Any other teachers commuting?
 

Le Tour Du Schools is what made me wonder...actually I was wondering already. Any teachers commuting on here? I teach 4th grade. 8 mile country road/bike path/state hwy commute. It's getting chilly. La dee dah. Gotta go correct stuff. Later.

I've been commuting fourteen years (8 mile r/t) as a special ed teacher. This comes to an end in November when I retire. Four lane residential/business all the way. BTW, I used an older and I'm sure, heavier Le Tour for years.

I volunteer at my daughters' elementary school, I commute .3 miles to school.

I've been commuting across the Yolo Causeway from Davis to W. Sacramento for the last 3 years, and every single day for the last year and a half. 12-14 miles each way.

I keep my bike in the room where I teach first grade.

I think it's very important for kids to see grownups who don't drive cars everywhere they go.

What I find most interesting are the questions kids ask about my bike ...

Why do you have two water bottles?
How come your tires are so skinny?
Why is my name on your wheel? (asked by Alex)
Why is my name on the back of your seat? (asked by Brook)
Why do you have such tiny pedals?
Is your bike your car?

I commute to teach. 20 miles rountrip in Indianapolis. This will be my first winter, I plan to bike as much as I can. It is hard with other gigs, tutoring, and my own kids at home, but I love it.

Middle school SDC/SLI teacher in SF. My ride is six miles each way over some fat hills. I keep my bikes in my room as well.

I don't teach per se, but I do work in a childrens home. Every morning the children mention my bike. This morning it was a youngish (10?) year old girl. I think it sets a great example. There aren't any teaching jobs in my area that are ever open otherwise I would love to get a history degree and teach away.:D

I taught pre-K for a year and half and I used to commute.

[Edit] My new job is about 2.5 miles closer so I commute more often now.

At my 2 yr college downtown there are two professors and one counselor who commute. I am Staff, not a teacher.

:)

I teach 4th & 5th gd Band (approx. 250 students). Just started commuting last week. It's a 7 mile round trip commute. I'd like to see how far into the winter season I can keep it up. Love to be able to do it year round.

I teach Elementary Music and 4-8th band. Only 1.2 miles away, though.

Most common bike related comment, "You have a CAR?!?!"

I've been teaching for sixteen years. My present assignment is to teach incarcerated youth in a juvenile detention centre.
This is my fifth year cycle commuting to work. I travel about 6 km one way. I cycle commute year round but took about 6 weeks off last winter due to frequent problems with freezing rain. My problem with the icy conditions wasn't so much my ability to cycle in it as I use studded tires, but the ability of the drivers to maintain control of their vehicles on the ice.
I'm able to take my bike indoors with me and lock it inside of a locked utility room. The facility has showers for staff so I'm able to clean up, shave and change at work.
I'll probably only be 'in jail' for another year or two and am hoping to be assigned to a community school that is in cycle commuting range for me.

I teach high school English. There are a few teachers at my school that commute on bicycles. The plan is to join them beginning second term.

My kid's 1st grade classmates *love* the pugsley.

At both the colleges where I teach, a decent fraction of the faculty are bike commuters. One campus is at the top of a pretty decent hill (800 feet elevation over two or three miles). Back when I still commuted by car, I was astounded at all the gray-haired professors who made that "impossible" (as I perceived it then) climb on their bikes each morning.

In fact, their example is probably a big part of what got me into bike commuting.

Imagine what they would think of the Karate Monkey.

I commute 8 miles tp Los Medanos College
My wife does 5 to her middle school
My department mate commutes 5 into LMC.

I have commuted for 2 years when the weather is nice, which is the majority of the school year here. I am a SLP serving 3 different schools 9-17 miles one-way.
My wife has joined me on Mondays and Fridays this year :). She teachers 4,5,6 resource (spec-ed) 8 miles away.
I agree with some others that the example is a good. I park my bike in my office and encourage questions about it.

A friend of mine is a first grade teacher and has said that she couldn't possibly commute by bike because of the amount of stuff she has to bring back and forth every day. Just curious how you handle that?

Panniers, and occasionally a trailer. Very occasionally, like when I'm hauling bulky and fragile lab equipment, I'll rent a car (or ask a friend for a ride in.) And during exam season, I will usually stay late and come in early so I can do part of the grading at work; fewer exams to haul back up the hill in the morning.

Depends on what sort of stuff your friend has to transport, though. If it's mostly papers and books, then she'll be fine with panniers and/or a trailer. If she is carrying fragile art projects or something, it might be more of a challenge. (Maybe the projects go in one of those big plastic bins, which in turn she bungees to her trailer?)

