What I’ve Learned from Teaching Online While Traveling
Teaching online while I’ve been traveling for the past 3 weeks has been much more manageable than I expected.
Yes, there were mornings in Bangkok where I graded papers on the hotel bathroom while my sister slept in, and one morning in particular that I had a Skype interview for a new school at 6 am Thailand time, and 6 pm Texas time (that was interesting). I also stayed in to get some major work done while my sister spent the day shopping in LA, got some questions answered by my supervisor in the Pattaya airport, and occasions where I passed up watching a TV show with our San Diego hosts to address some student issues. And, naturally, I continually check student emails on my phone during slower moments or car rides during the day.
But when I stop to think about it, the experiences and memories that can be gained from (almost) non-stop adventures during the day, far outweigh the negatives of having to work during short stints while traveling, the complications that inevitably happen, or of not taking the opportunity to travel at all.
Needless to say, I don’t feel like I’ve been working during the last 3 weeks. I certainly have been, but in different times zones, in different places, and around different people, my online obligations just feels like quiet downtime between adventures.
My intent here is not to make light of the responsibilities I have as an online instructor. I take my job very seriously, and as you would expect, I’m pretty much always on-call, checking emails and solving problems within 24 hours, even on the weekends.
But my job here feels different, fun, and exciting. It’s paying for my trip. My job is helping me to live my dreams, which is a goal most people have when working hard for their next paycheck, but don’t always achieve. My students are interested in what city I’m hitting next. It’s opened up new discussions in the classroom.
It’s better.
If you work from home, or have the opportunity to, use it to live life differently, even if it’s just for a little while. Work in order to live, not the other way around.
Most of us have dreams about chances like this, and every one of us can act on them if we’re willing to operate outside our comfort zone for a while. I promise, I’m not an exception to the rules everyone else follows, I just decided to do life differently this summer.
Take a look at your opportunities, and make some amazing things happen.