One thing I always tell my students is, "your story matters," because I want them to believe their observations about themselves and the world around them are worth writing about.
I would love to see more literature courses used to bring canonical books into conversation with other authors, taking another writer’s point of view to expand and critique the lens offered by the canon.
Writing is a solitary venture that can get very lonely. I like having the presence of other writers around and just thinking about writing can generate a spark.