So You Teach Online, Right?

As a teacher, it typically began with a 6 A.M. alarm and rush to school, boiling hot coffee thermos in hand while listening to The Minimalists Podcast on my daily commute. My moped took me on that commute to the International Catholic school where I spent my days teaching second graders the core American curriculum subjects: Math, Science, Social Studies, Reading, and Writing. Then I would scoot across the city to various family homes and Starbucks locations to tutor students until it was beyond dusk. Grabbing bites of meals and hardly making it to yoga in between - this back and forth drudgery lasted nearly five years. 

This was the life I had built for myself in sunny southern Taiwan. The life I thought I wanted. My daydreams consisted of my next step, imagining myself at top schools, in other exotic countries, making slightly better wages but with slightly less freedom in the day. That was what I thought I wanted. 

It’s hard to recall the exact moment when I realized I needed to make a change. It could have been when the children’s grandmothers would exchange ‘you look tired’ with their 5-year-old in the afterschool pickup line or when I would hold on to my coffee to stay awake during the teacher meetings led by the nuns at 7 A.M. -  but I definitely knew I was getting ready for a new me.

A few months before my final year ended, I started looking for opportunities online and I was terrified. I don’t have a drop of entrepreneurial blood in my veins, so this was way outside of my comfort zone. After many years of trudging through the long, hot, days of teaching the plant cycle and 2-digit addition, I was not ready for a new identity. I had always wanted ‘to be a teacher when I grow up.’

I was interviewing at other schools in the area, but nothing spoke to me. I was becoming more dissatisfied with the opportunities, but most of all with the dream life I thought I was trying to fulfill. One vivid “aha” moment was when I met the administration of a nearby school about their available roles and they mentioned that the school day would last 10 hours for teachers. How on Earth was I going to work this job while having a life, a boyfriend, and a tutoring side-gig at the same time? 

Maybe that was the ‘moment’ that I realized I needed to look elsewhere.

I sat down with a friend who had some experience with online freelancing after wrapping up her education career. She opened my mind to the idea of applying my skills as an experienced educator in new ways; things that were interesting to me.

What do you mean I can do things that I want to do and get paid for it?

I collected about two dozen side hustles during this transition; I was hungry for inspiration.

After applying for a ton of jobs from ghost editing to voice acting, I was starting to find a more meaningful way of collecting a paycheck. It felt like I was employed by nearly every ESL company out there (okay just 8!) By the time the school year finished that year, I was up to my ears in education-related and interest-driven work. 

During this transition, I would spend my days online and offline, buzzing around the city to tutor and making it home within moments to launch the next online session. While many of these jobs were in fact ‘teaching online’ it quickly became much more than that. 

Something that's struck me from listening to The Minimalists podcast is their interpretation of the question "What do you do?" or:

‘What is your socioeconomic status? And based on that status, where do I fall on the socioeconomic ladder compared to you? Am I a rung above you? Below you? How should I judge you? Are you worth my time?’ 

This question came into my mind on repeat. How was I going to answer this when I got to the next step of what I ‘wanted?’

While I was teaching online, I did not lose sight of my career trajectory in which I planned to return to the classroom, to bigger international schools in different cities, and continue on the path I thought I desired. But was it going to be possible to find the balance between life and work? How was I supposed to be 20-something with a social life, exercise routine, career, all while living abroad as an expat? 

As time went on, I would run through daily visions of my future. What if I continued working online as an ‘English teacher,’ or what if I became a writer (HA!), or a voice actor? As for any teacher in this situation, the constant worry to turn down the stability and comfort of a full-time job left me with a lot of doubt and uncertainty.

I started trading in hourly roles for more project-based opportunities. Writing and developing curricula, consulting with a few startups, and whatever non-teaching roles came my way. I needed a break from the 25-minute puppet show that was my online teaching life. How much longer were the ‘what ifs’ going to control my next steps? I knew I was getting ready to kiss that dream goodbye.

When I think back to this period, I was so uncomfortable in my own skin. I think in some way I just kept saying ‘yes’ to everything that came my way, testing the idea that if this sounded exciting, it would open more doors to other opportunities. I was trying on lots of experiences to find out all of the things I did and did not want from my ‘dream.’

Then I met my co-founder through an online connection and that’s when the pieces started to fall into place. After months of brainstorming, we set out to create an impact. The first project was the 2019 Homeschooling Global Summit. Sir Ken Robinson agreed to be a keynote speaker, and we knew this was filling a need for students, parents, and educators who were seeking more community and global connection; a new way of education.

The summit led us to start a book club in the first month, creating learning experiences with our first group of learners for the first six months. In a self-directed way, we listened to what the students wanted more of, what parents desired, and saw the spark in educators who could teach what they were passionate about. Freedom through a new way of education.

Galileo XP now supports over 250 self-directed learners all around the world. I am honored and grateful to wake up and continue to build a life of freedom that empowers the community to learn and grow together. 

One of my heroes of vulnerability, Brene Brown, states:
Daring greatly means the courage to be vulnerable means to show up and be seen, to ask for what you need, to talk about how you’re feeling to have the hard conversations. 

Something I have learned from this all is to keep experiencing and trying on new opportunities that come your way. I know that the discomforts and challenges continue to stand in front of me on a daily basis. 

It is your life, so make it what you want.