I’m a public school teacher with a 3-hour commute. I thought I’d hate it, but it’s my favorite part of my day.
The author loves her long commute because she gets time for herself.
Sitting at brunch with an old college friend, I watched her eyes widen as I explained that I commute an hour and a half one-way into Brooklyn every day for work.
“That’s rough!” she exclaimed.
I nodded. On paper, she was right. And I confess that when I switched from teaching in Manhattan to teaching in Brooklyn this year, I assumed I would hate it. After all, I traded a 25-minute one-way commute for an hour-and-a-half trek using two subways and an unreliable bus. Collectively, I would travel for three hours a day.
The American Educational Research Association finds that the probability of teachers leaving their jobs grows with each five-minute increase in commute time. Needless to say, I was nervous about my commute and how it would affect me.
But here’s my secret: I actually love it.
I have more time to myself
When I had a short commute, I struggled to find time for my passions — reading and writing — and I constantly felt stressed about applying to grad school. Also, after an overstimulating day of teaching teenagers, having only 25 minutes to myself before interacting with my roommates again was exhausting. I found myself being irritable and snapping at my mom when she called after work.
My long commute has given me the gift of time to myself. Going to school in the morning, I treasure the quiet time to read, write, or catch up on emails related to my work as a freelance writer. I’ve always worked best outside my home, so the guaranteed daily transit time means I hold myself accountable for my goals.
During my commute, I even started applying to grad school — a goal of mine for the past two years. Since I don’t have cell service on the subway, I’m fully focused and the most productive I’ll be all day.
I get to decompress from work
On the way back home, my commute lets me decompress from eight overstimulating hours of tending to teenagers’ constant questions, drama, and needs.
This alone time is especially essential when things go wrong in my classroom — when two students fight or when kids are disruptive. As a teacher, so much of my day is out of my hands: I have no control over how kids will act that day, whether I’ll be scheduled to cover an absent teacher’s class during my planning period, or if the fire alarm will go off in the middle of a meaningful class discussion.
My commute home is a consistent sanctuary, signaling that the uncertain parts of my day are coming to an end. Having that time to get stuff done or just be by myself before having to interact with my friends and family makes me a calmer, better person for them.
Even when I’m just quietly sitting, there’s something soothing about the sway of the subway car, the same familiar faces sitting across from me every morning. We give each other small nods of recognition as if to say, “Welcome back. I see you.” My time with just these strangers and the sounds of the subway is a grounding way to start the day–a deep breath before encountering the chaos of the rest of the world.
While many people are less willing to travel for work in a post-pandemic world, I celebrate the sanctity of a long commute. Sure, it sometimes sucks when it’s raining and the bus is late. But overall, my long commute makes me feel more capable and in charge of my life.
