The New Norm

August 3-9, 2020

Coronavirus brought customers

By Cait Smith
caitlin@dailydata.com

It has been a spell since I caught up on my Spanish. I only know first introduction words, the birthday song, and the alphabet. To hear myself speak it aloud, however, I sound pretty rough. But while I gave up on the language, others have taken to it as the pandemic continues. Like journaling, mediation or binge-watching, learning a new language has grown common as people are cooped up in their homes with nothing to do. 

Tasha Moore, a Spanish tutor, said she saw significant growth in clients for her virtual business, Tasha Teaches Spanish. “As odd as it sounds, COVID was a blessing for me. Before I was working part-time on top of being a graduate student. Thanks to the virus I was forced to stay home. It worked out because I had more time to take on more clients,” she said. Since Moore’s business is virtually online, she had no problem adjusting to the drastic changes. She was able to get more accomplished as she provides services such as private one-on-one sessions, private group lessons, and corporate lessons via video chat. 

Since Moore teaches children to adults, she noticed an increase of clients from other states. “I started teaching clients in Maryland, Chicago, and even California. I think most of it was because the virus slowed people down. We had to regroup who we were as individuals,” she explained. She noted how even though she was growing in business, she had to remind herself staying home forever was not a permanent thing. “I tried not to get too comfortable ... remind myself that ‘hey, this is work but I am going to have to leave the house eventually,’” expressed Moore. 

And like most families, Moore had the responsibility of taking care of her child. “I am busy throughout the day working but also want to make sure I am giving him enough of my time too,” she said. By time, Moore meant actively engaging with her son instead of letting him stare at a screen for most of the day. “As a parent, being active in my child’s life is super important to me. I worked hard to find a balancing act for teaching and caring for my son.” 

With the school year right around the corner, Moore has specially prepared a program for her younger pupils called “La Caja.” The home-based program will be a combination of her favorite resources that will include activities such as games and books to read. “A lot of parents still do not want their children to go back to school, so this program will be an incentive for them to do on weekends to keep their skills sharp,” stated Moore. She understands what most parents will have to deal with in the upcoming months, so she will be readily available to teach and provide for all her clients. 

In the meantime, Moore has picked up on a hobby herself … gardening. “When there were scares of produce being on shortages, it led me to gardening. It has been a fun learning experience so far,” she said.