worldwidemike

First, my apologies for not being on the Boards much, lately. I've been getting things ready for the "next phase of my life."

Most of you know I'm an airline employee. In a little less than 3 years, I can retire with full flight benefits for the rest of my life. Circumstances around here are such that I don't want to work much past my retirement time...mostly to do with our merger with USAirways. So, I've been contemplating my second career.

I've decided to take advantage of Ashland University's Bachelor's Plus program, which converts my bachelor degree (in Journalism) into a Teaching Certificate. To that end, I've started taking online classes. I plan on taking two per quarter, and am about 5 weeks into my first quarter. I have one English class that is pretty much kicking my butt, time-wise. One week we had 5 writing assignments due on one week! Anyway, it's gobbling up tons of time.

The payoff should be fantastic, though. I will have a job where I work for 9 months of the year and have 3 months off to travel. And the free flight benefits to take advantage of it! Is that an awesome way to spend the next couple decades, or what...?

worldwidemike

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Check out my travel web page at:
Worldwidemike.com
"Life is not measured in the number of breaths we take, but by the places that take our breath away..."

Brookers13

Congratulations, Mike! That sounds like a fabulous plan! Writing classes are never fun!

What do you want to teach? I'm so excited you're going to teach! Teachers are awesome!

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"If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane"-my idol Jimmy Buffett


"I wanna be there, I wanna go back down and get high by the sea there, with a tin cup for a chalice, fill it up with good red wine, and ill be chewin' on a honeysuckle vine...." - Jimmy

florencia9699

Wow Mike, that sounds like a dream come true!! I bet you'd be a fantastic teacher!! The few teachers in my life that had travelled where the most interesting, the ones who had more real stuff to pass on, and the ones I'll never forget.

I'm really excited for you!

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Been to: Argentina, Chile, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt. Greece, Turkey, England, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Belgium, USA, Mexico, Spain, Monaco, Czech Republic, Ireland and Uruguay.

Next trip: Still pondering the possibilities for January 2009... * OH THE MYSTERY!! *

The travel bug is insatiable

lauren313

Crikey, that's fantastic, I'm glad you have such direction in your life, what a great feeling that must be. I'm sure you're going to be a fabulous teacher.

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Rozza

Mike, your surely a man i'd like to have a drink with. Teaching will be great for you, plus the free flights and school holidays? good move.

but does this mean that you'll start wearing cardigans?

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Mountains are the means, the man is the end. The goal is not to reach the tops of mountains, but to improve the man.
- Walter Bonatti, Italian climber.

Past Trip Albums:
Norway '05 Album

"'Kings. What a good idea.'Whoever had created humanity had left in a major design flaw. It was its tenedency to bend at the knees."
- Terry Prachett

omisan

Sounds great, Mike - congrats and good luck!

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¿Donde esta Omid? Omi-san wa doko desuka? Ou est Omid? Wo ist Omid?

Find out @ http://omidabroad.blogspot.com

joe7f

Fantastic Mike! I agree with Florencia. I had a physics teacher in High School (by far the best teacher I had) and he would tell us stories of Costa Rican prostitutes, and $10k luxury cars from Thailand. When I try to trace back my travel ambitions, I think the 2nd biggest factor are those stories of midnight strolls through Bangkok.

You'll be that guy and then some to a bunch of kids. Give them a few Albanian geography lessons and a few Easter Island tips. With three months off ever year (how f'n great is that?!?!) you can maybe hit up... Machu Picchu

Good luck with the move

--Joey

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Countries visited: USA, Netherlands, Norway, France, Switzerland, Germany, Spain (and Gibraltar), Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Austria, Ireland, UK, Japan, Canada , Portugal, Czech Republic, Poland, Andorra, Croatia, Montenegro

Next up: Mongolia, China

"I sought trains; I found passengers" - Paul Theroux

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TheJake

Mike!

I am back in phoenix and planning on going to the US Airways In-Flight info session on august 1st!

Hopefully I can be flying again soon!

