Rising Stars: Meet Kadijia Gordon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kadijia Gordon.

Hi Kadijia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I love kids! I have been a teacher over 14 years. I have also run a summer camp and a mobile kid spa. I started out by teaching Pre-K here in GA after relocating from Connecticut. I had never heard of Pre- K and thought the concept of teaching children great FUNdamentals of learning at the ages 4 and 5 was really awesome. My oldest daughter at the time was in Kindergarten, so I took most of what she was doing in class, and incorporated in mine. You can truly teach a child anything. I saw a need for summertime enrichment and started my Kamp Kaleidoscope. It was a fusion of summer fun and learning. The idea was to help children retain the skills their learned throughout the year and gain some new ones, so they were ready to rock and roll for the upcoming school year. When I wasn’t teaching or running my summer camp, I was having fun with girls ages 4-16 who wanted to party and feel fabulous. I launched my mobile spa business out of what seemed like a necessity for girls who watched certain tv shows, and saw how other little girls went to places and were pampered. I felt like I could make this happen, by being mobile, and making it affordable to any and everyone. I have truly had some great parties, and hundreds of little girls have made everlasting memories from one of my parties. Things like this were easy for me because I am already a teacher. Some of my best friends are 4-5 feet tall.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Nothing great is ever smooth. Challenges in education have been nonstop forever. There is way too much bureaucracy and politics within education. Teachers have more paperwork, emails, meetings, and everything else but time for teaching. I choose to be a great communicator with admin, parents, and students. This allows for everyone to be on the same page and all rooting for the child to be successful. This of course isn’t always easy, but it is a sure way for success. I would have never thought and neither would the rest of the world, that we would have been in a pandemic. This of course shut down my summer camp for the past two years. Along with my camp, went my mobile kid spa. Going into anyone’s home was just not going to happen. Prior to Covid, there had been more people doing mobile spa parties. I even had people calling to see how to start, what items to purchase, etc. There were a few times I had to come back to the drawing board, evaluate what customers wanted more of or included, and tailor my packages in a way that it was still an affordable experience that could fit any budget.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in students ages 4-10. I am known for transforming classrooms, creating a safe and loving learning environment, where kids know it is okay to be wrong, and not feel bad about it. I am most proud of the camp I started. I had repeat campers for the last 7 years. My first set of campers are in college now. I am always reminded by how their parents were grateful for their excellence in school, along with the praise they received from their teachers. I believe what sets me apart is that my endgame is truly for the success of the children. There are so many kids that have just been passed along in the school system, and they struggle to the point they give up on school, and then we have a downward spiral, that leads to so many negative outcomes. So I make it my business to ensure that I give my students my all.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Surprised about my mobile kid spa and being able to do that, work full time, and have a family.