Meet Dara Fulton

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dara Fulton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dara, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I get my resilience from my mom. My mom is the reason I am organized, hardworking, and most of all, a lady. She taught me to always be open minded and love people for who they are no matter how different we may be from each other. I was bullied a lot in junior high school. I was called “fat,” “nerd,” or expletives. I was threatened, almost got jumped, and the worst experience was being held up at gunpoint. It wasn’t easy. My self-esteem was poor and I believed I was ugly. Despite everything, collecting rocks, daydreaming, listening to house music and learning have always helped me to cope. Although, I contemplated leaving the world, it was those things and my mom who saved me. Praying to God and my love for the sun and nature comforted me.

My mom taught me to always be true to myself. She would say, “God made you the way you are for His reason. Always be yourself because no one can be you, but you.” I wanted to make my parents proud, and doing well in school helped me throughout my junior high school years. I became salutatorian of my class, and graduated with good grades. I was relieved to finish those 2 years, but was happier that I did well despite what I had gone through.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, author and book publisher of ESL books about life skills. I wrote 9 books, 7 are ESL, 1 is a memoir, and the other is a motivational journal. I love to write and have been since childhood. I’ve been an ESL teacher for 20 years, helping adults learn and feel confident to speak English. I’ve taught beginner level to advanced. I worked for both nonprofit and language schools. I’m the founder and ESL teacher to my own company Applied ESL, LLC, which is an online English tutoring service that helps adult learners build their confidence while practicing and improving their English speaking skills. I launched my business in 2019 shortly after quitting from a teaching job.

Recently, I completed the Applied ESL Life Skills student workbook series (books 1-4), which is good for beginner and intermediate level students. This series focuses on how to use English in everyday life skills, for example, applying for a job, making a doctor’s appointment, identifying street signs, scams, buying food at a supermarket and so much more. I produced video lessons (26 in total) that accompanies the Life Skills student workbook 1. Currently, I have life skills worksheets that are good for tutors or teachers who are new to teaching English.

I love helping people. I love being a teacher. I am an advocate for adult education, because we don’t get the exposure and respect that we deserve. It takes all of us teachers to help our students. I’m proud to be apart of this profession, and I look for to what’s ahead of me.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The 3 most important skills, qualities, or areas of knowledge that were impactful on my journey are determination, anticipation, and belief. I’m stubborn when it comes to pursuing what I want. If I want to do something or learn about something, I find a way. Whether it’s going back to school, attending a training or webinar, or doing a simple Google search, I seek knowledge. I’m not afraid to ask questions. I write down my goals and dreams. I daydream about it. Anticipation makes me happy, because it gives me something to look forward to even if it hasn’t happened yet. I care about myself and what I’m trying to do. I love helping people, because helping people helps me. That’s what drives me to keep going. I would advise anyone reading this to learn and seek knowledge. Ask as many questions as you can, and don’t stop until you get them answered. Network with people you’d like to work with or the companies they work for. Hold on to your dreams. Pursue them and don’t listen to the naysayers. Enjoy the process of what you’re doing, because when it’s complete, you will feel so happy, accomplished, and proud of yourself.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Yes. I would love to collaborate with people within the adult education space, as well as, fellow authors, business owners, or even motivational speakers who went through similar things I’ve experienced. These things may or may not be limited to, mental health/counseling, being a person of color within the ESL/adult educational profession and their journeys, issues teachers face when working with adult learners and administrators, book publishers that promote educational books, and solo/small business owners trying to navigate the social media space.
I’d love to hear their stories and experiences and give support to one another. I can be reached via email: [email protected]
Instagram: @appliedesl
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/darakfulton

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