The Demi Songwriter

And no, I don't associate with it--not academically, religiously, or politically.

Let’s go ahead and address both elephants in the room.

First: yes, I went to Liberty University.

Second: no, I do not align with that school in any way. I never did. Not its leadership, not its theology, not its politics, not its scandals. Not even the vibes.

I was seventeen when I enrolled—too young, too trusting, and too eager to chase something I didn’t yet have language for: opportunity. My parents sent me to Liberty University because it was perceived as a safe Christian school to send your kids to. That's how I ended up there. With me being a minor, I didn't really have a say. I experienced a lot there. Some good (I met a few friends, got exposure to high-quality theater production), and a whole lot of traumatic, cult-like weirdness that I still unpack to this day.

When I graduated, I cut ties. No alumni group. No school spirit. Just a hard reset.

The program I graduated from? It was called Worship and Music Studies. The name itself was a red flag 🚩. Career coaches literally told us to reword our degrees to get jobs. That’s not normal. That’s a school admitting its program doesn’t translate to the real world.

Look, the actual coursework was no joke. Like, if you strip away the weird evangelical branding and just look at what we did, it was a standard—and honestly intense—music program. I’m talking:

Four semesters of music theory

Four semesters of sight-singing and ear training (they called it “aural skills”)

Weekly practicums where we had to perform live and critique each other

Conducting classes (yes, like with the little baton and everything)

Vocal technique for multiple genres

Arranging classes where I learned to make harmonies make sense

A final group project that was literally half your grade—and if you bombed it, you had to retake the whole course

Plus two instrument requirements (mine were voice and keyboard)

Basically, if you’ve taken a music major at any real school, you know this lineup. So yeah—I do list my degree as “Vocal Performance & Arranging” because that’s what it actually was. The school just slapped a Jesus sticker on it and hoped for the best.

So, I took off the Jesus sticker and rewrote it. Because what I studied was vocal performance and arranging. That’s what I built my skillset on. That’s what I built my career on. And if the school didn’t care enough to make the degree name usable, I’ll call it what it actually was. Period.

And then there’s the judgment. Ohhh, the judgment.

I’ve had job interviews where someone clocked “Liberty” on my resume and suddenly started treating me like I personally founded the Moral Majority. As if I was out here trying to convert people with a Chick-fil-A sandwich and a purity ring. Sir, I’m a Black, queer, gender nonconforming performer. That institution actively campaigns against my existence.

Liberty’s legacy isn’t mine. I survived it.

I learned despite it.

And everything I am today is because of the work I did to unlearn what they taught me.

I’ve also met other Liberty grads in the industry—sometimes we just look at each other and nod. A quiet solidarity. A silent “you made it out too.”

This isn’t about dragging every person who went there or diminishing the talent that did grow inside its walls. It’s about context. It’s about truth. It’s about letting folks know that yeah, Liberty’s on my transcript—but it’s not in my values, my politics, or my future.

Minnie’s Official Service Dog Vest & A Quick Update

(Please reblog to boost visibility!)

Hey friends,

Just a quick update—Minnie now has her official service dog vest!

While the ADA doesn’t require service dogs to wear one, I got it to help us move through public spaces with fewer interruptions. It won’t stop the microaggressions or ableism, but it gives us a little more breathing room.

Case in point:

Earlier this week, a Metro worker told me “some people just throw vests on their dogs to ride for free.”

I was standing right there—with a clearly marked service dog—and still got hit with that comment. When I called it out, she fumbled and started talking about her own dogs. That moment? A reminder that disability is not a costume, and Minnie isn’t here for fun—she’s how I survive.

To everyone who’s shared or donated to my GoFundMe—thank you. Your kindness is not just helping me and Minnie stay afloat, it’s also pushing back against a world that tries to erase disabled, queer, Black folks like me.

Want to help?

Donate If You Can (Click Here)

Reblog to help more people find us

Or just send us a kind word—it means more than you know

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🖤 Maame & Minnie

Hi everyone, I wanted to share some major progress and important updates in my journey.

I’m no longer fighting this battle alone—HUD (the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) is now officially involved in my case. This is a huge step forward. A federal agency is now investigating the housing discrimination I endured, and that gives me hope. But it doesn’t end here.

Next, I’ll be contacting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) regarding the financial abuse and damage to my credit caused by my former landlord. My credit has been deeply impacted, making it incredibly difficult to secure stable housing.

As of now, I’ve recently evacuated that apartment. After a week in a hotel, a kind peer from high school offered me and my service dog a place to crash while I figure out my next steps. I’m incredibly grateful, but of course, couch-surfing with a dog isn’t sustainable for any of us long term.

A wonderful person from a mutual aid group also donated $400 directly to help me afford safe hotel nights after a traumatic experience at the Quality Inn. Every act of kindness like this has helped me and my dog survive day by day.

