Recently, I started teaching English and French on Cafetalk. I had taught before, but I had never taught online. I did have experience teaching one-on-one and in groups, so I prepared my lessons the same way.

I made my profile on the website and created some courses. I started to build a curriculum and divided the content by level. I also made placement tests, worksheets, and many questions for conversation classes. I prepared a lot!

Then came my first class. It was a beginner grammar class. I thought I was ready and that everything would go well. But I was wrong! The lesson did not go well at all. I talked too much, and the student did not have enough time to practice. I knew during the lesson that it was not going well, but I followed my plan instead of changing it. At the end, the student asked if she could speak more next time. I felt very bad. I thought I would never have students again. That night, I could not sleep. But the next morning, the same student booked another lesson!

From this experience, I learned that it is possible to be too prepared. Things do not always go the way we plan, so it is important to be flexible. I also learned that I cannot prepare for an “imaginary student.” I need to pay attention to the real student in front of me. That is the most important part of teaching.

I also realized that I must be kind to myself. It was my first class, so of course I was nervous! It was not realistic to expect perfection.

Since then, I have taught many lessons. I have learned to adapt my lessons to each student. I also stopped expecting perfection. Now my goal is simple: I want my students to enjoy learning. If they have fun, then I know I am doing well.

B1 VERSION

Recently, I started teaching English and French on Cafetalk. I had taught before, but never online. I was used to teaching one-on-one and group lessons in person, so I prepared in the same way.

I created my profile on the website and made some courses. I also worked on a curriculum, divided the content by level, and made placement tests. I wrote worksheets and prepared many questions for conversation practice. I prepared a lot and thought I was ready.

My first class was a beginner grammar lesson. I believed everything would go well because I was prepared and had teaching experience. But I was wrong. I talked too much, and the student had almost no time to practice. I noticed it during the lesson, but I continued to follow my plan. At the end, the student asked if she could participate more next time. I felt terrible. That night I couldn’t sleep, but the next morning I saw that the student had booked another class!

From this experience, I learned that too much preparation can also be a problem. Things do not always go the way we plan, so it is important to be flexible. I also learned that I cannot prepare for an “imaginary student.” I must adapt to the real student in front of me.

Finally, I learned to be kind to myself. It was my first online class, so of course I was nervous. It was not realistic to expect perfection.

Since then, I have taught many more lessons. I have learned to change my teaching style depending on the student. I also stopped expecting perfection. Now my main goal is simple: I want my students to enjoy learning. If they have fun, I know I am doing a good job.

B2/C1 VERSION

Recently, I started teaching English and French on Cafetalk.  I had previous experience teaching, but I had never taught online.  I had, however, taught one-on-one and group classes in person, so when it came to preparation, I followed my usual routine.  As I built my profile on the website and created various courses, I also started planning and building my curriculum, dividing the content by level.  I devised placement tests, created exercise worksheets, and prepared a bunch of questions to ask students during conversation classes.  I prepared, prepared, and prepared!  Then came my first class, which was a beginner grammar class.  As I said, I was very well-prepared and had teaching experience, so everything should have gone perfectly well, right?  Wrong!  I bombed so hard!!  My student barely had time to practice anything because the session turned into a magisterial class.  I spoke, and spoke, and spoke…  Halfway through, I had an inkling that I was digging my own grave, but instead of throwing away my lesson plan and improvising, I held on to it like a lifeline.  By the end, the student asked me if she’d be able to participate more next time, and that crushed me.  Once the class was over, I felt miserable.  I beat myself up, telling myself I would never have students ever again, let alone that specific student!  I slept very poorly that night, but lo and behold, the next morning, the student had already booked their next lesson!

What I learnt from that experience is that there is such a thing as being overprepared.  This doesn’t just apply to teaching; reality rarely agrees to follow the script we make up in our minds, so one has to learn to be flexible. I also realized that I had prepared a lesson for a student that only existed in my imagination, which prevented me from adapting to the one who was across from me, which is probably the most important thing when teaching.  

Something else this debacle taught me is that I need to give myself some grace.  This was my first lesson; of course, I was nervous!  Of course, I wasn’t yet used to this new format!  It was unrealistic to expect perfection from the get-go.  

Since then, I’ve had many more lessons, and I’ve learned to adapt the content and my classes to the person across from me.  I also don’t expect perfection; I just want my students to have fun while they learn.  If I can do that, then I’m already halfway there!