Neil Armstrong Elementary principal debuts children's novel 'Empowering Eloise'

While pursuing his career in education, Kevin Turner always dreamed of becoming a children's author along the way.

On Tuesday, the principal of Neil Armstrong Elementary School in Bettendorf held a live reading of "Empowering Eloise," his debut published children's book.

Through playful rhymes and vibrant illustrations, the story follows Eloise, a third-grader, on a heartwarming journey where she learns to navigate her feelings, confidently face challenges and build resilience through positive affirmations and a growth mindset.

"A lot of this book is for those 'internalizing' kids," Turner said, citing his 12 years in elementary education. "Those students who kind of struggle with what to do when they're feel their feelings."

He said third grade can be a hard academic transition for students, especially for those starting the year at a new school or transferring in later.

"It's not always easy to be the (new) student in a building, with all the eyes on you," Turner said. "I hope it helps those kids going forward."

Anther goal is that "Empowering Eloise" helps the classmates of new students put these daunting feelings into perspective, so they may feel more empowered to support new peers.

The book's main character, Eloise, is loosely based on his now 3-year-old daughter, the "real" Eloise.

"This is sort of a projection into the future if you will," Turner said, as his Eloise was only one when he started writing the book. "The illustrator (Charlotte Harwood) did a great job (depicting) what she might look like someday, and I definitely used some characteristics from the real Eloise."

Most of his writing, though, was inspired by his own time and relationships with students.

"This is year four of being a principal," Turner said. "So I kind of took all the experiences I've had with trauma-informed training, social-emotional training and all the kids I've worked with."

"Empowering Eloise" was published by Challenge to Change , a Dubuque-based organization that develops and delivers social-emotional programs to schools, businesses and other community entities. Turner's wife, Jordan, directs the organization's Mindful Education in Schools program.

Challenge to Change sought to expand its library of school-based material — placing a focus on resilience and empowerment — roughly two years ago, landing him the opportunity to write his first book. Turner said Challenge to Change gave him some general guidelines, like making Eloise a third-grader, but he otherwise had "quite a bit of freedom" when writing the story.

"I really wanted it to rhyme, so that part took a while, as you can imagine," he said.

Still, Turner's biggest focus was telling a tale of resilience and empowerment — one that translates to parents, too. In the book, for example, Eloise receives mindfulness advice from her mom in the form of positive affirmations.

"In a world (filled) with so many negative things, the sooner we teach our kids that they can be their own biggest advocate, the better," Turner said. "They can utilize positive self-talk and those (affirmations) for themselves, but it all starts from within ... and I hope parents catch onto that."

One parent, Loni Lee said she did catch onto that during Tuesday's reading.

"It was very empowering," she said. "It's really hard to raise children in this generation. Obviously, (raising) girls, it's important that we empower them to be themselves."

Lee's daughter, Neil Armstrong kindergartener Qhloe, said she liked Turner's book and would read it again sometime.

"It's great, it's good and I liked it," Neil Armstrong second-grader Aryan Bourne said of "Empowering Eloise."

Eloise's affirmation, "I am brave, I am smart," was Aryan's favorite part of the book.

"My favorite color is pink, and I saw a lot of pink in there," she added.

After Tuesday's reading, Neil Armstrong school counselor Ami Ventris led families through a mindfulness activity focused on those two topics. Families also participated in a craft about positive affirmations to take home.

Turner said he and Jordan use positive affirmations with the real Eloise, and they plan to do the same for 1-year-old Reagan.

"There's more than one way to stand up for yourself, I think that's important," Turner said. "Affirmations are a real thing, you know?"

He's working to promote these positive social-emotional strategies throughout Neil Armstrong, too, as it helps build trusted relationships between students and faculty.

"It's never been harder to be a student, and it's also never been harder to be a teacher," Turner said, adding it's important that educators are intentional in deciphering students' needs. "We have to put these social-emotional needs first before asking (demanding) academic requirements from our kids, and a lot of that has to do with trust and relationships."

To him, social-emotional development is a "rock solid" way to ground these relationships, and, thus, boost students' academic confidence and success.

"When they build that self-esteem, resilience and empowerment within, they can start to see themselves having success ... and eventually, feel more comfortable taking chances in reading, or asking questions in math," Turner said. "It all just builds off one another."

Moving forward, he hopes to write more children's books and continue to promote empowerment and resilience as both principal and parent.

Those interested in buying a copy of "Empowering Eloise" should visit tinyurl.com/5bchnpfp .

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