkpatrick (center) discusses material with other teachers at the 2026 teacher training.<\/p>\n

Kirkpatrick especially enjoys those moments when a student suddenly makes a connection
\n or realizes, \u201cI can do this!\u201d Being able to play even a small part in that moment
\n is incredibly rewarding for her, as is getting to know her students as individuals
\n and seeing the unique strengths and personalities they bring to the learning experience.<\/p>\n

Kirkpatrick also knows learning can feel overwhelming sometimes, especially when a
\n student is not sure where to begin. Often, the hardest part is simply deciding to
\n take that first step.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you feel overwhelmed, start small,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you\u2019re writing an essay, begin
\n by brainstorming ideas and jotting down a few possibilities. You don\u2019t have to know
\n exactly where you\u2019re going yet. Sometimes, simply getting your thoughts out of your
\n head and onto paper or the screen is enough to help you find a direction. Remember,
\n you don\u2019t have to figure everything out at once. Just take the next small step.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most importantly, Kirkpatrick wants to be part of a program where she can build meaningful
\n relationships with students even in an online environment.<\/p>\n

Outside of school Kirkpatrick has a variety of interests and hobbies. She claims an
\n obsession with dark chocolate, always having some nearby, even tucked away in her
\n desk drawer.<\/p>\n

\"Gus,\"Candid\"Pippin,Kirkpatrick and husband Danny (center); two of their three dogs: Gus, an English bulldog
\n (left) and Pippin, a French bulldog (right)<\/p>\n

She and her husband, Danny, who is also employed by Texas Tech, have been married
\n for 22 years; he is her \u201cabsolute favorite person in the world.\u201d They have three teenagers,
\n ages 15 to 17. One of their favorite family traditions is take-out dinner and a movie
\n every Friday night. She says there\u2019s nothing better than ending a crazy week curled
\n up together on the couch.<\/p>\n

Other interests are working out and baking, and she is always adding her own twists
\n to recipes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy kids would probably tell you that our meals are just a little too spicy,\u201d Kirkpatrick
\n said, laughing. \u201cWe love celebrating holidays, so we celebrate everything from D\u00eda
\n de los Muertos to Christmas in July. We\u2019ve even made up a few holidays of our own,
\n like Raisin Up the Nose Day \u2013 I won\u2019t share the origins, but trust me, it\u2019s hilarious!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Michelle Kirkpatrick\u2019s goal is to help students thrive as learners. CREATORS In her first year with Texas Tech…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":466361,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,170,169],"class_list":["post-466360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lubbock","tag-lubbock","tag-lubbock-headlines","tag-lubbock-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=466360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466360\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/466361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=466360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=466360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}