Secret life of teachers: Uncover the hobbies or jobs that help them “lesson” the stress

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Chalew

English teacher Jennifer Chalew waves while on a group ride from Slovenia to Croatia. “It was a really cool experience,” Chalew said. “We were able to stay in a palace near Lake Bled that belonged to Tito, who was the head of Yugoslavia.”

With her road bike equipped with navigational gear and her backpack loaded with water, snacks and extra supplies, English teacher Jennifer Chalew is ready to embark on her 550-mile journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles as part of the AIDSride, a seven-day cycling tour to raise money for medical research. 

For Chalew, biking is her way of meditation, particularly the ability to focus on her breathing and to listen to her body as she goes through long and difficult bike rides. However, besides the challenging aspect of biking, for Chalew, it is an activity for exercise and relaxation. 

“I am just in [the zone],” Chalew said. “I do what I need to do to get through the ride and focus on the riding.” 

Chalew’s biking journeys have taken her throughout Europe, allowing her to explore countries including Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and the Czech Republic. Compared to a typical tourist, who would most likely explore by driving, cycling for Chalew allows for a wider perspective of the scenery around her as she rides through the rural countryside. Biking also allows for closer interactions with locals as it opens the opportunity for people to experience different nuances of a culture. 

“On a bike, you get to see places that you don’t necessarily get to see when you’re just visiting a country,” Chalew said.  “So in all of those countries, I was riding through medieval villages and on cobblestones, up in the hills and through vineyards. It was really great.” 

Cycling individually or in groups plays a big difference in the preparation process leading up to the journey. When biking individually, a cyclist must prepare spare inner tubes, tools, water and extra food to sustain themselves and to prevent any issues biking from point A to point B. However, less preparation is needed during group rides, as there are designated stops for cyclists to eat and recuperate. 

“It just depends on what mood I’m in, [but] the thing about mountain biking is that you are biking alone,” Chalew said. “But then with the groups, it’s fun because you know when you stop, you can get together,  chat and talk about the ride.”

Besides cycling, Chalew also has an appreciation for nature, as she lives in Truckee, California, a town northwest of Tahoe surrounded by mountains and trees. Every weekend after work, Chalew will make a commute to Long Beach airport, in which she will take a flight and drive 40 minutes to home. She also purchased a trailer and will be exploring areas in the Sierra mountains for biking and camping as it is near Truckee. 

“I really enjoy the mountains,” Chalew said. “I like being out in nature. When I sit on my front deck, I’m looking out at trees, and my backyard is all trees, and I’ve got friends up there.” 

With this year being Chalew’s final year of teaching, she hopes to use her newfound free time to be with family and friends, as well as embark on new biking journeys. Chalew plans to continue riding through her favorite trails, which include a 30-mile route along Back Bay in Newport and the Johnny Cash trail, which leads to the Folsom prison. During spring and summer break, she also plans on driving through Sedona Valley and Washington to explore its bike trails.

“I have two grandnieces that I only get to see once or twice a year, so I’m planning on seeing them because on the weekends, I’m always traveling so sometimes I don’t always get to see people,” Chalew said. “I’m going to have time to cook, and I’ve got a long list of things that I want to learn that I haven’t had the time to do yet.”