I heard this quote not long ago while watching some random reels on Facebook. At first, I did not pay any attention to it. But when I lost a job for almost a month after resigning from my previous work to apply at DepEd, I suddenly remembered that quote.
I asked myself what my dream is: What is that one thing I want to do now? Teaching has been my passion. So, I ask myself how can I further help my students in their learning and development? As a breadwinner, how can I earn money to support my family? I thought about it until I decided to offer tutorial classes. I always believe that consistency in learning is the ultimate key to success.
So, I contacted my good friends, Teacher Jhullie Anne and Teacher Champagne to join me. We discussed the things we needed to prepare and then messaged every single parent we knew, offering them the opportunity to enroll their children in our summer tutorial classes.
We were very blessed because many parents accepted our offer and enrolled their children. We started looking for a place to have our tutorial classes.
Our first choice was located on Manubag Street near CRMC Elementary School. But when we inquired about the place, they said that it was already occupied. We had no choice but to look for another place.
Our second choice was Pumar’s Boarding House. We checked the place but it was not suitable for our students because the place wasn’t spacious enough, had poor lighting, and only had one toilet for everybody.
Our third choice was in Sambag, Bogo City and just like the rest, it was still not suitable for our students.
We kept on looking for a place until we found a studio-type unit perfect for our students. It was located in Pelaez St., Bogo City, Cebu near Avon Building.
We cleaned the place and we brought all the tables, chairs, stand fans, printers, whiteboards, books, and many more. We started the class last July 10, 2023. Our daily schedule was from Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm.
Days passed, and our students’ number grew. We were so happy and thankful because despite being unemployed for months we still managed to earn money. We stayed there for two months. But just like anything else, everything has an end.
Last August 25, 2023, our summer class tutorial ended. Teacher Jhullie and teacher Champagne also decided that they would no longer continue the tutorial at the opening of class.
When I heard about it, I didn’t know what to do because I was used to having them around. So, it was just me now. I started to think of quitting too and looking for another job. But I didn’t know when and where to start again.
Building my Dream
It has always been my dream to build my tutorial center. I thought that this may be the sign to start on my own. Without wasting any time, I looked for a new place near CRMC Elementary where I could continue my tutorial services. God answered my prayers.
I found a place accessible for my tutees. It was only a five-minute walk from the school. It was spacious enough for my students. I talked to the caretaker of the house and promised to give my rent for a one-month deposit and one month's advance as soon as possible. I gave 12,000 pesos in total last August 30, 2023.
When everything was settled, the caretaker gave me the keys to the house. The condition of the place when I checked it was not okay. The walls and floors were dirty.
So, I asked for help from my sister, Jhal, and my two friends, Arlyn and Lindsay. We swept and mopped the floor. We wiped the windows and walls. But because the walls were too dirty, we decided to paint them white instead. After that, we changed the old bulbs to new ones. We also put some curtains to cover the windows.
When everything was ready, I brought my other things such as tables, chairs, printer, stand fans, and many more inside the house. I noticed that the place was too big for me and my tutees. So, I came up with the idea to hire more tutors and look for more students to utilize the area.
In that way also, I can save money for rent and other expenses in the house. I invited my sister, my cousin, and my one friend to join me. We were all professional teachers waiting for the DepEd Hiring. And indeed, it was successful. We contacted more parents to enroll their children in our tutorial classes after school hours.
We help them with their assignments, review their lessons, and study for their quizzes or exams and we also offer reading and math enrichment sessions for our students. We made sure that there was a 1 to 3 ratio between teachers and students.
I handle three grade-five students namely Zein, Daneile, and Yohann. My sister, Jhal, handles three grade-four students namely Venice, Melody, and Freya, while my cousin, Karen, handles three grade-two students namely Giere, Paula, and Megan. And of course, my friend, Lindsay, handles three grade-six students namely Kermel, Raphael, and Soysoy. We also have regular students on Saturdays.
Just like our number of students grew, our number of needs also grew. For instance, when there was a time that we studied for their first long exam, we felt that the place was sultry. Our students felt uneasy.
We only had electric fans at that time. I also felt uneasy at that time so after that day I looked for secondhand aircon in the Facebook marketplace. I found an aircon which cost 5,000 pesos.
It turned out that the seller was a parent from the previous school where I worked. She agreed that I pay her the amount on an installment basis.
Everything went smoothly during the first month of the school year. But just like any other business, we also experienced some downhills this month of October. Our business slowed down because many of our students got sick. Some were busy because of their training.
As a teacher and a newbie in business, I found it very depressing because I never expected something like that to happen. I was never prepared for it. But luckily, I have my mother who has always been my back. She told me that it usually happens to any individual when running a business.
She told me to be strong and always see the good side of life. It was like believing that “there’s a rainbow always after the rain”. I encouraged myself to keep on going and to continue the things I usually do. Do not stop because everything will be okay.
However, we enjoyed our one-week vacation of tutor. I know that we will be able to overcome whatever setbacks life will throw at us. We just have to continue and focus on our goal so that our tutorial center will grow more and more.