A Portage Life in the Spotlight: Karen Kinsey

A Portage Life in the Spotlight: Karen Kinsey

Being a kid is hard. Going to school, making friends, playing sports and more are a whole lot of responsibilities for elementary schoolers, and it’s all the more difficult for kids without access to food, school supplies or just simple stresses. When it gets to be a little too much, Home School Advisors like Saylor Elementary’s Karen Kinsey step in to help.

Kinsey’s role is incredibly flexible as she tackles complex issues every day. From helping kids get the food they need, backpacks to carry their books or just having a conversation after a rough morning at home – every student requires a different, caring approach.

“When kids come to school, they can’t thrive and learn unless they have their basic needs met,” said Kinsey. “My job, with the help of teachers, parents and staff is to identify when that’s happening and figure out what’s in the way of their learning. We can’t expect them to sit down and start learning math when those kinds of things are happening in their lives.”

Born and raised in Valparaiso, Kinsey did not enjoy school up until she graduated. One thing she did appreciate was the teachers that took extra care to involve themselves with students’ growth and learning far beyond the standard expectations. This kick-started an interest in social services that grew as she attended Indiana University Northwest where she earned a degree in sociology.

Her career path ultimately led her to Saylor Elementary after she heard about the wonderful things Portage Township Schools were doing from her mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

“I’ve always been in social services, but my mother-in-law and sister-in-law both work for Portage Schools,” explained Kinsey. “My mother-in-law is a special education teacher, and my sister-in-law is a Home School Advisor at Kyle Elementary. So, when this position opened up, they told me about it. I’ve been here ever since, this will be my 12th school year here.”

Kinsey’s work with kids did not begin at Saylor. Before joining Portage Schools, she worked with First Steps, an organization that provides services “designed to meet the developmental needs” of infants and toddlers. While much of her work with kids involves securing their scholastic growth, she is also deeply passionate about helping along their personal growth.

“I do character education,” said Kinsey. “So, I help kids with appreciating diversity and developing empathy. That’s a big thing that I really like to do, helping kids learn to care about others. My favorite part of it all is that I can be involved with shaping them into the people that they are. Their parents obviously have the most influence, but it’s a powerful thing to be able to help shape the next generation.”

Outside of her work at Saylor is also a big family woman. She lives in Valpo with her husband and two daughters. They’re a very outdoorsy family who loves spending time out in the summer. Every day they will go as a family to check and see what’s in their pond as they feed the local birds and squirrels.

Perhaps the strangest part of Kinsey’s life is her inescapable, but completely unintentional, connection with turtles. For reasons she cannot explain, she finds herself regularly rescuing turtles from peril as they cross busy streets.

“They are continuously, every time I go somewhere, in the road trying to cross traffic,” she said. “I have to get out and carry them across the road! It’s just a weird thing that I have learned to accept in my life. I am the turtle rescuer, I guess! I’m not a turtle fanatic; it’s just a thing that happens to me.”

A rescuer of both kid’s education and turtle’s lives, Karen Kinsey brings something special to Portage Schools.