First Month is Over ...

Okay .... tonight I finish my First Month of earning my own pay .... and I am proud to announce that I kept my head above water!!

I wanted to do this without dipping into my savings at all ... and I have been able to accomplish that. Even with a need for a $350 plumber repair ... and $100 worth of shots for the kitten .... I was still able to pay the bills I normally pay for the household ...

I did not make as much $$ as I would have received teaching school .... BUT .... I am MUCH happier!!

Thanks to all of you who have used my tutoring services and thanks to all my friends who have been supporting me with your words and prayers!!

And Tutoring Goes On ....

Things are going pretty well these days.

I have 6 students in 3 classes at the Home Educators Resource Store and that is going well. The HERS people have been very kind and very supportive and I really appreciate working with them.

The classes I am offering at HERS are:

Saxon Algebra I 9:30-10:30
Saxon Algebra II 10:45-11:45
Saxon Math 76 12:00-1:00


My in-home tutoring has picked up some lately, too. I actually had an old tutee drive 4.5 hours home from college this weekend to get some help from me! Now that was surprising!

And, a woman who has been involved in Homeschool Math tutoring for years is beginning to refer people to me and I am getting calls from all over the metroplex. Some are willing to travel to see me .... others just can't handle the distance .... which I do understand, especially given the cost of gas these days. ((Thanks Kathy!!))

I am also getting some students from the two websites I'm on ... http://www.tutorsteach.com and http://www.tutornation.com ....

Overall ... I could be busier, but I am doing okay ... and pretty happy with life these days!!

My First Homeschool Classes!!

I got a phone call around 7:00 last night from the Home Educator Resource Store here in Lewisville. I had been offering sign-ups for 3 different Saxon Math classes through their store for several weeks, but last I had heard, there were no takers. However, the phone call last night informed me that I had two students for the Saxon Algebra I and one student for the Saxon Algebra II .... and both classes started today!!

I had asked for a minimum of 3 students per class for the class to "make", but decided to go to HERS today and meet the students and their Moms and find out what they needed. I had bought the text books but hadn't set up a syllabus for either class yet. I printed out some Placement Tests from Saxon's website, packed up my books and stuff and took off to start my new career!

HERS is just up the street from me, maybe 2.5 miles at the most. That is very nice for me. They have two classrooms in the back and are allowing people like me to offer classes one day a week. HERS charges $10/month/student and I can charge whatever I feel is best. I think that is a pretty good deal. They also sell all the curriculum needs for Homeschoolers. I decided to teach 3 different levels of Saxon Math on Wednesdays.

So .... I met my new students this morning. The Algebra I students are a brother and sister from McKinney (which is quite a long drive away from here). They will be a relaxed family to work with. I learned today that "relaxed" is a term used in Homeschooling. They want the material taught and covered well ... but they aren't going to stress about keeping massive amounts of grades. I like that.

My one young man for Algebra II comes from Coppell. I could tell early on that he wasn't ready for Saxon's Algebra II quite yet .... so we went out into the HERS store and picked out a couple of KEYS to ALGEBRA books for him to work through. These books will ramp his brain back into Math-Mode ... and then we will tackle the Algebra II.

I told both classes that we would stay with the HERS classroom for this month of September, but if no other students join us, we would probably move the classes to my house. I have a tutoring area set up with everything but the White Board ... and I can get that if I need to. Things like pencil sharpeners, rulers, compasses, kleenex, coffee, copier, printer, computer .... lots of Math books ... and quiet music. Everyone seemed agreeable to that idea.

So .... I have begun .... and it feels like a good start.

September 6th

Okay .... now things should start happening. Three Week Progress Reports go out to the public school kids this week .... and Homeschoolers start classes this week. I am hoping for much ringing of my phones and pinging of my emails!!

I have had several people contact me lately .... but they were all out of my areas of expertise. I could have taken them on and done the best I could with them, but if I knew someone else who could do a better job, I recommended them away from me.

The man who wanted Statistics II College level I referred to my friend who teaches AP Stats.

The woman whose 9 year old grandson needs 3rd grade Math help .... I referred her to the district tutoring list, which she didn't know existed.

The woman who heard I was a brilliant tutor and was willing to drive over an hour one way from McKinney, TX each Sunday evening .... I referred her to my friend in Frisco, therefore cutting her drive time in half. Construction is horrible on that road ... I couldn't have anyone driving in that mess for over 2 hours just so I could tutor them. Amy will treat them well.

The 49 year old man with Memory Issues who needed help refreshing his basic Math skills .... but my rates were too high ... I referred him to a set of books sold by Homeschool Resource Stores .... problems with step-by-step solutions written out.

It's almost like I am shoving business away from me .... but I really want these people to get the best help they can. I am hoping that "what goes around, comes around" and maybe these folks I have referred people to will in turn refer people to me.

Meanwhile .... progress reports go out this week .... homeschooling starts this week .... may my phone ring and my email ping!!