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Diorama

yay! I remember you telling me your plans on the camping trip last year. This is such a great plan for you. It really fits your lifestyle. I know you;ve been suffering from vacation time shortage!

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I have been to: Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, New Zealand , Australia, Fiji, Costa Rica, United States, England, Ireland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland , France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Vatican, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Mexico, India, Nepal.

Where to Next? Iceland!

hurr111

Sounds great Mike, A lot of work right now but the payoff sounds well worth it!

Joker

Sounds awesome, Mike. And I'll second it. Mike's a ton of fun to knock beers back with...

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Misadventures of a Crazed Kitchen Pirate

"Steve is the prototypical cool American male. Y'know, I'm talking about Steve McGarrett, alright? Steve Austin, Steve McQueen. Y'know, he's the guy on his horse, the guy alone. He has his own code of honor, his own code of ethics, his own rules of living, man. He never, ever tries to impress the women but he always gets the girl."

LiveFreeorDie

Sounds great Mike, congratulations! I think you will make a great teacher. I have been thinking about a similar thing down the road a few years for myself as well once I have had my fill of the corporate rat race. You really can't beat 3 months off, plus all the week vacations every couple of months and teaching certainly has the potential to be very rewarding.

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\\Jamie\\



"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Ben Franklin

"The plural of anecdote is not data"

mbo108

Thats awesome. I am so jealous of teachers. Most of my family members teach. The worst is when they complain about having to go back to school in September to rest of us schlubs who were working all summer anyways. Just don't do that and you'll be fine in my book! and congrats on the almost retirement.

simply_angelic

who's to say he doesnt already? But congrats mike, that sounds fab! I would like free flight benefits for the rest of my life...

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~Laura
GO CANADA!!!!

If you walk backwards, you'll find out that you can go forward and people won't know if you're coming or going.

Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today.
-James Dean

Countries I've Visited: Austria, Botswana, Canada, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy. Malawi, Mexico, Portugal, Rwanda, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Tanzania, Uganda, USA, UK, Vatican City, Zambia

worldwidemike

Thanks, everyone, for the words of encouragement and support! I plan on teaching Middle School, Brookers. For those from outside the states, that's kids anywhere from 11-15 or so. Different school districts arrange the grades differently, so it varies a bit. That seems to be about the age when I can start to relate with kids.

And Rory, I'd love to sit down and knock back a pint or two with you...!

worldwidemike

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Check out my travel web page at:
Worldwidemike.com
"Life is not measured in the number of breaths we take, but by the places that take our breath away..."

jengt

The day he starts wearing cardigans is the day I'm heading for the hills because the world is coming to an end!

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"Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you."

~ Aldous Huxley

Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer (an ad in the Smithsonian)

Travel is the enemy of bigotry.

noke_travel

great news mike! with your wealth of knowledge on all things historical there should never be a dull day.

why am i thinking of 'welcome back mr. kotter' right now?

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"An inordinate passion for pleasure is the secret of remaining young. -Oscar Wilde

"I showed them...I'm still alive." Homer Simpson

beergal

I second that lol...

Mike you will absolutely love teaching because you can talk about travelling so much in everything you teach kids. I can fully recommend that you take it up, it has been the best thing i have ever done. I am currently on my 6 weeks break at the moment with a whole tonne of work to do, including decorating my classroom ( i have an idea to put some cream sheets up on the ceiling like a hareem tent - wierd i know!) I really want to bring the middle east (and eastern europe) in to my classroom this summer before the kids get back in september - look at me crashing in on your post!

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I have two skins, one to lie on and one to cover myself with; the earth and the sky. (Masai proverb)


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Brookers13

im not positive yet, but i think my classroom is going to be pirates

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"If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane"-my idol Jimmy Buffett


"I wanna be there, I wanna go back down and get high by the sea there, with a tin cup for a chalice, fill it up with good red wine, and ill be chewin' on a honeysuckle vine...." - Jimmy

space virgin

I'm so happy for you, Mike!!! You'll be an awesome teacher. Middle school can be a very difficult group, but I get along with kids of that age too.

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