Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 28 °C, hot, sunny, and slightly cloudy.
It is still the beginning of the week, but it seems further in the week, like Wednesday evening or Thursday. This month, I have been trying to reorganise my finances by renegotiating my class fees with my pupils.
It has been exactly a year since I last increased my fees, but other factors make it difficult to do so again. I depend on these fees to pay my bills, but, more importantly, to support my ex-wife. My ex-wife, or more specifically, Yasmin’s mother, is a simple person who makes a low salary as a cook.
When we were married, I tried to incentivise her to study, but she has never shown interest until now. Now that we have been separated for almost six years, she is beginning to take an interest in her studies and profession, and I am happy for her.
However, as she receives a low salary and I pay the rent for her and Yasmin to live in the South Zone of Rio, it would be impossible for them to live there on just her salary. I pay so that Yasmin has a reasonable to good standard of living in the South Zone of Rio.
As I have this financial obligation every month, the loss of any pupil at any moment weighs heavily on my budget. Therefore, I have some apprehension about approaching my pupils to adjust the fees.
A loss of pupils could be devastating to my accounts at any moment. Besides this, living in Brazil is an eternal feeling of insecurity. I have been living in Brazil for almost 34 years, and there are constant political scandals, corruption, and imbalances. I have concluded that Brazilian politicians intentionally create conflicts among themselves to control the population.
They do this by continuously presenting one scandal after another. Instead of focusing on resolving issues that would improve people’s lives and advance the country, they prefer to create an atmosphere of chaos and unrest.
This approach prevents any feeling of balance, justice, and serenity in Brazil, and as a result, nothing positive can grow in such an environment. The population has become a hostage to the situation that the politicians have created, leading to a society of injustice and complete inequality.
Therefore, when approaching my pupils to talk about increasing class fees, it is hard for them to accept an increase when there is no peace in the country. While many things are devalued in Brazil, education is one of them, especially English.
Sometimes, some pupils pay with a certain air of arrogance, insinuating that they are doing me a favour and that I should be thankful for the little money I receive.
Like most countries around the world, Brazil also has a phenomenon of influence, whether positive or negative, that starts at the top and trickles down to other social classes. When the president and his circle believe that they are superior and can do whatever they want, as is the case in Brazil, different social classes also tend to adopt the same attitude. I have frequently observed this behaviour among the Brazilian middle class, particularly amongcivil servants.
As I have grown older, I have become less tolerant of people who show disrespect or don’t appreciate the quality of my teaching services. In the past six months, I have decided to remove certain pupils from my schedule if I feel they are not deserving of my time and effort.
This includes pupils who are ignorant and don’t value my classes, and those who feel they are doing me a favour by paying for my services. In some cases, it may be a combination of both. My decision to do this is motivated by my desire to focus on those who are genuinely interested in learning and who appreciate my expertise.
It is pretty amusing when a teacher politely and cordially decides to stop teaching a particular pupil or person. The sudden change can make it feel as if their world has just crumbled beneath them.
As I mentioned before, I am exhausted and no longer have the patience to deal with the toxicity. It’s crucial to set boundaries and have self-respect in such situations.
I wrote this diary entry at the end of the month, and it has given me a new motivation to resolve my pending financial issues. Since April is my birthday month, I deserve to address these issues as a gift to myself. Starting my new year with a little more money will be really helpful.
I am tired of being poor and broke in Brazil. It must stop now.
In bed by 9:30 pm.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading my blog. Check out my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.
Richard
