I am a teacher.
My classroom happens to be in my bedroom.
Well, not technically. Technically, my classroom is an interactive whiteboard on a tutoring website.
My students are from all over America and Canada.
My typical teaching day can start anywhere from 10:00 A.M. and go until 10:00 P.M.
I tend to teach one student at a time and usually my scope of focus is narrowed to English, Math, Reading and Study Skills.
My students generally range in age from Pre-K through middle school.
They are receiving instruction for a variety of reasons. Some have dyslexia or other reading-related issues. Some have dyscalculia or other math-related issues, such as math anxiety. Some are English Language Learners, meaning that English is not their first language. Some have attention deficits. Some have speech delays. A few are there simply to improve or to ensure that they don't lose the skills they already have. Many are with me for a combination of reasons.
Because I am a certified special education teacher and have worked with students who have a variety of disabling conditions, none of this is foreign to me.
It is a bit different providing all of my instruction from in front of a computer screen.
So far, I have been fortunate. Most of my students have been engaged and interested just about every minute of every lesson. They have been polite and respectful and have done the work I have asked them to.
There have been a few tense moments. But I have learned to adjust rather quickly. I also know to come to every lesson very prepared.
It is definitely a lot of work. But I love it.
I am already used to people not understanding how hard it is to work from home, so I didn't expect people to understand how hard this job would be.
For example, people will call me throughout the day, or text me, then be upset when I don't answer.
If I am in session, it is THE SAME AS teaching in a classroom. Just because I happen to be sitting in my bedroom, that doesn't make me teaching any less.
I am devoting myself 100% to that child for that hour.
If I didn't have time to do anything else during the day because I saw, say, 8 students, hey, give me a break.
That's an 8-hour day! That's as long as anyone else typically has.
Also, there is more to teaching or tutoring than just sitting there and waiting for the student to arrive.
I have to find the right resources for each child each day. On the Internet and, if I can't find it there, then I buy them, scan them or copy them and note which materials I will use. And, by the way, you would think with so many resources out there on the Internet, I would have UNLIMITED materials at my disposal, but you would be mistaken. There's actually only so many free ones out there. Which is why I've had to start buying some.
Then, there are progress reports to write each week, schedules to update all the time, notes to go over and correspondence with my supervisor and with parents.
But, yes, my job does have its perks.
I only have to "dress up" from the waist up because that's the only part you see on camera. If I am feeling particularly "lazy," I can wear fancy pajamas.
I can bring my pets to work. In fact, my students like that.
I get to see my family in between students (some people might see that as a negative!).
No commuting. No brown-bagging. My coffee pot is only a few steps away. So is my bathroom. I can take a shower if I have enough time between students. And I have. If I were a better napper, I could take a nap between students since my bed is literally right behind me. But I wake up horribly! So I don't ever try that. Occasionally, though, I have laid down to watch TV.
I also get to work with some great kids from around North America. Kids I never would have met before.
Tutoring from home has been a perfect fit for me. I get to teach, which I have always enjoyed, but I don't have to drive anywhere to do it. Driving has been an issue for me since I developed my vestibular condition.
So, yes, I sometimes teach in sweats. I like to be comfy. I teach better that way.
For another perspective on being comfy while working at home, here's an article on "The Pajama Mentality" in The Freelance Writing Jobs Blog.