My commute is about 7 miles one way on neglected asphalt and frost heaved concrete sidewalk. A rack and panniers is the new addition this fall, replacing a backpack. I've never done it year 'round, but I'm think I can go pretty deep into October. Looking forward to finding out!

I don't teach full time yet (still a grad student, in American literature) so I only carry a full load of books and papers and laptop and stuff three times a week. The other three days I'm in the library or a coffee shop, so it's just the laptop and a book or two.

I can't get over the irrational fear of being late.

Right on. This is inspirational. I get my papers and books + clothes into two panniers. I have not braved the winter commute yet.

How do you get over that fear when you're driving? A bike can't get stuck in a traffic jam (ok, it can, but you have to REALLY try). A car... well... ;)

I teach middle school ESL U.S. History. It's 3 miles one way from the house to the front door of the school. For the past 5 years I was teaching 9th grade world geography at a campus right at 5 miles away. I'm pretty much a fair weather commuter, though I've been caught in a shower or two. I can't see anyone at my campus commuting. I can't envision most of them even getting on a bike except a couple of the coaches. At the high school there were several quite athletic people, and one that was either riding or fishing every weekend of the year, and has ridden the MS150 about 7 times.

I teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) here in Germany. My students are all professionals at banks and other businesses. The bike makes zipping around downtown really fun, and fast.

I teach high school history. I've been commuting over a year now, and my students seem to get a kick out of it. I also think it sets a good example.

We all know being late has greater implications for teachers than a lot of other professions.

However, keep in mind that while biking to work usually takes longer than driving, the amount of time is much more predictable. My drive to work takes 20 minutes if there's no traffic. Serious traffic can bump it up to 40. However, a major tie up can stretch it to an hour.

Biking takes me about 43 minutes if I go the shortest route, there's no wind, and I ride at my usual pace. But here's the cool part. If I haul ass, it takes me 41 minutes. If I'm totally dragging, it takes me 46 minutes. Wind can add or subtract 5 or 10 minutes, but I know about that when I leave the house so I can plan for it.

What I'm saying is that biking to work is far more consistant. I've never been late due to my bike, even when I've gotten a flat. I was late once when my car wouldn't start. But I was less late because instead of waiting 45 minutes for AAA, to tow me to the dealership, have them take in the car, and then give me a ride to work, I just hopped on my bike and was there in 40 minutes.

One thing I always do is wear ordinary shorts over my spandex bike clothes. That way if I am delayed and have the kids lined up at the classroom door when I arrive, I can just start teaching, albiet not very comfortably.

I am not a teacher, but I do work at a school as the IT Manager. I bought a set of cheapy Axiom Appalachian saddle bags for under $30 this Spring. These are not the most beautiful, nor largest, nor easiest to remove bags, but they serve we well. I can hold all kinds of gear. Laptops, keyboards, power supplies, training materials, they all can be carried either in the bags or strapped on using bungy cords. I have ridden my bike almost every day since April 1st, if I need to make a parts run or get to one of our other offices, I take my bike. I only cheat and bug one of my co-workers for a ride if I have a PC(s) or something else that is excessively large to move. My daily ride is about 10 miles. We have to other offices that are both about 5 miles way (both are near each other). I actually look forward to having to go out to the other offices as it takes me along the beautify Amherst Bike Path for almost the entire route. I am always happy to have an excuse to ride further.

I have a large enough office that I can easily store the bike inside. We do have showers, washer, and drier, but they are not allowed to be used by staff. This may have something to do with the fact that there are no locks on the shower room doors. The school is designed for Autistic kids, and the showers and washing facilities get used to teach the kid "life skills." Since I have an office I can just wear shorts and T-Shirt on warmer days, and then I change into my daily cloths after about 45 minutes. The server room functions as an excellent changing room. So far everyone pretty much knows me now as "the cyclist" Maybe next year I can get the Chief Administrative Officer to ride. She has become an avid jogger, and her husband loves to ride and has been bugging her to ride as well.

I am amazed that I now see up to 3 to 5 regular cyclists on my way to or from work. That may not sound like a lot, but compare that to 0 to 1 between April and June, that is a huge improvement. Next Spring I intend to start riding my Daughter to school. She will be 7 then and there is a bike rack. She is just barely starting to ride solo and still needs a helping hand. I hope to have her riding confidently by Spring. Her school is right on the way to my work so it is convenient. My wife will then ride to school in the afternoon to pick her up and escort her home.

Happy riding,
André