I was taking some computer courses at Glendale Community College when an offer came up. Could I edit a series of books on Unix for an attractive hourly wage? My son was already involved in Unix/Linux, so I knew the name of the operating system but little else. I was asked because of my writing and editing experience, but I decided it would be good to learn Unix/Linux too.
I signed up for six credits in Unix and Linux. The professor mentioned the University of Phoenix in class, so I asked him about teaching there myself. He thought they would be very interested in me because of my academic degrees. When I wrote to JS at UOP, she replied within five minutes.
I decided to get the Linux+ certification at the same time. I applied to UOP and was accepted for teaching. The first course I taught in was Linux/Unix for that instructor. I switched into my main fields of writing and religion.
UOP led me into online teaching. JS - my first contact on the UOP staff - just wrote to me, "I wish I had your freedom to work from home."
UOP led me into teaching at Grand Canyon University, because I heard in the washroom at UOP that "someone bought GCU and wanted to turn it into a Christian UOP."
The computer background got me into teaching the first education classes, and I enjoyed them. The students encouraged me to earn the MA degree in education, and that got me teaching a steady stream of education students, mostly UOP staff.
The point of this story is this, as Aesop would say - I did not know that the book idea, which never developed, would lead to teaching at two online universities. The book idea pushed me into the training that opened the door to teaching. Now it all makes sense.
One of my favorite students of all time recently said to me, "I want to be like you. I want your freedom to teach online." That is a great compliment, and I enjoy seeing his success, which combined his insightful work with a formal education.
2 comments:
I am a big fan of your blog on religion. I wonder if I should try some teaching online? I am currently doing some "brick and mortar" adjuncting for the Criminal Justice Department at ITT Tech in Little Rock. Do you find online teaching easier than the more traditional kind? Will I have to get rid of my five-year-old Windows XP system and replace it with a more modern computer? I value your opinion on this issue.
I only use XP - no problem. Cable broadband is best, but probably any broadband will work. No dial-up. Plenty of RAM will help. I love teaching online. It is far more convenient but also more demanding in some respects. My traditional classes were 4 hours, one night a week. I found that disruptive and tiring. Send me some emails and I will offer some tips. Having some experience is a great start.
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