Getting out - Going nowhere
This post is continued from "Downstairs and Diamond Water" which in turn began at "A Difficult Start" It would be best to read the full story so you can grasp the forward progression of our life in Kuantan.
I went on many afternoon walks in the sweltering sun as part of my 'getting out' campaign to find more students. I spoke to people I met in the streets, at their houses and in shops. I even met one parent whilst playing snooker on a free lunchtime. His son began attending, and subsequently brought along his friends too.
I also put up posters around some parts of Kuantan advertising my tuition classes. This was somewhat successful as I received a few calls as a result of using this method. The Kuantan Curry House put one of my posters up in their restaurant, and a number of Indian students came from that, most notably Mukund, a young boy who spent two years attending my classes.
I also spent a year or two teaching adults of various ages, who had come across my English services. It was the first time I had ever taught adults English so it was difficult at first as I had to come up with ways to personalise my lessons to their specific needs. (My oldest student was a 67-year-old Chinese man!) Now I've stopped teaching adults, which I usually did in the early mornings, because my wife is 7 months pregnant and we have a new baby on the way! So I won't be available at 8am anymore! I also have more than enough school students to make up for the loss of adults. Maybe one day those classes will start up again...
It was such a thrill to get to the point where I was earning enough money from teaching English to pay all of our expenses monthly with a little left over. This happened just as our cash wedding gift had run dry.
The next task was to improve the standard and variety of my teaching to keep the students I had, and at the same time, attract others. So whereas earlier I had to 'get out' to find students, I'm now at the stage where I can sit at home and basically 'go nowhere', and still have a steady supply of new students.
Parents talk about and recommend my tuition classes with their friends, my current students bring along siblings or classmates, and even some people come across this, my blog, before emailing me regarding sending their children to my English tuition.
Going nowhere is a lot easier than going out. I now spend good portions of time developing and expanding my syllabus, resulting in more effective, interesting classes, and a wider variety of exercises and games.
This ensures that my students have fun in my class, as well as experience efficient learning, and desire to share it with their friends.
Do you work at home? Or are you employed by another? Which would you prefer?
Who would be worthy of your genuflection?
