How did I go from teaching in a school and living in an apartment to traveling from place to place in my camper?
Graduated College - Let's Move to Thailand!
Traveling had always been something I craved. Following graduation from college, I started teaching and earning my master's degree in Thailand. There, I was able to experience a new culture and explore surrounding areas while working in the career I loved.
Coming Home
When the pandemic hit, I moved back home earlier than I had wanted to, and still wanting to travel more. With everything being shut down, I found a teaching job in my home city of Rochester and got busy teaching in a remote/hybrid model to elementary and middle schoolers.
Teaching Challenges
The job was difficult 2020-2021 when the classrooms were at half capacity and we had to constantly and seamlessly switch between in person and online teaching, sometimes simultaneously. I was teaching children who were in front of me, while also being live on camera and needing to monitor an online chat full of other 5th and 6th grade students. While this was challenging, I appreciated the growth and learning and sense of community that came from these difficult times. In 2021-2022, my school was full of hope since we would all be coming back to full classrooms like before the pandemic.
However the transition proved to be incredibly difficult, not just for the logistics on the school's end, but the children who had experienced a major disruption in their school routines as well as the trauma that came with the pandemic/shutdowns. The teacher shortage had already begun and we were starting this year without a full staff, and due to our school's covid guidelines, we were with the students all day everyday - except the 45 minutes they had a special class. Unless the specials teachers were absent - then we would cover, sometimes with no warning. Or since this was the only time we had all day, we had meetings scheduled during that time twice a week. As teachers struggled, they began to leave...sometimes for other jobs, sometimes just for the sake of their mental health with no job prospects in sight. As we lost more teachers, and none could be found to replace them, those roles had to be covered by the existing staff who were still there. So we were in a cycle of losing teachers, having that work divided among those still there, and then more teachers leaving because they had reached a breaking point.
We had lost over a third of our staff, and I was struggling and failing to maintain a healthy work-life balance. I attended board meetings to advocate for change and support. I was determined to finish out the school year since I knew I would be okay after all this craziness, but my students educational foundation could be affected by a teacher leaving partway through. I don't have my own kids, I am unmarried, I was able to survive with that workload of having no time to plan or grade, being in a chaotic environment from 8-5, then going home and needing to prepare for the next day, usually after not having a break all day even to eat lunch.
Looking for a Change
During this exhausting school year, I had purchased a hybrid camper for $5,000. It actually brought me great comfort to know I had that if I ever needed to quit for mental health and move out of my apartment, that I could stay in that camper with my cats at the very least. When I made it to the end of the school year, I took a full time summer camp job for the month of July and this job was great for my mental health. I was still teaching math and I had enough time to plan and prepare the activities while I was at work and was still able to have a lunch everyday. When this job ended at the end of the month and I had had some time away from my school, I decided to commit to not returning in the fall so they would have time to find my replacement. I informed the school I would not return and then I began to search for a remote teaching position.
Any Remote Jobs Out There?
Before I quit, I had been watching the teacher postings for a while, and knew the demand for teachers was only going up and up as the shortage continues. I knew I had the camper, a passion for traveling, and I envisioned a life where I could teach math remotely from anywhere with a signal while I go and experience new places. My cats had been preparing for this journey ever since I adopted them two years ago and I had been hired at a company that connects remote teacher with schools with teacher shortages. Now, thanks to this company, I get to teach Algebra 2 virtually by being live streamed into the classroom everyday during class time and delivering instruction that I planned to those students in the classroom. I am able to build relationships with those same kids I see throughout the week, and grade their work, and just be their teacher. All while moving from place to place in my camper.
Conclusion
And hence, this blog was born! I am writing to document my adventures and experiences while sharing about what I am learning along the way! This is the story of a math teacher, 2 cats, and her boyfriend who moved out of their apartment and into a 19ft camper!