So far, $650 has been donated here on GoFundMe. Outside donations total about $1,065. I’m endlessly grateful for that support. Unfortunately, I also want to be transparent about the $500 that was stolen from me early on in this campaign. That loss came from someone named Tyleaka Bryant—someone I once knew in high school—who falsely promised to sell me a car. That incident was the catalyst for launching this GoFundMe in the first place.

That money was stolen via Cash App. Because of that experience, I am no longer accepting any donations through Cash App or Venmo. If you don’t want to use GoFundMe but still want to help, I can accept Zelle (linked to my phone number). But I strongly prefer GoFundMe because it’s transparent, safe, and easier for everyone to track.

Please continue to share this campaign. If you can give, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Me and my dog are doing everything we can to make it through and rebuild from the damage caused by months of discrimination, instability, and financial abuse. Your support means the world.

With love and resilience,

You’re not gonna believe this shit… this is why I hate Baltimore City and need a fresh start.

After being gone for a week due to evacuating an unlivable apartment, I returned to Baltimore for a quick errand and an an attempted audition at Everyman Theatre. I’ve been in the city 30 minutes and already Baltimore’s tryna end me.

Penn Station? No phone chargers. Dunkin’? Sold out of my apple fritter—except for one sad, exploded fritter hanging off the tray like it died in battle. My dog takes a regular poop (as dogs do), I bag it, and suddenly there’s not a single trash can in sight. Then a garbage truck drives by like, “Not my job!”

I call to drop off my court forms—NOPE. It’s court hours, so now I gotta go through a whole judge just to hand them papers. Baltimore is side quests and sabotage.

I’m charging my phone at Balt U, already drained by the ongoing sabotage in just 30 minutes now wondering if it's worth waiting for court to close like it’s a boss level or turn it into a side quest by auditioning at Everyman Theatre....screw it, I'm going back to DC.

Baltimore: 1

Me: still holding this bag of dog poop and vibes.

For this post I’m going to show you three ways you can make up your losses so that you don’t lose profit when working your online teaching job. If you’ve been feeling frustrated and need answers for this situation, keep reading! this post is for you!

Before we begin let’s start with the realities of an online teacher’s earnings.

The Realities of An Online ESL Teacher’s Earnings

Teaching English online is great! However, it has its drawbacks. For one, once you become a veteran, the average pay rate you’re going to make from an online private language school is roughly $15 per session. That being said, don’t believe any of those “make up to $30 an hour” job advertisements you see. Read Glassdoor reviews about those companies before you apply because they are scams! Even if you get a $15 per hour job, for most states, $15 per hour is below the market value for a state licensed ESL teacher. 

According to Payscale, the average ESL teacher salary in America is $20.36 per hour! On the department of labor website entry level state licensed English teachers in general make about $37,180 a year! Feeling a little cheated...If so, that is okay because there are ways to get this sweet income as an online ESL teacher but I’ll discuss this in another post. Just know that it’s going to take at least two years to get there. 

The second drawback to online teaching, which is the main topic for this post is sometimes students cancel last minute or they don’t show up. Depending on the school’s policy, you could either get a fraction of your profit or nothing at all. This makes online ESL teacher’s income variable instead of fixed. 

Now let’s talk about how to make up your losses when students decide to cancel or not show up to class. You’re a great teacher and deserve a fixed income! Let’s begin.

Option 1: Get A Second Online Teaching Job

This option is the most common because working from home is great! Just keep in mind that the elearning industry is fairly new in the ESL market so most schools open during the same hours. The goal for this to be successful is finding schools that have peak hours that are flexible with your second teaching job. Finding online schools that are open to a variety of markets makes this possible. Here are two schools that may be more flexible with a second teaching job. 

EF English First (For Adults)

Lingoda

The drawback to this option is that finding online ESL schools that are open to a variety of markets are not that common. Another way to fix this is teaching on an online marketplace like iTalki but building a student roster takes time. You also need a great marketing strategy to attract students. Italki will tell you it takes 30 days to book your first session. I’ve been an italki teacher for two months and have only been contacted by students who want me to practice English with them for free. This experience taught me if you need quick money that may not be for you. Also remember if students are cancelling at the last minute and not showing up on your main teaching job, they will do the same thing at your part time teaching job too.

Option 2:  Get A Traditional Part Time Job

Getting a traditional brick and mortar part time job is convenient because you can set your availability around your online teaching job. Another advantage is you are not at the mercy of a student’s attendance. You get paid your full rate for being present at your job. I highly recommend getting a service job that includes tips such as working in a restaurant or coffee shop. The tips that you get can potentially make up for the last minute cancellations and no shows that accumulate during the month. 

