Today we’d like to introduce you to Timothy Freitas.
Hi Timothy, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In 2009, my first autonomous classroom (in Massachusetts) was named The Garden of English. Since that time, I have continued to call my classroom by the title. Around 2012 I began traveling to other school districts (on the weekends) to work with their students, helping them prepare for their AP English exams.
As I continued to work with students around MA, I began being invited to run professional development and even travel out of state (mostly to New York) to encourage other educators and students.
In all of my traveling, I began to meet many professionals which led to greater opportunities: presenting at conferences and sharing instructional practices. As my professional network began to grow, I was eventually invited to become a College Board-endorsed consultant, allowing me to travel the country while facilitating professional development for the organization.
Right before the onset of the COVID pandemic, my wife encouraged me to create a Youtube channel–The Garden of English–since I was consistently asked the same questions; making videos would allow me to provide a link in response to overwhelming requests. Little did I know that what was once only the title of my classroom, and then my Youtube channel, would become my business.
In early 2020, I was invited by my dear friend, Dr. Brandon Abdon, to write a textbook (for AP Lang students), and it was then that I first ventured to Cincinatti. I immediately fell in love with the city. (It helps that he and our other coauthor–Lauren Peterson–live in Cincinatti and northern Kentucky respectively.)
Though I am still stationed in MA, my family visits Cincinatti multiple times a year because those I work with the most, Brandon and Lauren, are so close to the area. We look forward to the trips immensely.
The Garden of English became an official business in 2021, but has been serving and supporting English teachers in school districts around the country for significantly longer. Now we are looking to grow our influence, empowering students and teachers alike.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Since The Garden of English has slowly grown (pun intended) into a business, there have been only a few growing pains that mostly focus on how I knew very little about establishing a small business. In all, though, buying the right video equipment and finding the right studio space have been the hardest parts of the process. Now, managing the paperwork is the largest struggle. But, if paperwork is currently my biggest issue, things will be okay.
As you know, we’re big fans of Garden of English. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The Garden of English provides various English educational resources to students, teachers, and districts; most services relate to teaching AP®* English Language or AP®* English Literature, but the strategies we offer are effective at all levels. Most of what we provide online is free to download at will, with no cost.
The Garden of English offers English varied merchandise, posters, classroom activities, professional development workshops, tutoring packages, and individual district and departmental consulting.
All Youtube content is, of course, free as well.
Our look is probably our most unique branding images that consistently tie in bright colors, flowers, wildlife, and skeletons.
If you’re wondering about how the skulls relate, it’s because such images often show up on bottles with warning labels. Since its inception, The Garden of English has promoted the following motto. Warning: Ingestion of English Content May Cause the Rise of Intellectual Ability.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory is little league baseball. In those days, I wasn’t just a mediocre athlete, and my best friend and I had few worries as we spent all of our time playing our favorite sport.
Contact Info:
- Email: gardenofenglish.timm@gmail.com
- Website: www.thegardenofenglish.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thegardenofenglish
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thegardenofenglish
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/gardenofenglish
- Other: www.ultimatereviewpacket.com/courses/aplang
Image Credits
Brandon Abdon
Lauren Peterson
Jennifer Freitas
