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Embracing Dreams at Any Age

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My Journey of Passion, Persistence, and Poetic Pursuits In a world that often places restrictions based on age, is one of grit and determination and belief that there are no boundaries when it comes to the pursuit of your dreams.  I'm Melanie, and at 49, I'd like to think that I am breaking through the mold, proving that the pursuit of dreams is a timeless journey. With years spent shaping young minds as a teacher, my story takes a courageous turn before the pandemic hit us all. Fortunately, I decided to dive into the realm of electronic digital activities for learners. A push from a friend led me to creating digital boom cards and it was a life saver as I navigated the online teaching platform. Seeing that I was able to teach myself how to create digital activities, I thought,  "What else can I do?" That is when I pulled out my journal of old poetry I had written and decided that I wanted to publish my thoughts, my insights and my own cultural perspectives through my

Navigating Challenges: English Language Learners in the U.S. Education System

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English language learners (ELLs) form a diverse group within the United States education system, bringing unique perspectives and backgrounds to the classroom. However, they also encounter distinct challenges that can impact their academic experience. In this blog post, we'll explore the hurdles faced by English language learners and delve into important strategies that teachers can employ to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment. Challenges Faced by English Language Learners: 1. Language Barrier:    ELLs often face the immediate hurdle of a language barrier, impacting their ability to comprehend lessons, participate in class discussions, and complete assignments effectively. 2. Cultural Adjustment:    Adapting to a new educational system and cultural environment can be overwhelming. ELLs may experience challenges in understanding social norms, customs, and expectations within the school community. 3. Diversity Within ELLs:    English language learners are a diver

Teachers are Tired but Hopeful

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Teachers are Tired. Teachers have been tired and it has only gotten worse since COVID hit. Teachers, like so many other workers, are bearing the brunt of all of our country's problems, from personal beliefs to political beliefs, to the selfishness that has come out in droves amongst our citizens, and so much more. We see and hear so much and are faced with a barrage of problems for us to solve at the drop of a dime, leaving us to feel like an empty vessel upon returning home to our families.  It feels as if we are a dartboard in a crowded pub on a Saturday night, the unending pricks of sharp objects puncturing our true being, our sense of self, our sense of worth.  As I arrived home from work the other day, I helped my husband with dinner, threw a load in the wash, then went to pick up my son from football practice and stopped at the store on the way home.  I was feeling tired and knew that I was short with my son. On the ride home from the store, he asked me why I had been in a ba

Thinking about Publishing on Amazon KDP?

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  It has been a crazy rough year and you are tired of your 9 to 5. In fact, you have been dreaming about not only being your own boss but being able to work from home too!  Someone mentions your creativity and suggests you try creating books on the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform . After all, what do you have to lose, right?  Before you quit your day job let's be clear about how KDP really works.  Let me back up a minute though. First of all, what is Amazon KDP? Well, to be short, it is Amazon's publishing platform. Authors who once found it difficult to share their work now have a world-reaching platform to share their work and better yet, Amazon offers high content books, ebooks, hardcover books, and also low and no content books as well. Hence, there is much to work with if you are someone searching for a new way to earn money. You may be someone who has struggled to find readers or an audience. What Amazon has done is given authors a huge playing field to wor

Making Money Online $$$

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Should I Quit My Day Job Yet?  Let me give you a little back story on my dream to work from home. I have been on a mission to create a side gig that will eventually allow me to leave my full-time job as an educator. I have been teaching for the last 19 years and while I love working with students, I do feel that I need a change.  I want to be able to work from home and move away from the daily grind so that I can be with my parents whenever they need me, still be able to help support my family, and have the freedom that I crave. That is my why and I am working tirelessly for change so that I can accomplish my dream.  My first attempt at working from home started about two years ago as I began selling It Works products, that I really do love. I have made an income from my phone each month, which has been great. I love to introduce people to our awesome coffee, neck cream, and more and I will continue to spread the word, but I know that it isn't my calling to do this for the rest of

Being Poor & Mexican-American in the United States

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Growing up Mexican-American in the United States was growing up to be White. I was raised In South Texas, in a predominantly brown town, but let’s be real…the town was run by the minority White folks. So, to say that I fully embraced my culture, my history, would be a lie. I was more White than I should have been. From the time I was born, the society in which my ancestors fought in wars for tried to rid me of my heritage. Forget that my Great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were veterans and saw bloodshed for this country and forget that my ancestors where here long before Texas became Texas. None of that matters when you are growing up brown in America. Why is that? Why are our White brothers and sisters so scared of allowing us an equal playing field? Stop right there if you think we have always had equality because if you do, you are sadly mistaken. Let me give you a brief history of my family’s field and you decide if I have had an equal chance at life. Were opportunities the

Making Money Online - Is it Time to Quit my Job?

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  Let's talk about making money online. If you are anything like me, you are seeking to make passive income so that you can have the freedom to live life on your own terms, and even though some make earning passive income look easy, everything you have tried has failed. Either way, you keep dreaming of the day when you achieve the financial freedom of being able to work from anywhere in the world while money rolls in while you sleep. Wouldn't that be cool?  Well, If you have been following me at all, then you know I have been focused on working hard to make money online since around the end of April. So, how has it gone? Before I delve into the income portion, let's discuss the type of platforms that I am using. The first platform I started using was the boom learning site which saved me during our online teaching sessions. I truly love  boomcards . They are interactive activities on any topic and grade level you can imagine. What I do on boom learning is create digital act