She reflects on the deep challenges educators face and the gritty optimism required to keep going. Through small, faithful acts of love and justice, Naomi reminds us that educators have the power to be a light in dark spaces, changing lives one student at a time.
Be encouraged.
Center for School Leadership at Baylor University
Jon Eckert LinkedIn
Baylor MA in School Leadership
Jonathan Eckert:
All right. So Naomi, if you could just jump in with an easy question here based on our initial interaction in the United States, can you just briefly give us your thoughts on Italian sausages?
Naomi:
Let's just say Italian sausages will always have a special place in my story. They were my first American meal, thanks to you. And I remember thinking, if this is how America welcomes people, I'm staying for dinner.
Jonathan Eckert:
Nice. I love that. Love that. So no, it was great. I know you got it late-
Naomi:
But more than that, sorry Jon, but more than that, they marked the start of an unforgettable experience and conversation that I'll always treasure.
Jonathan Eckert:
Yes. Well, we got to be with Eric Ellefson, which is always a good start. And I know you got in late that night and you hadn't eaten, and it was almost lunchtime. I was like, "Well, let's go find something." And you landed on Italian sausage, which made Eric, who's a Chicagoan, and me, who lived there for 22 years, very happy. So thank you for that. But I think what people that are listening are going to be most interested in is the work that you did while you were in India and then the work that you're doing now. So could you tell us a little bit about the school you led in India?
Naomi:
Absolutely. As I've already told you, Jon, I had the privilege of leading a school that serves some of the most vulnerable children in our society. Many have been trafficked or are the children of sex workers. It's more than just a school. It's a place of refuge and restoration. We provide education, we provide boarding, but it's just not limited to that. We provide mentorship, internships and make sure they have the right pathway into employment. The vision has always been to break the cycle of exploitation and give these children dignity, hope, and a real future.
Well, I continue to serve as one of the directors, and I'm deeply invested in its ongoing mission. I have to say, attending your course on Just Teaching, which Eric led, made a profound impact on how I approached leadership. It helped me think more intentionally about justice in education and how to structure things with both compassion and integrity. So I'm really grateful for your book and the course that I could be a part of.
Jonathan Eckert:
Oh, well, I appreciate that. It feels like pales in comparison to the work you're doing. I think you had shared at the conference where we met that 80% of the kids that you were serving had either been trafficked or were children of mothers who were being trafficked themselves. And what I found so profound is the way that you stuck with them from education to internships, to trying to get them placed in jobs to get them out of this really vicious, vicious cycle. And I'm curious if you could tell us about a particular student who was maybe particularly memorable in the work that you've done.
Naomi:
Absolutely. I'd love to share. There's one girl I'll never forget. She came to us after being rescued from a brothel. She was only a child, but her eyes carried a weight no child should ever bear. I had mentioned this before when I was having a conversation with you that she had visible marks on her body, burns from cigarettes. She was initially violent and unresponsive. She couldn't speak our language, couldn't understand us. She did not trust anyone, and who could blame her? Honestly, I wouldn't have either if I had gone through what she had.
And I just want to share my background as well. I've studied child psychology and counseling, but nothing prepared me for how helpless I felt in those early days. I remember questioning myself, wondering if we were even making a difference. I felt like a failure many a times, but God was patient with me even when I wasn't patient with myself. And slowly with time, counseling, and relentless love from our team, things began to shift. A few years later, that same girl got up on the stage during chapel and prayed in front of all the students. She spoke with such quiet confidence that it brought tears to my eyes. All I could do was just thank the Lord and think this is the same girl who came to us with no hope. What happened in her life wasn't because of me. It was God. It was grace. And grace carried her. Grace carried all of us.
Jonathan Eckert:
I can't even imagine being in that chapel session and hearing her pray. It gives you chills when you think about what the Lord does in the lives of students and we get to walk alongside and be part of that, and that's a blessing for us. So we know this, there are 250 million school-aged children who do not have access to schools around the world. And so that's a pretty bleak number. And you've dealt with some kids with some pretty long odds where things are very, very challenging. So where do you find hope in our work as educators?