The drawbacks to this are you may get sent home if business is dead, your hours may get cut if payroll is low on corporate’s end, and tips are variable income. These drawbacks are things you’ll only have to worry about during during bad weather. If you work on the weekends, you should be fine.

Option 3:  Do A Side Hustle - Uber/Lyft/DoorDash etc

This is the final and honestly my favorite option. If you have a car or ride a bike, depending on where you live, this can be quite convenient. The income is also variable but one thing I like to do is at the end of the month when invoicing hours from my teaching job is I calculate the amount of pay I lost from student no show/cancellations. Whatever I come up with at the end of the month is what I make with my side hustle. 

I also enjoy this one because I can set my own hours so it doesn’t feel like a job to me. The only drawback to this is gas and wear and tear on your car so make sure to check your vehicle periodically if you intend to drive. If you’re not crazy about driving in bad weather this may not be for you too. If you are going to use a bike (for food delivery) you should be fine. The drawback to this is that you can’t do your side hustle at night or during bad weather.

I tried all three of these options and my favorites are the second and third option. I went from having only one source of income that came my way once a month to three sources of income. I feel more financially stable and honestly don’t think about the student no shows and last minute cancellations anymore. 

Imagine that you finished your TEFL certification program and you landed your first online teaching job. Congratulations! Once you adjust to the double shifts and the lesson plans prepared for you to teach it’s pretty easy to get comfortable with your job, especially if it pays well enough for you to live. In this post I’m going to share why you should keep learning after you’ve acquired the certification and the job. 

1. Business Trends Are Constantly Changing

Business trends change because consumer preferences are always changing. When you are teaching on an online platform you have to adjust to the many different students you will meet who have their own preference on how they want to practice their English. Their preference also includes how you will have to teach them. I’ve lost count of how many times I thought I found a teaching method that worked for most of my students then months later I’d have to toss it away and try a new way of teaching because my new students didn’t like it.

A perfect example of this is TPR. TPR stands for total physical response. It is the most common method that is expected to be used by online ESL teachers. For most of the schools you’ll apply for it is required. When I applied for online ESL jobs, most of them expected me to use TPR during the interview process. I was rejected by most of the schools until I got hired by the school I teach for today. Guess what? My current school doesn’t require TPR and most of my students don’t like it (Thank Goodness!).

 I understand how TPR could work in some cases (mainly for children) but for teenagers and adults I honestly think it’s really stupid. What if you use a gesture that you think is normal in your culture (a thumbs up) but it might be considered an insult from your student’s culture? A great example of this is Kimmy and Dong’s relationship on the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Kimmy crosses her fingers and Dong found it offensive. Great show by the way. You should watch it! 

Anyway, that being said, you have to be very careful with that. Especially if you teach for a multinational online school.

In case you’re wondering what TPR is, here is how it looks like:

Photocred: VIPKID

Solution(s): Keeping in touch with your TEFL program is a great way to stay up to date with business trends. You can complete one of their mini certifications for as little as $30 a program. Since you already have your TEFL certification, the program won’t take as long. Another option is to join Facebook ESL teaching support groups. You can communicate with other teachers who have a variety of experiences. They usually offer suggestions to help make your classroom experience more engaging for your students. One of my favorite options for staying up to date in business trends is--depending on what school you teach--is also joining webinar sessions hosted by the school you teach for. 2. It Makes You Marketable 

The more skills you learn the more marketable you will be. Whether you want to grow in the company that you are working with, work somewhere else, or become fully independent by opening your teaching service on an online marketplace, acquiring new skills will attract more clients/students to want to work with you.

Solution(s): As a TEFL teacher it’s always a plus to know a second language. It is not required, however, if students know you speak their language there is a higher chance they will book you. Depending on what school you teach, they might pay you a higher rate because you can speak the student’s language too. 

3. It Provides Room For Growth

Maybe you enjoy teaching, but you don’t want that to be the only thing you do forever. As much as I love teaching I will be honest, sometimes it can get boring. You work alone and you’re in front of a computer for hours, sometimes asking the same questions to your students over and over again. Just like any job, sometimes you’re not going to have a good day. It’s good to continue to learn new things to challenge yourself and keep things interesting. 

Solution(s): You can get into marketing by writing blogs or you can be an ambassador for your school and promote their platform. Maybe there is something else you might think of outside of all the examples I’ve given! If you have that TEFL job, congrats! Don’t stop there! 

I’ll give you another example. You can start as a TEFL teacher and become a trainer for new teachers at the school you teach. Maybe you can get promoted from independent contractor to an employee in one of their departments. You never know! Continuing to learn about your school, profession, and industry can open a lot of doors for you. 

Online TEFL teaching can become a lucrative career if you let it. Good luck!