We caught up with the brilliant and insightful TOMEYKO SALONE a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
TOMEYKO, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
I remember being in the 5th grade sitting in the back of class not listening. I had a piece of paper making a drawing of what I wanted my future to be. I knew I wanted to be a teacher and I knew I wanted to own my own school. I was deep in thought as I began to draw this huge castle that looked like Children’s Palace ( a toy store from back in the day). I decided this would be a happy school, a place where all kids can learn, and teachers made it fun. I wrote at the top of the paper “Jubilee Enrichment Center”. I was so proud of myself and began to fantasize about what it would look like. II wanted the entire place to be filled with decor that children made. I wanted handprints on the walls and I wanted to hear laughter and excitement for learning. Of course my fantasy was rudely interrupted by my teacher who wanted me to pay attention in class. LOL
As I grew up and continued on my educational journey that name and idea rang in my mind louder and louder. I began to pay attention to all the things I saw wrong in the classroom and vowed to not be that way. I was determined to make school a place where children loved to come and learn and teachers were just as excited as the students. I have experienced some great teachers and thank God for those who planted good seeds in my educational journey. However , the teachers who did not give me such a great experience fueled my desire for Jubilee to be a reality. I encountered a teacher who in middle school would hide in the restroom and drink to make it through the day. I remember backing myself in the corner so as not to get hit because students would fight in class and you never knew if a desk would be coming towards your head. In high school there was a teacher that told me I was the worst writer she had ever seen,but somehow did not help me to improve my skill. All I could think about was, school should not be this way. I know teachers did not want to be there, but I dont think all of them realized just how much students did not want to be there either. In my mind… why not make the best of it since we all have to be there for one reason or another.
Soon I begin to write down my ideas of what Jubilee could be. I looked up to the people around me who took education as seriously as I did. MY FAMILY! My dad’s side of the family is full of teachers and preachers. I had plenty of opportunities to go to the classroom with my grandmother and my aunts and was fascinated at how they ran their classroom. I found several schools that would work for what I wanted to accomplish. Oral Roberts University was my first choice because I could teach and preach. Then one summer I visited my aunt in Nashville for the summer and spent some time at Tennessee State University and I knew this was the place for me.
At TSU I was able to have in class experience with students and teachers. I received an “A” on one of my written essays and went back to my high school to show the doubting teacher who said I was the worst writer she had ever seen. In my mind I thought she would be excited for my improvement. Instead, she told me that she dont know what type of professors they have at that school ,but this was definitely the wrong grade. Of course fueling my fire even more.
I vowed from that point no student should ever have to go through that!
So let’s bring this mission a little closer to today. Upon graduating from TSU I was able to go into the classroom and enhance my craft. I became a teacher, a daycare director, a daycare manager, and finally a business owner. I started by creating a tutoring company I named Academia Tutoring, to help me understand and grow the strong force of educational leaders who would work alongside me. I have found people who are of like minds and believe in the vision God had given me all those years ago… As of today my tutoring company has grown. I was working in a school district for a while and was saddened to see students dealing with so many things at home and expected to come to school and sit in a chair and listen to someone ALL DAY long. Unfortunately, they were so distracted they could not receive or retain the information. I took it upon myself to test out a lot of my educational ideas and theories for teaching and tutoring students. It worked and I was excited to see even more students who wanted to be in my class. Funny part was I had students who were not in my class wanting to be in my class. There were enough crazy ideas and excitement happening that other teachers would ask us to close the door or quiet down! This is the way school was meant to be. Students who are actively engaged and a teacher who actively pays attention to more than academic needs. Those who are true educational pioneers know the first thing you do in creating a conducive learning environment is to build the teacher student bond. This bond allows the students to trust you and break down the barriers that prevent or diminish their ability to learn and retain information.
As Academia Tutoring (AT) grew I knew it was time to start building Jubilee Enrichment Center (JEC). The plan was working and I had learned so much. UNfortunately COVID hit and we took a huge step backwards. I used this to my advantage though and offered tutoring for free in order to learn how to offer virtual tutorials. Now the majority of my tutoring students are virtual and are thriving at a growth of 6 months to a year academically in only three months. The tutors who work with me are excited for this vision and have the desire to continue this mission as I start JEC.
