Enrichment Operation

Where it all began...

Hi!

My name is Peter Ferguson and I’m a proud product of Moorhead, Minnesota. During my 6 incredible years as a classroom teacher in Taiwan, Wisconsin, and here in Moorhead, I quickly realized that I was put on this planet to encourage and inspire children. It is difficult to put into words how special ‘my kids’ have always made me feel. I know the vast majority of the students I have worked with would say the same about me. Every one of my current and former students and colleagues have played a role in me moving forward with this dream.

While in Madison, I had the incredible privilege to teach at a middle school very near to Lake Monona. In the spring and fall when fishing was good, I held an after school fishing club. In the winter months I held cooking club. For someone born with a fishing pole in one hand and a spatula in the other, this was a dream come true. Many of the participants had never dreamt of catching a fish or baking a pie. The reality is, most young people don’t have these opportunities. It was during these ‘enrichment opportunities’ that I saw minds being blown. I got to witness firsthand the impact had when children are exposed to new experiences. After each of these club meetings, I would always mutter, “if only this were my full time job.” Being that I had a classroom to organize and prepare, curriculum to plan, papers to grade, copies to make, emails to send, calls to make (the list goes on and on - teachers are magicians), this life wasn’t sustainable. Although I knew it wasn’t sustainable, these moments ignited dreams within me that now are coming to fruition.

For the past year, working alongside our amazing educators here in Moorhead, my job has been quite simple. All day I am an additional adult in our classrooms, hallways, and cafeteria telling our students they are talented, brilliant, and capable of amazing things. Each morning I have the privilege to tell countless students I am happy they are at school today, to continue working hard and being nice to their peers. Every moment I am searching for the student that needs to be picked up and made to feel safe. Relationships have been constantly built on trust, respect, and consistency. It is absolutely amazing what can happen when you aren’t tied to one classroom or caseload and the exhausting workload that follows.

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