Hello and welcome back to my slow English podcast.
A podcast for you to practice listening to slow English.
This podcast is for advanced C1 listeners.
Today, I want to talk about the human side of online.
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As many of you know, I am an online teacher.
I have taught online for five years now and I have made friends from all around the world because of my job.
I think many people believe that online equals less connection, less engagement.
But it doesn't have to be that way.
Sometimes people disconnect being online with real people on each side of the camera.
When you're looking through a screen to another person, it's easy to disconnect your humanity and it's difficult because sometimes people can be very mean or hateful online because they feel like it's not real.
But it is real.
It's still a person.
Even if it's online through a chat, through a post or even a comment, it's still a real person behind the screen.
And I think if you can't say something to someone's face in real life, then you shouldn't say it online.
Why would you say it online?
In my online lessons, I always try and remember that that teaching doesn't have to be so serious or boring.
I like to be friends with my students and talk about real things, real stories and interesting topics.
I like to tell stories about my life And I like to listen to their stories about their lives.
And there's no better way to learn a language than being genuinely interested in using that language.
So when my students talk about their lives, their jobs or an interesting topic for them, that's the best way to practice speaking in English.
Personally, I love talking about topics like dreams or life goals or relationships or scary stories, intelligence and the different types of intelligence and imagination.
Topics that I am passionate about and I'm usually passionate about deep topics.
Just like the topics that I talk about with you guys.
Just like my lessons would be in person, I have them online.
And I have met some of my students in person before.
I had a student from Costa Rica who was a really good friend of mine.
She always had the coolest stories to tell and she had the most interesting takes on topics that I loved talking about as well.
We got along really well in class and we were really close friends.
And I coincidentally was planning a trip to Costa Rica, but it was a complete coincidence.
I didn't plan it because of her, but she was so excited and she told me she would pick me up at the airport and she would show me around.
She was so sweet.
She came to pick me and my friends up at the airport.
And she showed us a really good place to eat and some nice places to chill.
It was such a nice experience to meet a friend that I met online in person.
And when I came back from my vacation in Costa Rica and I had another lesson, it was so much fun.
Our connection leveled up, definitely.
And it was like we were friends in real life Just chatting online through a webcam.
Since that moment, I consider my online students can be real friends to me.
And I have so many students like that.
Well, I had students like that.
Lately, I haven't had time to teach online anymore.
So I don't teach online anymore.
I just make videos and courses.
But once I get back home and settle down, I hope to see them again.
I miss hearing their stories and catching up with them, because there's a lot to catch up with them about.
When was the last time you made an online connection with someone?
But teaching online isn't easier than teaching in person.
It can be hard expressing emotions and keeping a conversation flowing through a webcam.
It's a challenge to stay patient and happy through a webcam.
I almost feel like my smile has to be extra big online.
So after about five lessons in a row My smile hurts.
I use a massager to soothe the pain and massage my cheeks.
Howdy howdy ho and welcome to Fantasy Fanfellas.
I'm Hayden, producer of the Fantasy Fangirls podcast and your resident lover of all things, Sanderson.
And I'm Steven, your bookish internet goofball, but you can call me the Smash Daddy.
And we are currently deep diving Brandon Sanderson's fantasy epic, Mistborn.
But here's the catch.
Steven here has not read Mistborn before.
That's right, hey, hey.
So each week, you'll get my unfiltered, raw reactions to every single chapter.
And along the way we'll do character deep dives, magic explainers, and Steven will even try to guess what's next.
Spoiler alert, he'll be wrong.
Newsflash, I'm never wrong.
Episodes come out every Wednesday and you can find Fantasy Fan Fellows wherever you get your podcasts.
But just keeping a high energy and dealing with silence can be exhausting. especially with kids.
When I had group lessons with kids, I felt like I was talking to a wall.
Talking to a wall is an idiom, like talking with no one, basically.
No response.
Just like if you were talking to a wall.
But it's so important to keep the class fun and comfortable for the students.
It's important to be warm and kind, but keeping that kind of warmth online is difficult.
That's why it's so important for teachers to create engaging and personal content.
So I always try to avoid burnout.
And I know for a fact that if I have more than five lessons In a row, I will be feeling drained and very burnt out.
I wouldn't be happy energetic in my class.
And that's not fair for my students.
So I know my limits.
Have you ever felt burnout?
How do you avoid feeling burnt out? of work.
But for me, it's the most important part.
Being human in my classes is the most important part.
Technology is the medium, but humanity is the message.
Even in my YouTube videos, My stories are all real.
I talk about personal experiences and I connect with my audience in a genuine and real way.
With so much technology In the world, people need real teachers, real connections.
My body language through a webcam has to be a little bit extra, since I don't want my students to feel ignored or like they're boring me.
Because it's easy to have misunderstandings online.
I don't want my students to feel like they're talking to a wall.
Sometimes when I talk with my sister, I feel like I'm talking to a wall.
She gets distracted very easily.
So sometimes I get really frustrated with her and we fight because I say you're not listening to me.
And she says, yes, I was.
I'm just looking at my phone while I'm listening.
And I say, no, you can't really listen if you're looking at something else.
We disagree on that.
What do you think?
Can you actually listen to what someone is saying while looking at something else?
Do you know anyone who gets distracted easily like my sister?
I'm really happy and I feel lucky to have an online job.
What do you think about this topic?
What do you think about the human side of online learning?
Howdy howdy ho, and welcome to Fantasy Fan Fellas.
I'm Hayden, producer of the Fantasy Fangirls podcast and your resident lover of all things, Sanderson.
And I'm Steven, your bookish internet goofball, but you can call me the Smash Daddy.
And we are currently deep-diving Brandon Sanderson's fantasy epic, Mistborn.
But here's the catch.
Steven here has not read Mistborn before.
That's right, hey hey.
So each week, you'll get my unfiltered, raw reactions to every single chapter.
And along the way we'll do character deep dives, magic explainers, and Steven will even try to guess what's next.
Spoiler alert, he'll be wrong.
Newsflash, I'm never wrong.
Episodes come out every Wednesday and you can find Fantasy Fan Fellows wherever you get your podcasts.
What are some of the pros and cons of learning English in an online classroom or on YouTube versus learning in a real classroom with classmates and notebooks and pens and papers?
What do you think?
Thank you for joining me in this slow English podcast.
And if you liked this video, like and subscribe for more slow English.
The best way to practice listening.
Have a wonderful day.
I'll see you next time.
Bye.
