Encompass Tutorial Services

Hello! My name is Jessica Rae Shore and I am the founder and Chief Executive Functioning Specialist of Encompass Tutorial Services, LLC. My dream to build an agency that helps students achieve academic success while cultivating personal responsibility and self-esteem is inspired by my own educational journey.  

Growing up in Dallas, Texas I was, like most of us, a goofy teenager who wanted to do well in school, play on sports teams, join school clubs, and be with my friends. For the 9th grade, I transferred from public to private school, attending The Greenhill School. It was there that I first realized that being successful in school required a lot more than a quick brain and the ability to charm my teachers. In order to ‘do it all’ and not drive my parents crazy, I began to cultivate key executive functioning skill such as time management, organization, and study skills.

We have all witnessed that some students study long hours under constant stress, while other students seem more successful at school without having to work as hard. Because the academic experience is not limited to time in a classroom, I found that utilizing these important skills is a critical component to finding balance between homework demands, extracurriculars, and a rich social life.

After graduating with honors, I traveled to Philadelphia and joined the Ivy League at The University of Pennsylvania. It was there that I fell in love with ancient history and discovered my passion for teaching. I graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in European History and Classical Studies and received a Post Baccalaureate Degree in Classical Languages. With the desire to become a professor of history, I began a Masters and Phd program at The University of Texas at Austin in ancient and medieval history.

While at UPenn and UT Austin, I noticed many of my peers judge their academic success and their self worth by a grade based system, regarding the coveted 'A' as the only marker of achievement. These students struggled to cope after school when they no longer had academic accolades to validate their self worth. I also witnessed many students struggle with low academic self-esteem because of less than perfect GPAs despite their accomplishments in other facets of their school experience.  Not wanting to fall into this trap, I realized that setting goals is a vital component to building academic self-esteem and inspiring motivation to meet individual potential.   

While teaching for five years at UT Austin, I witnessed many freshman flounder. Despite their rank in the top 10%, they were not equipped for the challenges of college life.  This experience, coupled with working with junior high and high school students for nearly ten years, reinforced to me that many struggling students do not lack a comprehension of the material, nor are unable to follow along and participate in class. Their primary problem is that they lack fundamental executive functioning skills. They do not know where their homework is, when it is due, or how to get it done. Most importantly, they are unmotivated by grades and therefore lack the incentive to excel.  

Over time, as my love of teaching flourished, I began to reflect on my educational experience and the experience of my students. After finishing school, I took my passion for teaching and developed the philosophy that is at the core of Encompass Tutorial Services.

- Jessica Rae Shore -