Quit Job to Teach Kids at Home; Hated It Until We Started Traveling

• I quit my job as a pilot to homeschool my kids, two things I never thought I’d do.
• The monotony of being a stay-at-home mom bored me to tears. So, we started taking educational trips.
• Now, I teach my kids by taking them on adventures with hands-on experiences. We’re all happier.

I never planned to quit my job as an airline pilot or homeschool our kids.

I learned to fly at the age of 17, and spent countless hours in small planes getting more experience. By the time I was 43, I was flying for an airline, and my seniority afforded me the perks of a great schedule and salary.

I averaged eight work days a month and took full advantage of my travel benefits. Most of my airline friends thought I had the perfect job.

At the height of my career, an unexpected surprise derailed my future as a pilot: I was pregnant with twins.

It would’ve been difficult for my husband to work and watch the twins and our older son while I traveled, so I reluctantly quit my job to become a stay-at-home mom.

Being a stay-at-home parent bored me, especially once I started homeschooling my kids

As a pilot, I’d wake up in New York City and go to bed in Los Angeles. I’d look back on my day with accomplishment and pride.

As a stay-at-home mom, every day felt as monotonous as the last — and the only thing I explored was the never-ending mountain of dishes in the sink.

Bored to tears and homesick for travel, I counted the days until the twins started school so I could pursue my own dreams again

However, their kindergarten start date was a few short months away when the world came to a screeching halt amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

I didn’t want the twins’ first experience of school to include masks and social distancing, so I gave up my own plans and became a reluctant homeschool mom.

As the pandemic stretched into a second year, I continued to struggle at home, and I yearned to explore the world again. In a lightbulb moment, I realized I could combine my love of adventure and still teach my kids.

Now, I try to teach my kids through travel to encourage a lifelong love of learning

My main goal as a homeschooling mom is to encourage a lifelong love of learning — and why couldn’t that be done through travel? I started to plan trips for us with educational moments and hands-on activities in mind.

Our first destination was Chincoteague Island in Virginia. We walked the beach and learned about tides. We gathered shells and horseshoe crabs and researched the history of both.

Then, we explored the NASA visitors center at the nearby Wallops Island and watched a shuttle launch to the International Space Station.

Once I realized how easy it was to educate through travel, we expanded our reach to explore other locations.

We learned about the three branches of government while we stood in front of the White House and visited Mount Vernon after we researched George Washington. We studied stalactites and stalagmites from a boat in a cave, then had our kayak propelled by a playful manatee while we learned about his habitat.

These were some of our more exotic trips, but we also travel locally.

We spend time in the nearby woods exploring fungi and waterfalls, head to science centers in surrounding towns, and visit local places of historical interest.

Teaching through travel entertains all of us, and I no longer feel like my days are meaningless and never-ending. The best part is that my kids and I are curiously exploring and learning about the world — together.