Breaking, But Not Broken
I had two college degrees, a full-time job as a teacher with benefits, a house, a car, and a great support system. Yet, I was still a broke, single mother with twin boys. After our lights and water were shut off several times and eventually losing my home and my car, I was not only “money” broke — my spirit was breaking…
…but not broken. I knew that I had the skills to make a major change in my life. And I was determined to be the mother, the woman, I was meant to be…
I was a high school English teacher for over 20 years. I had the opportunity to work with students from all over the globe from urban, suburban, and rural communities. Every year, I taught Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, the 5-paragraph essay, and occasionally cursive to around 130 teenagers. I was the chief negotiator, nurse, referee, counselor, auntie, warden, momma, seamstress, janitor, graphic artist, and coach in my classroom, and I LOVED it.
But it didn’t pay all of the bills all of the time.
Despite having a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree, several certifications, and extensive training in everything from conflict resolution to web design, I was struggling. I mean struggling, y’all. I took on extra responsibilities at school from sponsoring clubs to tutoring, tried my hand in network marketing, and other random side hustles to try to bring in some extra cash. But the more time that I spent away from home, the more money I had to use for daycare, and the more time I spent away from my sons. It was killing me.
Until one day, my pastor asked me to take a look at her dissertation. She was almost at the end of her doctoral program and her editor had taken ill. She needed someone with editing experience to help her out. And well, outside of all of my other duties, I was an actual English teacher. Editing was something I did in my sleep! PLUS, I could do it from home! It was an easy job for me. Since I was familiar with the format that she needed, I could get it done within a week. When she asked me what my fee was, I was a bit surprised because it had not occurred to me that I could ask for a certain amount (I know, I know, CRAZY). In fact, I was afraid to ask, so I told her, “Whatever you think is fair.” Her response made me almost swallow my tongue! You mean to tell me that she was going to pay me 1/3 of my monthly teaching salary for something that would take me just a few days, a few hours, to do???
It hit me at that moment. All of the years in the classroom had prepared me for that conversation. All of the skills that I developed working with my 130+ kids a year for 20 years, the skills that were second nature and that I took for granted, were the VERY skills that could change my life. I possessed the ability to do things that:
- Other people needed but could not (or did not want to) do themselves and…
- …that I enjoyed doing!
My life changed on that day. Over the past 9 years, I have learned to leverage my skills to create a life for my sons and me that I would not have imagined as that broke, single mom. Today, I am still a teacher. Only now, I teach other women how to unmask the talents and skills that they already possess, monetize them, and create the lifestyle they deserve.
Maya Harris is the founder of W.O.M.B. (Woman-Owned Minority Businesses), a national business networking and development organization for women-entrepreneurs of color, based in Richmond, VA. She is an accountability coach that trains WOC entrepreneurs to grow businesses through strategic planning and purposeful connections. Learn more about W.O.M.B. at https://wombbiz.org and connect with Maya at https://MayaLynnHarris.com
