Finding Inspiration

 I've been wondering what to do about my English school. 

I've run an English conversation school for about 33 years. That's how I survived, paid the bills, and managed to save a bit.

Then COVID hit, and students quit. I hoped that after a while we would get new students, but that hasn't happened. The market is overrun by cram schools for kids.  Adults are busy trying to make ends meet, so they don't have the time or money to study English. 

I would love to retire, but I need money. There is so much that needs fixing in this house, and I really want to travel. 

Since moving here, I haven't felt inspired to do anything about our little school. 

Mikey is still teaching kids, and I have a couple of students, but not enough. 

A few things happened this week that have given me some inspiration to try and build up our student base again.

Once a month, Mikey and I teach a volunteer class at one of the community centers. 

This year, 21 adults want to take the lessons.

This shows that there is still an interest in learning English.

Then Hannah showed me a leaflet that was put through her door for an English school near where she lives.  

This shows that other schools are still out there collecting students.

Hannah said that making a leaflet is easy, so I've asked her to do one for me..

I don't think it will be easy to get students, but at least I have to try!

Another thing that inspired me was a video I watched of a lady who opened a small restaurant. The video follows her through the day as she prepares to open her store. 

Her story is rather amazing. She said that she always wanted to open a restaurant but never got around to it. Then her daughter's husband passed away at a young age, the daughter then got breast cancer, and one of the lady's older sisters suddenly passed away.

When these events happened, the lady realized that if she wanted to open a restaurant, she should do it now, as there are no guarantees for the future. So she jumped in and opened a small restaurant. A month later, her area was hit by COVID, and she lost all her customers overnight. A friend suggested making bento boxes instead, so that is what she did. Now her business is thriving, most of the income is from bentos, but she has a few tables in the restaurant as well.

I found her story to be very inspiring. She had a dream and invested in making it happen. I think that is where I've lost the plot. When we moved to the other city, I was determined to have the best English school there, and for a while, I did. But life happened and I lost the plot. Now I need to start again, learn from my mistakes and find a way forward.

I don't think it will be easy, but I am very determined to make a go of this!

Wish me luck!

Mikey teaching at our volunteer class