Naomi:
Well, it's a staggering number and it can feel overwhelming if you let it, but I've come to believe that hope is never found in the size of the problem. It is found in the impact of each small faithful act. I find hope in the ripple effect of education. When you invest in one child, you're not just changing their life, you're changing their family, their community, and potentially in the scenario I mentioned, generations to come. I've seen it happen firsthand, a child who once believed they were worthless starts to dream and they begin to work toward that dream. Their siblings watch, their parents begin to believe again. That kind of impact may start small, but it is contagious.
Jonathan Eckert:
And I think that's a really helpful reframe. It has to be at the individual level and that's what makes the work you're doing so powerful is you break that cycle with the school you were serving in India where you have kids who are living on campus, who you have been able to get out of a really dangerous context for themselves and get them into a place where they can grow and be challenged and understand truth and grace and love, and then move that one individual kid ahead.
Now, we are not going to be able to address all 250 million kids who don't have access to schools, but you were doing that for 250 kids in India and there are a lot of other amazing educators doing that around the world, we just need to expand those people that are impacting those individual lives. Because again, it makes life for us have more meaning. I always say educators, we never have to look around for the meaning in our work. We know with the work we get to do that that impact is real. It is overwhelming to think of 250 million kids not having access to schools, but there are kids that are within our sphere of influence that we can impact. And that's what I found so compelling about the work you were doing. And then I'd love to know more about the work you're doing now as you try to expand your impact and reach.
Naomi:
Absolutely. I'm currently working as an instructional designer for an online school, and my focus is on blending high academic standards with values-based learning. So that's students not only gain knowledge, but grow in character and purpose. This role is deeply personal for me as many children still living in brothels are struggling to break free. For them, online education is sometimes the only way they can access learning without leaving their current environment until they're able to.
In addition to this, I'm also one of the directors of Changing Destiny, an initiative dedicated to empowering girls from red light districts by ensuring they have clear, meaningful career pathways after school so they never have to return to that life. Education both online and in person is central to that transformation, Jon. And we work hard to make sure every girl has access to the tools and support she needs to build a different future. I do this work voluntarily as an honorary role without receiving a single dollar from Changing Destiny because my heart is to empower these women and children. Just recently I had a long counseling session with the very first batch of students graduating from our school. Some of them want to become writers. Others dream of becoming doctors and professors. Seeing their dreams take shape despite the darkness they've come from, reminds me why this work matters. Their lives are changing and so is their future.
Jonathan Eckert:
Well, that's a beautiful example and your career arc is a beautiful representation of doing work really up close with individual students in really close proximity to really challenging circumstances. And then you're saying, well, we can't reach each kid that's there and so we need this virtual option that can give them a values-based strong education that will then launch them into something more as they become more of who they're created to be. And so I love the balance that you in your own career represent of this deeply personal work that you're now trying to scale up in ways that make education accessible beyond what you were able to do, even with the amazing school you had serving 250 kids, we might get closer to that 250 million that we need to hit.
Naomi:
Absolutely.
Jonathan Eckert:
That's great. So what do you see as the greatest challenge for educators currently? Obviously you've seen some challenging circumstances, but if you think broadly for educators, what do you see as the greatest challenge?
Naomi:
Well, one of the greatest challenges today is navigating the tension between academic expectations and the emotional, mental, and even spiritual needs of our students. The world is changing rapidly, especially in the aftermath of COVID. We've seen a surge in anxiety, trauma and a deep sense of disconnection in children and young people. Many are coming into the classroom carrying invisible burdens, things they may not have words for, but that affect everything from their attention spans to their self-worth. Well, as educators, we are being called to do so much more than just teach. We are expected to be mentors, to be counselors, social workers, motivators, and sometimes even surrogate parents.
And most of us are doing it with very limited resources and support. It can be exhausting and emotionally draining, especially when we ourselves are navigating burnout or our own personal challenges. The hardest part is that the system often still prioritizes grades and outcomes over the child's holistic well-being. But the truth is no real learning happens when a child feels unsafe, unseen, or unheard. I think the challenge is learning to balance the pressure of performance with the calling to care. And that's something no training manual can fully prepare you for. It requires deep compassion, a lot of prayer, and a supportive community around you. If we don't acknowledge this challenge, we risk losing the heart of what education is meant to be.
