When I was still coaching elementary school pupils in the Division, Regional, and National School Press Conferences, I met the mother of one contestant at the regional level. She said her son was studying in a public high school, and he just got lucky because the school and several teachers and parents sponsored their expenses. He’s an honor student, she added.
Her son eventually won third place in Feature Writing. I asked her what their plans were.
“Ma’am, hindi na po siya magka-college. Kahit po kasi maging scholar siya, hindi po namin kaya ang mga ibang gastusin kasi po lima silang magkakapatid. Mahirap lang po kami”
Back then, I had no idea that writing was a skill I could use to change my life and the ones I love. I didn’t know that even high school graduates or undergraduates who can write well can earn a living from that skill.
Only when my family was down on luck that I realize that writing could help us survive one of the most challenging times in our lives. We had debts up to our necks. We scrimped on everything. Our youngest daughter had to stop her college education to make ends meet.
In 2011, I started writing online. I was still employed as a part-time teacher in the private school I was working in for 15 years. The first time I earned $50 for an ebook I wrote, my happiness was sky-high! I remember going to the grocery to buy the foods our children had always wanted, but we seldom bought them due to the lack of funds.
A couple of years later, I had already established my writing career. I had three foreign clients. I was earning more than enough for my family and me.
This was also the time when I first remembered the mother of the regional competition contestant. But, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get her full name and address. If only I could contact her, I could have mentored her son on how to earn from writing online, I thought.
Yes, I’ve been planning to teach children for quite some time. But then, things got in the way as I had other priorities.
Fast forward to 2019. During one of my coaching calls with Miss Janette Toral, she suggested I create a writing course.
“You already have a lot of writing experience. People know you as a content writer. You’ve written for local and foreign clients.”
So with the help of John R. Pagulayan, Miguel Campaner, and Mark Darwin Balswit, I, together with our eldest son, created my first writing course, The Ben Button Content Writing Course.
Maybe the saying, “Once a teacher, always a teacher,” is true because the moment the course started, I became so alive, the two-hour daily live classes that ran for six weeks passed quickly. After that, I barely noticed the days!
Then, when I was about to launch the second batch, some prospective students sent this message to my inbox:
“Hindi po ako magaling mag-English. Paano po ako magiging content writer?”
Sure, adults can improve their English writing and speaking skills. But unlearning years of faulty grammar and syntax take time. So I thought, why not nip the problem right in the bud by holding online writing classes for kids? Moreover, according to TESSA International School, children have environmental and cognitive advantages over adults when learning languages.
Then, I remembered the regional contestant competitor. What if I was able to mentor him and prepare him for globalization? Then, maybe he could have had the needed funds for his college education. Perhaps he could have helped improve the life of his family. Perhaps he, too, could have had an established online writing career by now.
This is why another goal of BUBOTS is to help prepare children for globalization. And what’s one of the best skills to offer online? Writing! They can earn a living as content writers, copywriters, technical writers, academic writers who can work in offices or even in the comfort of their homes.
Imagine if every Filipino family has one child who earns at least 500 pesos a day (this is a modest estimate) through writing? Then, that child can practically send himself or herself to school and even contribute to the family’s budget.
What is BUBOTS?
I coined BUBOTS from the acronym of our DTI business name, the Ben Button Online Tutorial Services.
We hold live daily classes for the basic, intermediate, and advanced levels. We have a classroom-like setting. This way, children get the chance to mingle with like-minded individuals. During our live classes, children have lots of fun!
Live Classes
What’s happening inside our classes?
Each level’s class is structured as follows:
Ice breaker – 10 minutes
Reading – 15 minutes
Grammar – 15 minutes
Writing – 20 minutes
But I thought it’s only a writing class, so why have an ice breaker, reading, and grammar, you say?
Let me explain.
The ice breaker sets the children’s moods. It stimulates their young minds, preparing them for 50 minutes of non-stop activities. And since they are responsible for doing the icebreakers, the activity gives them a sense of responsibility. And, because they enjoy it so much, they come up with fun, mind-stimulating, and brilliant icebreakers. We are so amazed at what these young minds can do!
@bubotswritingacademy♬ Because I’m Happy – Stay By Me
Our three-pronged approach:
- The reading activities help enrich their ideas and improve their comprehension.
- The grammar lessons help take away grammatical errors that may hamper their writing speed.
- The writing activities help them express their thoughts by practicing writing different types of sentences, paragraphs, essays, articles, stories, and more!
FB group activities
Inside our FB group, different activities can help develop a child’s reading and writing skills, like:
Word Power
All writers need a rich vocabulary. Words are, after all, our bread and butter. And what’s the best way to start enriching a child’s word armory than providing him with vocabulary exercises? In Word Power, we give children one word per day, which they need to use in sentences.
How Fast Can You Type?
To create different types of content or copy online, children need to have fast typing speeds. So I created an account on typingclub.com for this purpose. It has plenty of activities that can take a child with zero typing skills to a fast typist.
What’s Happening in this Picture?
I included this activity to develop the children’s creative writing skills. Children are naturally creative – they see things differently compared to adults. For example, most adults may see a piece of cloth as just that – a cloth. But to kids, that same piece of cloth can be a superhero’s cape, a magic carpet, a friendly ghost, and more!
So why not harness their creativity by writing their thoughts? Let their ideas flow freely, and you will be surprised at what they can come up with.
Puzzles & Games
What child doesn’t like to have some fun with puzzles and games? We have plenty of these inside the group, from crosswords to word hunts to riddles to spotting mistakes!
How do students and parents feel about BUBOTS?
I guess the best way to learn about their sentiments is to read their testimonials.
Coaching for writing competitions
One of the perks of being a BUBOTS student is the free training for those who want to join writing competitions. Currently, I am training two different sets of students. One group will be competing in a local competition, while the other, for an international writing contest.
BUBOTS still has a long way to go, but we’re determined to make it the best online writing school for Filipino children.
Want to try BUBOTS for free?
reading and writing abilityfocusgood study habitsthe confidence to learn on their owncreative writingbrainstorminggrammar
The Free Trial is on a first-come, first-served basis.There is no obligation to enroll after the Free Trial.