bamacrazy 

I was wondering if there were any teachers on the board who bike to school? What grades do you teach?Our system starts school Monday and I have set a target date of October 1st to begin commuting. I do not know of any other teachers who commute so any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

robi

i teach high grades 7 to 12 in a 6 year HS and university here in Budapest, Hungary.

I ride to work rain or shine, snow or not, every day.

I hve a colleague, nearly 60 who bike sin everyday too and 3 nights a week takes rides ranging from 30 to 80 k in nice weather.

now, just what is it you would like to know?

Why do you start school so early and why wait until October to bike?


How long is your commute, how safe is the route?

Robi

unixpro

Funny, when I saw the subject line, I thought you were asking for someone to teach you how to commute. I was wondering why you needed classes.

MyLilPony

Yes, I have been bike commuting for the last 4 years. I rode my mountain bike to begin with, and recently bought a Surly Crosscheck. My route is only 10 miles round trip and I carry everything I need on the rear trunk. Clothes, lunch, schoolwork. It is a Topeak trunk bag that unfolds on both sides and accommodates more papers than I can grade in one evening!

I teach 8th grade English and the students are used to seeing my bike (with the helmet on the bars) parked in the classroom. I ride every day, rain or shine, and I love riding through the neighborhood as I approach the school. Lots of kids waving and yelling my name!

rnorris

Not a teacher myself, but know some who commute by bike. The biggest challenge is setting up your ride so you can carry all the stuff you need back and forth between classroom and home. The fold-out rack bag seems like a good idea.

gerald_g 

My sister used to bike to teach school. She tells me the story of flying up to the school one day, and catching the blacktop to concrete transition wrong. Across the sidewalk, and grass she goes flying off her bike. Not badly injured, but all her students were standing around waiting for classes to begin. They had a good laugh at her expense (but she was fine). I recommend not crashing in front of all your students.

nodachi

I commute to work twice a week in reasonable weather. Too cold makes it not very enjoyable because I am not in shape to go fast enough to get out of the weather quickly and it's 22 miles each way. Light rain doesn't bother me, but heavy rain is annoying, and more so I don't trust that drivers can see as well or drive as well in really bad weather.

Tips:

Slower in the morning helps to be less sweaty at work. I don't have access to a shower so I go at a pace where I don't sweat much and can just use a wash cloth in the faculty bathroom. Go home as fast as you want because cleaning at home is easy.

I store the bike in the custodian/boiler room where I can lock it hidden away and it feels safe. My room is too small to have a bike taking up space.

I tried a backpack, didn't like it. Panniers make my life so much easier. It's much more comfortable.

I leave my work shoes at work and wear sandels to and from the car on non-bike days or the bike shoes on bike days so I don't have to carry more bulky stuff on the bike. I could carry the shoes, but it's just annoying and easier to leave them in my room.

And it helps when you have enough experience that you can leave your work at work. Teachers bring home lots of homework for themselves and being able to leave work at work makes less weight to carry and makes the ride home that much more enjoyable knowing I can just relax the rest of the day.

And I leave really early so that I arrive at school at least 45 minutes before school starts. It gives me time to clean up, change, and get lots of stuff done before kids show up. It also prevents kids from seeing you should embarrassing crashes happen...

politicalgeek

Do swim lessons count?

I am an education major and do plan on biking to the classroom when I finally get to that point.

sci_femme

There is a teacher in my kid's middle school who does it on a longboard. After this, I guess, anything goes.....

SF

xtrajack

The same thought went through my mind as well.

supramax

You ****ing joke wrecker!

hairnet

My Chemistry professor from last semester is a bike commuter. Unfortunately he doesn't know much about bikes so I couldn't talk bike with him.

aharris

I teach hs science and commuted 2-3 times a week. 16 mile each way. I have to be in at 6:50 for day school, and have taught the night school this summer (leaving for home at 9:30 pm) so I have decent lights. I leave to get to school a bit earlier (to allow for tire, other issues). I have a prep room that I can change in so I leave my teacher shoes, belt, but I bring in clothes each day. I try very hard to correct at school to keep the stuff coming home to a minimum. Not so easy. I also have had to get odd things (like a gallon of pond water, potatoes, etc....) that don't fit nicely in my small panniers so occasional have both panniers and an old backpack.

One of the custodians and an aide have started biking in a few times (not regular). Some other teachers, serious bikers, have talked to students biking but none yet. I think there is a certain concern about not looking "cool" or authoritative if you show up on a bike. Even though I drive in 2-3 times a week some times I have many kids ask if my car is down, or if I had a dui, or if I don't have a car (said with horror in their voice as if this would be embarrassing) . Many of them get a part time job, then a junker car to get to the job, then spend most of their money on the car and maintenance. I am a stereotypical science teacher (gut, beard, glasses, bird watcher, etc...) so I don't have much to fall on the cool appearance scale so wear the reflective vest, blinky lights.

