How you do anything is how you do everything.
Kismet • February 06, 2026 • 5 min read
She was my offline student from May to June. She was three years old when I met her. After they completed their ESL courses, they went back to their home country. Honestly, I didn’t expect that we would stay in contact after they returned.
But two weeks later, my friend told me that her mother had reached out, hoping we could continue with online lessons for her daughter.
And of course, we accepted. Originally, it was a 25-minute class—8 PM on Fridays and 9 AM on Saturdays. But after a month, her mother contacted me. (This was the first time we talked online because my friend usually handled communication with her.) She asked if I could have extra classes for her daughter on Mondays and Tuesdays.
And may I remind you that at this time, I was already jobless, and my only other student was in Italy. So this was a really good financial opportunity for my broke-ass self.
This setup motivates me to build my own English school.
The good thing about this setup is that if I can’t have a class, I can simply ask the mother to reschedule it on days when they’re available. If they are absent, it is still considered paid. I’ve asked many times if we should have extra classes, but the mother always tells us that she doesn’t mind and that money is not a problem. So even if I don’t have a class with her daughter, I am still paid for that time.
We are doing it smoothly now—singing, showing things to her, and of course, keeping the lessons fun. As I found the right rhythm for teaching her, I discovered that she enjoys the activities. I made mazes, search-and-find games, and other activities that a toddler would love. We practice introducing her name and basic introductions.
A tale as old as time. Everything must come to an end, no matter how beautiful the connection is.
Our class ended last week, and to be honest, I wasn’t informed. There was no formal goodbye. I became so complacent, to be honest, because I had just settled with three students. I even told my aunt that I would be looking for another student, but I can’t bring myself to delete her name from my calendar. It was a precious class for me.
But something happened today.
Her mother contacted me again to continue our lessons, and I was just so happy because it meant I’d have some extra cash again. Though the money would be half now, since we only have two classes every week, I’m still really happy. I don’t know why they decided to extend—maybe it was the activities or the singing—but this made me realize that I’m in the customer service industry. I have to make sure my customers feel seen and heard. I understand that even though I really like her, at the end of the day, they are still my customers, and I am selling my service.
One thing I learned from her is that underpromise but overdeliver. Because if you do your best, they will come back even if the contract ended. They will ask for extensions because they like your service. And it is in the small details. Maybe it was not my teaching style that made them come back—maybe it is from the PowerPoint I created that is personalized for her daughter, or maybe it is how I remember the little details that her daughter told me, or maybe it is the effort I always showed every time we had a class, when she told me about her days or her toys. I don’t know for sure, but one thing I know is that in everything that I do, I must do my best.
DISCLAIMER: Subject to change. This is a subjective human opinion. The author is writing this as she understands it from where she is standing.