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Not only is Kelli Foster a seasoned 17 year educator who has taught elementary to middle school grade students in all core subjects but she is also the owner of A & B Tutoring Service. She comes from a family that includes 12 educators that proceeded her and she continues the legacy of their family full of educators.
Kelli has been a teacher in DISD-Dallas Independent School District for her entire teaching career and is still employed with DISD today.
Get to Know Kelli Foster from A & B Tutoring Service
The name of my business is A & B Tutoring Service- Above & Beyond Tutoring Service LLC. This business came to fruition when the pandemic hit the educational world hard last March- May 2020. As an educator, I was affected directly and we were forced to create an “on-the-spot” curriculum and weekly lessons.
None of us, as educators were prepared for the virus, the pandemic or the way learning and teaching would have to be conduced within it. With kids doing virtual, at home learning, several academic gaps started to widen and students started to get behind in the grade level curriculum and content because parents had to step in and take the place of teachers when schools were closed down.
In this time, I noticed several parents seeking assistance with their child’s education and asking for tutors and extra help outside of the new virtual school setting. Children, just like adults all learn differently and the virtual setting wasn’t the best fit for tons of student, and they needed an alternative way to learn.
I actually had a friend of mine that has children, pitch the idea to me and the rest is history! I posted a survey on my social media outlets to gauge interest and the overwhelming feedback led me to look into starting my own business. After creating a business name, registering with the state and going through all the formal steps and procedures, A & B Tutoring LLC was created and we started scheduling consultations and sessions for Pre-K- 7th grade students.
What’s the one thing that your customers rave about?
One thing my customers rave about is the patience we have with the students and the growth that they have been able to see in their children.
The one-on-one interaction that we are able to have with students allows us to create a great relationship and bond with the students as well as get the bottom of their academic issue so that we can knock down the barriers and get them to their full learning potential.
The teaching and tutoring is also so much more than just academics, a few parents have reported that their child’s attitude and outlook on school has changed 😀 and is more positive now because they are having more academic success and they are more excited about learning because of the positive outcomes and feedback they have been receiving through the tutorial process.
What is the #1 challenge that your clients/customers have when they reach out to you?
The virtual-at home learning is challenging for students of every school level, especially for the younger students in grades Pre-K-2nd grade. This is causing the students to dislike school and not be able to focus or retain the academics that they are being taught week-to-week.
Did you always have a sense that you’d start your own business or a project of your own?
Honestly, I’ve never realistically thought about starting my own business before 2020. My family owned a student driver’s school business located in Lancaster, TX from 2000-2018 and I worked there side by side with my mother and grandmother for 15 years, but I was always comfortable being an employee and thought maybe one day I’d possibly take it over from them.
In 2019, my grandmother became gravely ill and after she was diagnosed with cancer, we decided to close the driving school business to be able to give here the proper care. But last year with the pandemic affecting the school system and seeing so many parents wanting assistance, I saw there was an immediate need for something to help these parents.
Being an African American with 17 years of teaching experience, and still loving what I do and seeing kids grow, I felt I could make an impact in my local community.
My primary teaching years have been in grades first grade-third grade and I knew this was the age group of kids that really needed the traditional face-to-face schooling to maximize their ability to excel academically. So I started the tutoring business offering face-to-face tutoring as well as virtual to fit the needs of the various students in grades Pe-K- 7th grade depending on their preference.
75% of the student we service are in grades Pre-K through 3rd grade and prefer the face-to-face tutorials. The students that are serviced in grades 5th-7th grade prefer the one-on-one virtual tutorial.
What does a typical day look like for you?
For me a typical day would be 7:45am- 3:15pm: teaching elementary students in a traditional classroom setting. 4pm-7pm: tutoring Pre-K-7th grades students face-to-face. 7:30pm-10:30pm: researching and working on my dissertation.
What is an essential book that you you’ve enjoyed that you think everyone needs to read right away?
The Dream Keepers by Gloria Ladson-Billings
Throughout my journey, my main motivation to keep going and to keep striving for more is my Grandmother. I lost my Grandmother in November of 2019 and this was one of the hardest losses of my life, I was very close to my Grandmother.
She was a teacher for over 50 years and I always looked up to her and wanted to follow in her footsteps and be a great educator.
My Grandmother was one of my biggest supporters and advocates for me getting my higher level masters and doctoral degree and even though she isn’t here, I still want to keep pushing on the make her memory proud.
Let’s transition to Dallas:
Where would you like to have a staycation in the Dallas area?
[our favorite getaway is Broken Bow too – check out this and this one as well]
If I could have dinner with anyone in the world, it’d definitely be my Grandmother that just recently passed away and I’d tell her all about the things that have been going on in the world and in my life since we last spoke. Our favorite place to go eat together was Olive Garden, so we’d definitely go eat dinner there.
Get to Know Kelli Foster from A & B Tutoring Service
Thank you so much to Kelli Foster of A & B Tutoring Service here in DFW sharing her story here with us. As always, our small and local business owners need our support to keep providing their gifts to the world. Let’s share some love on her business.
If you’re starting a business of your own, you might like these killer books ⤵️
- This classic Jay Abraham (he is the BEST)
- Jab Jab Jab Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk.
- Growth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday
- Start with Why by Simon Sinek
Need more sales, leads or attention – be sure to have a great website start here
Our team has been helping business owner’s kick the old school networking meetings to the curb and make money online. Its so much fun to help solopreneurs and businesses see the light. The online world is a roller coaster of fun!!
Pop the We Are DFW podcast in your earbuds over here:
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