It's been a while! I haven't been able to write for the past few months, but it's only because of positive life events.
Late this past summer, I began training for an online tutoring company, called Ignite! Reading. Ignite! Reading partners with school districts across the U.S. and uses a one-on-one approach to tutor students in early literacy skills. Many of the school districts that Ignite! Reading partners with are behind in their reading skills, so this program allows for children to be taught on an individual level in a safe, online classroom for a short 15-minute session each school day. I recently finished training for the company a few weeks ago, and I'm now happily tutoring several students in the mornings.
It's truly been a blessing to get back into teaching through an online platform that is flexible with my schedule. I stopped teaching with VIPKid back in 2021 when China's laws about hiring foreign teachers changed, and my students and hours were drastically reduced. I knew I didn't want to do anything full-time because my first commitment was to my family. As a U.S.-based company, I'm happy to have found Ignite! Reading. I'm so greatful to work with these children to help them with their early literacy skills and to have the opportunity to work from home.
With that said, I've been a bit hard on myself since I had to step away from writing for a length of time. My screen time increased with both training and tutoring going on simultaneously for weeks. By the time I was done with both, I really didn't want to look at a computer screen for the rest of the day.
I know God provided this break from writing for a reason, but it was hard to step away without feeling like I was "falling behind". But really, I needed to take a break as God was developing and re-igniting passions and skills within me to give back and directly help these young children.
Statistically, if a child doesn't learn how to read by the 4th grade, that child is more likely to drop out of high school and not complete his/her education. 3rd grade is really a turning point for many children because from pre-school to 2nd grade, children are learning "how to read", but by 3rd grade, they begin "reading to learn". If a child doesn't have this skill, can you see how difficult it would be to even do school work, or how discouraging it would be to go to school if you were falling behind because of the inability to read?
As I develop my own writing skills, I'm thankful to also be on the other side of teaching children "how to read". Working for this online tutoring company has given me compassion for those children who may not have parents who are able to read to them after school or the school district is overwhelmed with a mass number of students, and children slip through the cracks with their reading skills.
Now that my training is complete, and I'm getting situated with my regular students in the mornings, I'm excited to start planning out what my writing time will look like for the rest of this year and into 2024. I'm also looking forward to meeting back up with my writing group in the next month. As a writer, it's so encouraging to meet alongside other writers since it can be such an isolating task at times.
I don't know when I'll be posting next, but I know my writing schedule will pick back up soon when the time is right.
God bless you and thanks for checking in!
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Hebrews 13:16
Photo by Katerina Holmes: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-interested-black-schoolboy-listening-to-teacher-on-laptop-screen-5905688/
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