When you venture online for the first time as a teacher, one can expect a certain level of nervousness much the same as you would when entering a real classroom for the first time. At least this is what I experienced. I had landed my first online teaching job with a great company, had signed the contract and was waiting for them to contact me with a whole bunch of hours. Weeks went by and nothing happened. Then one Monday, my wife asked me if I had heard anything from them to which I had the same reply: no. She suggested I text my teacher’s assistant and find out what could be taking so long. Reluctantly, I did so and on that same day, around about four-thirty, she asked if I could substitute a large class, starting in fifteen minutes’ time. Naturally I said yes.
Fortunately my workspace had been primed and ready for weeks and I flew in there, turned on the computer and lights, did the all-systems check like a pilot about to take off and bursted into the class on time. I was hyper, energetic, funny and all over the place but I pulled off the first class without a problem. I also had two more classes coming up, one on Thursday and another on Friday. That Monday evening, I woke up with a fever (this was before Covid) and told my wife I wasn’t feeling well. Things got worse and by Wednesday, the fever was still raging and I also had some or other breakout all over my face – not an ideal look for someone who had just started teaching online.
I went to the doctor and found out I had Dengue Fever. My joints were aching and my face was hot and ‘rashy’. My wife was told to watch me like a hawk and I was booked off for at least a week. However, my second online class was waiting for me the next day. There was no way I was going to contact them and tell them I couldn’t teach, not after waiting for classes for so long. So when Thursday arrived, I asked my wife to be my makeup artist and make me look presentable. With fever raging and my face covered in makeup, I performed again at top speed for forty minutes on Thursday and another forty on Friday, taking me out of the danger zone so that I could start with a fuller schedule the following week. All worked out well and there I was, two-and-a half years later, still teaching for the same company and no-one ever knew about my shaky start. Perhaps I can use this story as part of my acceptance speech, when I win the teacher of the year award.
