When the Student is Ready… The Appearance of Teacher Jade in my Life by Pamela Francis
She’s brown. Just like me
She’s beautiful. Just like me
She’s well-traveled. Just like me
She’s an educator. Just like me
She’s an entrepreneur mom. Just like me
She appears to keep it real — as in her hair. Just like me.
She lives in Atlanta. I did that.
She purportedly makes $10,000 a month in online teaching revenue.
And there is where the similarities end. For now…
Teacher Jade came across my screen the way so many other discoveries do: a GOOGLE headline. She was being touted as the $10,000-a-month-maker teacher on Outschool, an online teaching platform where educators can apply to teach courses that they create at whatever price the market will bear. As I have only recently gotten out of the brick-and-mortar education game (a.k.a. jail 2.0), I was immediately enthralled. I was on the prowl for a venue to bring my teaching skills and passion to… online… and no, I had no idea that one could come away with a 5-figure monthly salary showing kids how to write a 5-sentence essay. I do that every day. You see, I homeschool my own 2 sons, and have been for almost all their academic careers. My oldest is now 18, about to graduate high school. My younger is a fifth grader. Neither of my boys has ever been left back, failed out, or pegged as a discipline problem. They haven’t been diagnosed with ADD, they don’t know what it’s like to be suspended or expelled… and they both make their own money through their internet acumen. We don’t use the phrase “side hustle” around here. We think it’s an insult. My boys Make Bank… they… Monetize Their Skills. They… help a mother out, nahmeen?
So along comes this African American beauty of the genius persuasion and I am ALL IN on whatEVER she’s doing. Though I am skittish about the reality web series “Mompreneurs of Atlanta” I see being promoted on IG. Please, don’t let us down, Teacher Jade, I whisper in prayer-like fashion as I scroll the page, wincing at the tight red dresses and fish net pantyhose I see on the cast members. Real Housewives of Atlanta was a guilty pleasure I not so secretly hated but frequently dropped in on, natch! We’ll see how it goes. But as for now… Teacher Jade is My SHERO.
Tags: #DIYMomma, #International Women's Month, #Mompreneurs of Atlanta, #OutSchool, #Teacher Jade