Jonathan Eckert:
Well, I love that example because teaching is one of the most human things we do and it is absolutely contingent on relationship and that sense of belonging. And so it doesn't matter whether you're dealing with... In the US, we just completed a survey of some of the most elite private schools in the US compared to public school outcomes, compared to Christian school outcomes. And that sense of belonging is so integral to the adult outcomes. We were looking at people in ages 24 to 39, and actually right before we jumped on, I was working on a paper laying this out, and what you just said is so true, whether you're working with kids whose mothers are being trafficked or who have been trafficked, that sense of belonging is so acute and that goes across the whole human condition.
So given the fact that most of the people listening have not had the experiences of educating in some of the places you have, I think it's really powerful to hear the connection that we all have to that same challenge. So with that said, what do you see as the greatest opportunity for educators? If that's the greatest challenge, this need to create a sense of belonging and connection holistically, then what do you see as the greatest opportunity?
Naomi:
Well, Jon, I believe we are standing at a pivotal moment in education. Technology has opened doors that were once firmly shut, making learning more accessible, creative, and collaborative than ever before. Children in remote villages now have the potential to learn alongside peers from different countries. Educators can share ideas, resources, and innovations across borders. That alone is revolutionary. But beyond the tools and platforms, I think the greater opportunity lies in re-imagining what education should be. For too long, schooling has been about memorization and performance. Now we have the chance to center education on what truly matters, which is love, justice, and transformation. We can build spaces where children feel seen and valued, where their identities are affirmed and their voices are heard. And when faith becomes a part of that conversation, when students begin to understand that they are not accidents, but intentionally created, loved and called, then the transformation goes even deeper. It no longer is just about passing exams. It's also about discovering purpose. We have an opportunity to equip a generation, not just with knowledge, but with wisdom, empathy and courage and that kind of education can really change the world.
Jonathan Eckert:
Yeah, well said. So this is our lightning round. So these are just short sentence long answers if you can. But first one, we'll go back to food. I'm a big fan of food. What was your favorite food you had when you were in the us?
Naomi:
Well, I'm still dreaming about those Italian sausages. I may or may not have Googled how to ship them internationally.
Jonathan Eckert:
Love it. It all goes back to the Italian sausage. Very good. We need to figure out how to get you some over there. I think Eric is, Eric's our director of networks and improvement at the center. So I feel like that's something he needs to figure out his network to help us improve our enjoyment of food. How do we get Italian in sausages to the UK?
Naomi:
Perfect.
Jonathan Eckert:
Next one. What's the worst advice you've ever received?
Naomi:
Stay in your lane. Thankfully I didn't.
Jonathan Eckert:
That was well said. And thank you for not staying in your lane. I mean, yeah, educators need to step into the work they're called to and that a lot of times it's not the lane everybody thought we were going to be in when we started. So what's the best advice you've ever received?
Naomi:
Love them first, then teach. It never failed me.
Jonathan Eckert:
That's so good. That's so good. And then what makes you most hopeful for educators?
Naomi:
The fact that so many still show up every day with love in their hearts and a belief that every child matters.
Jonathan Eckert:
Yes, that is so true, and that's the blessing of the job that I have. I get to meet educators like you that have seen really hard things and remain hopeful, and they are hopeful because of what they've seen the Lord do in the lives of students. And so that moves past, we talk about this all the time, it moves past naive optimism. That belief that you have when you first start educating, like, hey, we can change the world, and this can all be amazing. And then you get hit with the reality of it and you realize it's harder than maybe you thought it was. But over time, you develop a gritty optimism because you've seen kids get out of really difficult circumstances. You've seen kids become the writers, the professors, the doctors, the parents that they want to be. And so that's the joy of being an educator, especially if you get to stay in it for decades, and that's the beauty of the work.
Well, Naomi, thank you for taking time to talk to us. Thank you especially for the work you do and the work that you allow the Lord to do through you. You have been a tremendous blessing to me and to the center and to the people that you are in network with through the initial interaction you had with us. But we know the Lord's going to continue to use you in powerful ways and we want to cheer you on and help any way we can, even if that's just sending you some Italian sausages.
Naomi:
Thank you, Jon. It really means a lot to have had this space to share. These stories are close to my heart and I'm grateful for the opportunity to shine a little light on the hope that's growing even in hard places. Thank you so much.
Jonathan Eckert:
Thank you, Naomi.