During COVID I hit a huge wall. My baby sister passed away from heart failure at the age of 42 in August. By September of the same year I lost my paternal grandfather and then by October my wonderful mother passed away. It was way too much to handle but I kept going. Through all the grief and all the agony I could hear my mom still cheering me on and my sister telling the world that I can accomplish anything.
Fast forward to March 2022. I met a lady on Facebook who wanted to homeschool her son. I reached out to her and told her my mission. She was excited and decided to give it a try. So we collaborated all summer to make sure things were in place to start JEC in August of 2022. I greatly appreciate the trust this family had in me and the God given vision to guide their son on his educational journey. The vision for Jubilee Enrichment Center will be like no other school has ever been. This EDUCATIONAL PIONEER is already doing great things, but wait until you see what’s next.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Tomeyko Salone and I come from a family of preachers and teachers in East Saint Louis, Illinois. I am happily married to my AWESOME husband Byron Salone for almost 10 years. We are a blended family with 4 adult children, Cheralyn and Brandon who are both married and Amaryah and Joshua who are the youngest. I’ve been in education for over 25 years and plan to eventually have a franchise of micro schools. I have been a licensed minister since I was 17 years old. I received my Bachelors from Tennessee State University in Early Childhood Education and my Masters Degree from University of Texas at Arlington in Curriculum and Instruction in Mathematics. I am a proud soror of the Amazing Alpha Omicron Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Incorporated in Dallas, Texas.
I’ve always had a passion for families, kids, and seeing people happy and thriving. So, even as a kid I did everything I could to help people. I remember playing school outside with my sisters and our friends. I loved being the teacher and the student. For years I fought against myself to start the business because of finances and other economic barriers. This fight with myself helped me see the struggles students have as well. Everyday the battle in the mind with fear, rejection, doubt, feeling inadequate, anger, and depression. I know some adults believe they are hiding their emotions and feelings from kids, but trust me they probably knew before you did. For this reason, I want to guide the family, not just the kids.
In 2012 I started my LLC, Educators Round Table. This was my first business. I hired substitute teachers and directors for daycare centers. I did all the background work, hiring processes, and payment. The daycare’s only responsibility was to call and request a teacher. I even had the opportunity to hire myself as a daycare director while the owner went on vacation for a week. When I started Academia Tutoring, I was able to provide free online tutoring services during the pandemic. I am currently working on continuing this initiative by providing more opportunities for low income families to take advantage of academic support services. What sets me apart from other tutoring providers is that we believe in community. Remember back in the day when everyone on the block knew your name and all your momma kids. You got it at school,you got it on the way home, you got it at home and you got it at church. In other words… It takes a village. With all the dynamics families are dealing with today we all need to help each other. I provide academic services, but also resources for families to help the family as a whole. If a parent needs an advocate to understand the school lingo and acronyms, if they need an educator’s professional opinion, if they just need someone to talk to their child… THAT’S US! All of the parents and students that are or ever were a part of Academia Tutoring will tell you it’s like being in one big family.
I guess what I am most proud of is that I did not stop. I persevered through A LOT to get to this point. Every day is a different kind of battle. Everyday something distracts me, pushes me back, or gets in my way. I may get knocked down, I may even scrape my knee, but I get back up. WHY? One day I will pass away, one day you as a mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, aunty, uncle, or whatever role you play in a child’s life; you will pass away. This is what I want to leave behind. This will be my legacy. I want children to know someone cared, someone listened, someone understood, and someone is out there fighting them not just educationally, but emotionally, spiritually, mentally and socially. No child should ever have to go through the gambet of things I have seen other children and myself go through. What is your legacy?
Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?
Well, I didn’t quite miss payroll. I was well ahead of myself and paid everyone twice! I wasnt for sure that I had sent payroll so I did it again. Thankfully, I have awesome teachers who quickly caught the error. We all had to laugh and they told me I needed a vacation.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
When COVID first began I had serious anxiety about being in the classroom. So much so I started having panic attacks and had to move to virtual only class. This helped but I still struggled. then came all the deaths. When my sister passed away, nothing was in place. I had to take care of all of her arrangement, find her son who was stationed in afghanistan, take in her then 12 year old son, and prepare my mom for a nursing home after rehab. The pandemic had already caused me to loose 2 of my tutoring locations and now this! I lost it for a long time. I am still not sure how the business kept going because I was not there mentally! BUT GOD!!!
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