Kinda Chic to Be a Traveling Teacher
This summer, my classroom had no permanent address.
Some mornings, I logged into Zoom from Switzerland. Other weeks, I taught from Hungary, Greece, or Spain. My office changed countries, but one thing stayed exactly the same: my students were waiting.
While social media often shows the beach, the flights, and the sunsets, what it doesn't always show is what being a traveling teacher actually looks like. So here's a behind-the-scenes look at my summer.
Kinda Chic to Teach Three Continents
This summer, I taught students in China, Singapore, Japan, Switzerland, Greece, Spain, Italy, England, Scotland, Canada, New York, Missouri, California, and Florida, all while moving between Switzerland, Hungary, Greece, and Spain myself.
Every student logged into the same Zoom classroom, no matter where either of us happened to be.
Teaching across continents has become one of my favorite parts of what I do. It reminds me every day that language learning has no borders.
Kinda Chic to Live by Time Zones Instead of Time
My days aren't organized by morning, afternoon, and evening anymore. They're organized by time zones.
Most mornings I wake up around 8 or 9 AM. Because the Island where I am in Spain is one hour behind Switzerland, I usually begin teaching my Asian students around 9 AM and continue until about 1 PM.
After that comes my break.
When Europe slows down, North America is just getting started. Around 9 PM, I log back into Zoom for students in New York, Missouri, Florida, California, and Canada, often teaching until midnight.
It sounds unusual, but after years of teaching internationally, it feels completely normal.
Kinda Chic to Call the Beach Your Lunch Break
The hours between Asia, Europe and North America have become my favorite part of the day.
Sometimes I'm by the pool. Sometimes I'm at the beach with a book. Sometimes I'm planning lessons, preparing worksheets, writing blog posts, editing videos, or creating content for Csilla Language Lab.
Running an online language school means the work doesn't stop when the classes end, but having the freedom to decide where I do that work is something I never take for granted.
Kinda Chic to Build a Classroom Without Borders
This summer wasn't just about regular lessons.
We launched our very first Jet Set German Book Clubs, one for students in Europe and another for students in North America. We also introduced our August German Fresh Up sessions to help students stay connected with German before the new school year begins.
Whether a student joined from Asia, Europe, or North America, everyone became part of the same global classroom.
That's the part I'm most proud of.
Kinda Chic to Make the World Your Classroom
People often ask me where I'm based.
The truth is, my answer changes depending on the week.
But my students know exactly where to find me.
On Zoom.
My office changes countries. My students keep learning. And every summer reminds me why I built Csilla Language Lab this way in the first place.
Because sometimes the best classroom isn't a classroom at all.
Sometimes, it's wherever your laptop opens.
