MACON, Ga. — A Bibb County School teacher is continuing her efforts to help students beyond the classroom during the pandemic.
Kimberly Abad teaches English at Northeast High School. The wife, and mother of two girls can now add entrepreneur and author to her list of accomplishments.
Abad released her book, “Dear Black Girl: Equip, Empower, Enlighten” back in January. She says creating the book was her opportunity to make good use of her time at home during the pandemic.
She says this was also her chance to provide young black girls between the ages of 11 and 18 with an interactive tool that encourages self-love and critical thinking.
“I love interactive notebooks where you get to learn and reflect. You get to take notes and reflect. So, it’s not just me doing the work. I do the work and you do the work. So, we kind of do it together,” Abad said.
She says inside the book, readers will find 21 topics that encourages students to be themselves.
“The language is user friendly, and after each chapter, I pose a question for students to reflect on. This is important because the idea is not just for me to give all the nuggets and information but for students to apply it and write down their feelings at that moment. When students revisit, they can see what they wrote then and what they want to write now and then chart their growth,” Abad said.
Mentoring young girls has always been part of her journey as an educator. After earning her degree from Albany State University, she traveled overseas to teach.
Abad says it was important for her to return to Macon, where she grew up, to make sure young girls knew the possibilities they could take on in the future.
“Do the work, put the time in to plan and pursue. Check your price tag because you’re not devalued. Don’t let anybody tell you that your value decreases because you make a mistake or two,” she said.
She has been teaching for the last 15 years. Abad says she understands how the sudden switch to virtual learning during the pandemic could significantly impact children and their parents.
“We as teachers have to stay on pace and follow guides that could affect children during this time. So sometimes we must slow down, bring it back and time is just not on our side for educators in some instances. So, this bridges the gap. I’m meeting children where they are and then I bring them to where they need to be,” Abad said.
She says her business, Tutoring Matters, came to life after many parents expressed difficulties with navigating virtual learning during the pandemic.
“I was tutoring at Washington Park after the pandemic hit and things started shutting down. These babies must get it. If they wanted it, I was ready to give to them,” Abad said.
Abad says with the help of her husband, Rashad, she can balance her duties as a mother, educator, entrepreneur, and now author. She says she hopes talking about her journey will show young women that they are able to take on many roles in life.
“I’m committed, balanced, and I just have a really good grip on my purpose and what I’m supposed to do. So, for those women and young girls who I’m building, I want them to grow and learn early on how to get that balance,” Abad said.
Her book is available on Amazon. Find more information on her book and tutoring services on her website.