Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 38 °C, hot, sunny and slightly overcast.
It is Wednesday the 15th, and half the month has gone by. I am an English teacher; I have been one for about 25 years. In 2001, I established a small school called “Right Way English School Ltda.”
In the Centro Commercial de Copacabana, an old commercial building and gallery is located in the middle of Copacabana. This gallery was the first-ever shopping centre in Copacabana and Rio around 80 years ago. However, after 60 years, it had become a little rundown until the administrator was changed, and some necessary improvements were made.
“The Right Way” was located on the second floor at the back of the CCC building. This building has two entrances – the side entrance from Rua Sequeira Campos. This side street intersects with the main shopping street, Rua Nossa Senhora da Copacabana, and the main entrance is in front of Rua Nossa Senhora.
The building is quite large, spanning the corner of both streets, with at least 12 or 13 floors. The first four floors are dedicated to a retail gallery with shops, while the other floors are used for small offices, doctors’ and dentists’ practices, and small residential flats.
When I first opened the school, it was a small, basic shop space divided into two units. One unit was the reception area, and the other unit was the classroom. The classroom had floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides covered by Venetian blinds; it was both impressive and beautiful.
On the opposite wall was a whiteboard for the teacher to use during classes that faced the pupils. By the board, at shoulder height, was a small shelf that housed a TV. The TV would constantly show BBC English classes with no sound, parallel to the presential courses done by the teacher.
In the reception area, a long, wide meeting table occupied most of the room’s space. A TV was placed approximately two-thirds down the table, displaying pre-recorded multimedia content to attract the attention of people passing by the school along the main corridor in front of the entrance. The TV also acted as a partition, behind which there was a small workstation equipped with a computer, telephone, and other essentials.
For some time, I created unique bags with the company logo that were hung on the reception walls in an art gallery style to promote the school’s name and logo. Over the years, many people have commented on how unique, beautiful, and different my school looked compared to my neighbours’ or other language schools.
When we define success as the possibility and power of authentic learning and the happiness of the pupils due to the content produced by the school, then we can say it was a success. Besides helping students become proficient in English, the school provided a sanctuary from the daily obstacles of life in Rio, such as work, family, and modern-day challenges.
People found my teaching style effective and appreciated my use of black, ironic humour, which was one of my trademarks. My humour was always in good taste, and I never crossed the line into being obnoxious or rude.
It was always meant to emphasise a point or draw attention to something. My philosophy was that, in addition to having a solid technical grasp of English, communication should be enjoyable, pleasant, and objective.
I had the pleasure of leading several groups of women who found attending classes at The Right Way stimulating and therapeutic. The positive atmosphere we cultivated was hard to find elsewhere, and in some groups it felt more like an English-language club than a cold, business-only endeavour focused solely on making money.
When the pandemic hit in March 2020, everything, including the gallery and the school, was shut down. However, within two weeks, I was able to transfer 80% of all classes to private online classes. Although it was a lot of hard work, I managed to pay my bills, my ex-wife’s bills related to Yasmin, and the school’s expenses, even though nobody was physically attending or going to the school.
I hoped everything would be back to normal before Carnival the following year, which was exactly one year after the lockdown. During the eye of the hurricane,
I had promised the administrator representing the owner of the premises that I would continue to pay until Carnival in 2021. At the beginning of 2021, we were all aware that the second wave of COVID-19 was imminent. Unfortunately, it turned out to be worse than the previous one.
As a result, I decided to close down my premises and return the keys to the owner. Initially, the owner did not agree with my decision, but I insisted. The details of how I convinced the owner to accept my decision is another story.
Initially, it was challenging for me to leave school. However, in hindsight, it was the best decision I had made in a while. Even now, I often encounter people on the street or receive messages from them asking about the course. They say it was a remarkable experience at the time and thatthey only have fond memories of it.
If we only define success in terms of financial gain and profit, then the venture was not a success. It was time-consuming and not very profitable. There wasn’t a single month that went by that I didn’t have debts, financial obligations, or something that needed to be paid.
Despite these challenges, I see it as a valuable learning experience, and I’m grateful for it. Thanks again for the ride. It was quite a wild journey. Now, it’s time to begin a new chapter, and hopefully, it will be even better.
As of the middle of this month, I had completed 97 classes, which is quite an achievement. Ensuring the quality of each class is essential to me. It helps me stay motivated and maintain high standards. Despite any challenges that come my way, I am proud of my willpower to keep going and succeed.
In bed by 9:00 pm.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading my blog. Check out my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.
Richard
