1. It allows me to work while staying home with my boys at the same time.
In the words of Hannah Montana (Yes, I own the movie and might have taken Brian with me to see it in theaters when it came out), "You get the best of both worlds." I get to take care of my boys all day long and don't miss a minute of their milestones. Staying home also means I get the honor and pleasure of taking the boys to daily Mass almost every morning. Then in the evenings I can still use my degree and skills to work in the field I love.
2. I get a break from being a mom every evening.
Sure, I'm working. But I'm not filling sippy cups, breaking up arguments, or running around like a chicken with my head chopped off to try and keep two energetic boys happy and entertained. I get to have normal conversations in a very relaxed and quiet atmosphere (I sometimes love when kids are late. The library is so lovely to just sit in and enjoy). I don't have to worry about baths and bedtime routines. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and miss them when I work, but I enjoy the break back to the real world each evening, too.
3. I make money....and a good amount of money at that!
Obviously, no one works out of the goodness of their heart. While I do love tutoring, I definitely do it because we need the money at this point in our lives. And let's face it. Tutors are paid well. Very well. So, if I play my cards right and schedule enough kids each week, I am able to help make ends meet, save for a house, and still have some money left over to have fun with. Recently, we've been putting some of our extra money toward our five year anniversary getaway in October. It's nice to know that we won't be taking on debt to enjoy ourselves that weekend.
4. I get to work with kids of all ages.
When you're a teacher, you pretty much see the same age of kids all day long. I had seventh graders my first year and fifth graders for the two years after that. That's great, but I have a lot of fun when I go out in the evenings and get to interact with a variety of age ranges. For instance, tomorrow night, I will begin by tutoring a second grader, then see an eighth grader, and finish the night by visiting two juniors in high school. It's a nice variety, and I really enjoy that. Seeing four different students in one night requires a lot of prep in advance, but it also makes the nights go very quickly because of all the different material I'm covering.
5. There is no better feeling than to hear a student say, "I get it," in regards to a mathematical concept.
Math is hard for some people. And although I found different levels of math challenging, I loved every second of math class. I love the concepts, and I absolutely love a good word problem. Most students that I tutor have some issue in math. Many come to me in the beginning of the year with a severe lack of confidence in math. There must be a lot of mean math teachers out there because some of these kids truly believe that they will never get math or understand it. By the end of the year, those same students are correcting me when I accidentally make a mistake in a problem. They are easily solving problems and acing tests. Just last night, when a student did a math problem right, I cheered. I love when it finally clicks in a student's head that they can do math and that they are actually pretty good at it. I get so proud of my students when that happens. That's my whole goal when I tutor. And seeing kids at that point is the greatest reward of all.
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