No falls in front of students though the one fall I had I bled a lot through my knee in my pants as my first aid kit only had pads and tape. I now have some sizable band aides in my classroom. The school nurse hooked me up with some band aids but it came at a price of having clucking about how unsafe it was to bike to school. Alcohol / witch hazel splashed on a paper towel and a shower before coming in keeps things decent.

Extra snacks at school help particularly at the end of school before the ride home keep the morale up.

I am less stressed at the end of the year, somewhat more organized (as I really try to not take much home except some planning)

azesty

2005-6 I commuted to a school in Tasmania, Australia. I taught hs math and science. When I was living in Korea 2007-8 I lived a short walk from the schools where I taught English.

Now I am living in China and am again commuting, 12 km each way, on the flat. I am teaching math and science at an international school, under the IB program.

z

ilchymis

I'm not a teacher, but I currently work at an elementary school as their IT guy. It's 23-26 miles each way (depending on which route I feel like taking), and I use two waterproof panniers to carry lunch, work supplies, a change of clothes, etc. Good lights are mandatory, as I have to leave before sunrise and my ride takes me down long, isolated, unlit county roads. I use clipless cycling shoes for the ride, so I leave a pair of regular walking shoes at work. Fortunately there's a spare network closet at the school in which I can change out of my cycling clothes and stash my bike

I generally find that taking a shower just before departing, then toweling off and applying fresh deodorant when I arrive, is sufficient to prevent smelliness throughout the day—even in south Florida humidity. Contrary to aharris's concerns about not looking cool to the students, the kids really love seeing me pull up on my bike, all lit up like a 1400 lumen Christmas tree. (I actually get questions from the students when I wimp out and don't bike to work.) I think the kids like to see an adult at the school doing a tiny bit to help the environment (though I confess that my real motivations for cycling are purely self-centered: as an excuse for training, for fun, and to save money on gas, in roughly that order); I suppose they're also impressed because, at that young age, 26 miles seems like a long way to travel under one's own power.

Last year I was the only bicycle commuter at the school, but one of the fifth grade teachers used to do triathlons and has expressed some interest in joining me. I may make a convert of him yet...

robi

no need to carry tons of stuff... if a teacher preps well then there is nothing to carry... just do all that work in the school and avoid carrying stuff...or whatever is digital goes on a pen drive or in email..
barring these, a backpakc or panniers are good when you have to carry stuff...


I have carried 2.5 meter pieces of wood to an umiak building class i ran here...

robi

2mtr

i teach at a private after school language school in South Korea. i do my prep at home and save it on google docs, then print it off when i get to work. that way, i don't have to carry anything. i don't have to dress fancy, so i show up in dockers and a t-shirt. luckily these dry off well when it's hot.

zeppinger

Ha I thought I would be special by posting that I an English teacher in South Korea who cycles to work! I live near Busan and though I dont live more than a quick walk from work I always ride. I alot of the time I take a very long way to to school just to be on the bike. I have a front basket thats the perfect shape for carrying papers and a rear extra huge saddle bag should I need to bring my computer or 30 pounds of fire wood, or whatever. Most of the time I dont take anything. My school makes my lunch for me and there is no dress code. I usually just wear sandals, since you have to change into slippers anytime you go indoors in Korea, some quick dry hiking slacks and a button up shirt.

Hay all you Korean teachers, PM me so we can ride sometime!

labelcd6

I teach high school English, and I bike to work each day. As for carrying things, don't take anything home with you: ever. If you have extra work to do, do it after school/coaching.

Another English teacher also bikes to school, so I think we're setting a pretty good example, as a few other people have started biking as well.

capejohn

Teacher: "Why didn't you do your homework?"

Student. "I was too tired, I worked late last night".

Teacher. "Why are you working?"

Student. "To pay for my car".

Teacher. " Why do you have a car"

Student. "How am I supposed to get to work?"

rajman

Our small high school in toronto has about 30 teachers. Three teachers cycle to work year 'round - and another three cycle spring and fall. We also have two out of ten caretakers/support staff who cycle year round.

Fifteen teachers drive to work most days - the rest walk or take transit.

Not bad, eh?

daredevil

One of your big advantages will be your facilities. You should have easy access to showers and plenty of places to keep your bike.

eshvanu

Several of the teachers where I'm in school ride in when conditions allow (snow and ice are NOT good biking conditions, imo). Some keep their bikes in their offices, some lock in the rack with the students. Most have good paniers, lights, and fenders on their bikes. Their example in riding is one of the reasons I'm commuting now rather than driving my car every day.

nahh

there's 2 teachers in my high school that bike commute, and one more that just left that did. That, and about 10 students.

daredevil

Have you tried it? Studded tires and proper clothing make it a breeze.