Before I ever made the decision to leave the classroom, I spent a long time trying to figure out what I was actually working toward. Not just a different job or a side hustle, but an entirely different kind of life that made room for my kids, my health, and my dreams.
If you’re a teacher, parent, or caregiver, you probably know that feeling of being pulled in multiple directions at once. You want to show up fully for your family, keep the bills paid, and still have some energy left for yourself. For a long time, I was trying to balance all three and feeling like I was falling short in every area.
The Three Needs I Couldn’t Ignore
For me, the tension came down to three core needs that wouldn’t go away:
- I needed to be a more present parent.
- I needed to maintain our family’s standard of living.
- I needed rest, self-care, and space to heal.
Teaching is meaningful work, but it’s also consuming. The late nights lesson planning, weekends spent grading, and constant mental load made it hard to be truly present with my kids, especially as a mom to neurodivergent children who needed extra support, patience, and advocacy.
At the same time, money doesn’t stop just because you’re tired. Bills still come, kids still grow, pets still need food, and the cost of living doesn’t exactly slow down. Any change I made had to be realistic, not just inspirational.
And then there was me hovering somewhere near the bottom of my own priority list. I was burned out, overstimulated, and running on fumes. I knew that if something didn’t change, I’d eventually hit a wall I couldn’t just push through.
This is the part of the story that doesn’t always make it into the cute social media posts about “following your dreams.” Before the leap, there’s often a long, messy middle where you’re just trying to survive and figure out what’s next.
Trying All the Things
Like many teachers and parents, I started exploring different ways to support my family and create more flexibility.
At various points, I tried:
- Thrift flipping
- Selling Art and Crafts
- Dropshipping
- Interior decorating
- Pet sitting
- Housekeeping
- Babysitting
- Tutoring
Each of these met a need in a small way. Some brought in a little income. Some were fun and creative. Some left me more exhausted than before. But they all had one thing in common: they helped me learn more about what did and didn’t work for my life.
The one thing that kept rising to the top was tutoring.
It was familiar, but different enough from the classroom that it felt sustainable. I could show up for individual students in a focused way, tailor lessons to their needs, and design sessions that actually matched my beliefs about how kids learn best.
That’s when I started to lean into it more intentionally.
Discovering What I Do Best
I live on the west side of San Antonio in the Alamo Ranch area, and as I began working with local families, I noticed something: the more I structured my tutoring like a mini learning program, the more it clicked for both kids and parents.
Instead of just “helping with homework,” I started building full, TEKS-aligned experiences for each student:
- A clear scope and sequence so families know what we’re working on and why
- Vocabulary lists that match grade-level expectations and units
- Lesson plans that include hands-on activities and learning games
- Praise and positive reinforcement to build confidence
- Progress updates with “grows and glows” so kids see their strengths and next steps
- Optional homework after each session to keep momentum going
This didn’t just help students, it gave parents peace of mind. They could see exactly what their child was learning and how it connected to school standards, without the stress and frustration that often come with trying to reteach content at home.
Tutoring became more than just an income stream; it became a glimpse of the kind of teaching I actually wanted to do.
If you’re in the Alamo Ranch or west side San Antonio area and looking for elementary tutoring that feels structured, encouraging, and hands-on, this is exactly the heart behind the work I do.
Asking the Big Question: Where Do I Want to Be in 10 Years?
Once tutoring started to feel like a natural fit, I finally let myself ask a bigger question:
Where do I want to be ten years from now?
When I pictured the future, I didn’t see myself in a traditional classroom or stuck in traffic five days a week. Instead, I saw:
- Land outside the city
- Animals I could care for, many of them rescues
- A garden growing food and flowers
- Children learning in a space that felt alive, flexible, and connected to nature
- Time and room to create art, build curriculum, and design meaningful learning experiences
In other words, I didn’t just want a different job. I wanted a different rhythm.
I wanted a life where my work, my family, and my values weren’t constantly competing with each other.
The Dream: A Micro School That Feels Like Home
When I put all those pieces together, the vision that emerged was a micro school.
A small, intentional learning community where:
- Project-based learning is the norm
- Social-emotional learning is woven into every day
- TEKS standards are met through meaningful, real-world work
- Movement, creativity, and curiosity are encouraged
- Students who don’t thrive in traditional classrooms finally feel seen and supported
It’s a place where kids can learn by doing, touching, building, experimenting, and experiencing instead of just memorizing and filling out worksheets. It’s also a place where teachers can teach in ways that align with their own neurodivergence, creativity, and humanity.
Right now, that dream is still in its early stages. Tutoring is the bridge between where I am and where I want to go. Every session I teach, every scope and sequence I build, and every family I support brings me one step closer to that future micro school.
Tutoring as the First Step Toward That Future
For now, my focus is on serving students and families well through one-on-one and small group tutoring.
If you’re a parent in the Alamo Ranch or west side San Antonio area with a K-2 child who:
- Needs help catching up
- Wants to get ahead
- Struggles in traditional settings
- Learns best through movement, play, and hands-on activities
I offer TEKS-aligned tutoring from a certified special education teacher using curriculum that is built around how kids actually learn. If you are interested, send me an email at TheRockFlock22@gmail.com. I’d love to help your child learn and grow!