We recently connected with Jessalyn Burden and have shared our conversation below.
Jessalyn , so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?
Avoiding complete burnout as a girl in her mid twenties has been a crucial part of my teaching journey. Many educators, like me, start with passion but often end up stressed and exhausted. In my second year of teaching, I witnessed this pattern and resolved not to succumb to a life of perpetual stress and fatigue, a path that unfortunately befalls too many until retirement leaves them depleted.
Talking to experienced teachers who continued solely for their pension made me realize I needed a change. I still loved teaching, especially helping kids with learning disabilities, so I explored ways to continue without the school system’s limitations.
Starting Inspired Tutors wasn’t my original plan, but life pushed me to adapt. It became a platform for one-on-one teaching from home, giving me the freedom to focus on each child’s needs. This shift not only saved me from burnout but also let me control my schedule.
Creating my own business allowed me to keep my passion for teaching alive while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. I could exercise daily, spend time reading, and enjoy time with my husband and two dogs. My experience shows the importance of adapting and finding unconventional paths to keep passion alive in a challenging profession like teaching.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My childhood years were somewhat unique, and each chapter has profoundly shaped my present life and professional endeavors. Born in Western Canada, my parents soon relocated to South Mississippi when I was a toddler, where I spent the next seven years. Amidst this period, my family grew to include four younger siblings, all of whom were homeschooled by my mother.
At the age of 10, we embarked on a transformative move across the ocean to Romania, where my parents began mission work. I lived in Europe with my family until just after my 19th birthday when I returned to Mississippi, where my grandmother still resided. Subsequently, I pursued a degree in Elementary & Special Education at the University of Southern Mississippi, graduating in May 2020.
In 2021, I entered a new chapter by marrying my sophomore year boyfriend, prompting our relocation to South Florida for the beginning of his career right out of graduate school. My upbringing was marked by first hand exposure to my mother’s homeschooling efforts, catering to five children with diverse abilities and disabilities. Two years of teaching in public schools further fueled my desire to be a resource and support for parents and children facing similar challenges.
As a “third culture kid” with bilingual proficiency, my upbringing instilled in me a unique perspective on life, fostering a deep appreciation for diverse cultures and individuals. Living alongside siblings and a brother-in-law with specific learning challenges and disabilities reinforced my conviction that distinct learning styles do not diminish intelligence or the capacity for learning. These experiences have fueled my commitment to assisting families navigate educational challenges with empathy and understanding.
In June 2022, Inspired Tutors was launched with a commitment to providing virtual tutoring and support tailored to the unique needs of children in PreK-6th grade and their families. My approach is centered on individualization, ensuring that each child receives personalized attention and guidance. Beyond specialized tutoring sessions, I offer attendance and support at Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings, access to annually renewed online resources, a personal blog with valuable tips and resources for parents and teachers, educational YouTube videos with mini lessons for children, and consistent communication with parents.
Recognizing the importance of collaboration between teachers, parents, tutors, and other stakeholders in a child’s education, I emphasize the need for collective effort to support the child’s learning journey. This is integral to fostering the growth and success of each child.
In the current year, Inspired Tutors introduced comprehensive 6, 12, and 24-week programs, moving beyond week-by-week sessions. This shift emphasizes my belief that substantial growth and improvement need a commitment from both parties of a minimum of 6 weeks. Rather than focusing solely on homework or test preparation, my emphasis lies in addressing specific areas of difficulty, starting at the root of the issue, and working towards closing academic gaps to set the child on a trajectory of success.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I am still very early in my entrepreneurial journey, however, the three main qualities or skills that have been the most impactful to me would have to be, adaptability, a desire for continuous learning, and empathy. I was very lucky to find an incredible group of people called IPP or Inner Power Partners before I even quit my job and started my business. IPP was created by Lynn Lessell who just wanted to help people deal with stress. She calls it her “anti-networking” group and helps people all over South Florida foster meaningful relationships that can often lead to business opportunities.
Advice that I would pass along to anyone just starting out is to not be afraid to fall or make mistakes. If you’re not making mistakes, you probably aren’t learning. It has been difficult to get out of my comfort zone and meet new people and show up at events, but I sincerely believe in what I do and that is what fuels my drive.
Be yourself. Don’t become a different person when you’re in “business” type situations because people can see right through that. People want to do business with someone that they like. The rest will follow!
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
My ideal client is anyone with a young child (with or without a learning disability) that could use a little extra academic support! Maybe you or someone you know has a child with an IEP or a 504 Plan but the school’s interventions just aren’t enough and they need more 1-1 support. Maybe they fell behind during Covid and have struggled to catch back up on the foundational instruction that was missed. Whatever the case may be, I would love to try and help!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.inspiredtutors.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspiredtutors/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiredTutoring/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessalyn-burden-616237213/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZTq422uUzjBitv2hHdippQ
Image Credits
I own all of the images
