This is my first update for the year.
I feel like everyone’s life has been turned upside down with the pandemic, and it has thrown a wrench into our plans for what we thought 2020 was going to look like.
So, what has happened since my last update in December of 2019?
ELT in Chile Podcast
I have continued working on the podcast with José Luis Poblete. We have been creating 2 episodes a month about various topics related to English language teaching, and we’ve had some great conversations. Recording in person has been a great experience with going outside my comfort zone of trying something new and meeting some new people that are helping produce the podcast and maintain the website. Since March we have been recording from our separate apartments because of the quarantine, which is not ideal but still works. We just finished up recording episode 17 last night. If you’re interested in checking it out you can listen on our website www.eltinchile.com. There you’ll also find links to listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Traveling
In February I took my first ever trip to Japan! I was there for 2 weeks, and it was AMAZING. It ended up being good timing as a tourist because travel out of China was restricted due to covid-19, so a lot of the tourist sights weren’t crowded. I got to see a friend from high school in Tokyo and met her husband, and I also spent time with a friend I had met in Hawaii 2 years ago from Osaka. I made some friends with people staying at the same hostel or capsule hotel as me, and it really rekindled my interest in travel.
Some of the highlights were going on bike tours, visiting ancient temples and shrines, catching up with friends, going to cat cafes, visiting arcades, going to a traditional sauna, visiting the Nintendo Store, going to the Snoopy Museum, singing karaoke, and seeing Marie Kondo. I definitely want to go back so I can see more.
After Japan I spent time in Los Angeles, San Diego, and New Jersey. It was nice catching up with friends I hadn’t seen in a few years, and of course catching up with family was nice too.
Returning to Chile and the pandemic
I got back to Chile in early March, the same day the first case of covid-19 was reported. Luckily I had about 2 weeks before we went into quarantine, and I was able to talk to my students to discuss the possibility of moving classes online.
Everyone was quite flexible with the circumstances, and we’ve been making the best of the situation. I know some people that have gotten sick with covid-19, but luckily they have all recovered. My life has changed in the same way as many other people’s. I stay at home and spend a lot of time in from of a computer, and I have a lot more free time since I’m not commuting from one place to another for my classes. For the first few months I went to the supermarket to stock up on groceries, but I eventually bought a Cornershop membership to get groceries delivered to me when things started getting really bad. I was good for the first few months, but as time went on I have given into the temptation to eat whatever I want and let my physical activity. I’ve needed to prioritize self care and maintaining social connections and contact with family given that I live alone. Some friends and I have established game nights various nights of the week to catch up, have fun, and take a break from the harsh reality of the pandemic.
We entered quarantine in mid March, and only now are things starting to open up again.
Teaching Online
Fortunately I had started teaching online before the pandemic, so I had a good idea of what I was doing with most of my classes when they moved online.
Over time I changed to different platforms. I loved Webroom, but it didn’t always work for all my students. In that case I used Zoom or Jitsi Meet. Then Webroom started charging $29 a month when it used to be free, so I gave Google Meet a try and have been using it for all my classes since then.
One of the biggest challenges for me has been teaching children online. I’m used to doing lots of physical activities and games with cards and such, and those things don’t always translate to an online format. I also noticed that some of the young kids I was teaching were having trouble staying interested and even awake in some classes, so after talking with the parents we decided it was best for them to take a break and re-evaluate in a few months. It must be hard for young children to spend so much time in front of a screen; spending time face to face with other kids is so important for their development, and I worry about the long-term effects of so much screen time.
Fortunately I’ve found some great resources that I’ve been using with teaching kids.
Mylanguageexchange.com has word games set up for various languages, and it lets you make your own hangman games. It has been great for reviewing the alphabet as well as vocabulary.
Twinkl is a website I learned about thanks to an online course about teaching young learners. It’s a treasure trove of ready-made materials for teaching young children. So far I’ve used a PowerPoint with the story of the Tortoise and the Hare as well as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and there are a ton of supplementary activities available. The only downside to Twinkl is that you have to pay to use it, but I find the price reasonable.
YouTube also has a ton of videos with nursery rhymes and songs that you can use with teaching kids. You’ll also find variations that are perfect for kids. I found this one that takes Mary Has a Little Lamb and adds in some different animals. It was a hit with my student.
Workshops
My idea was to forge ahead with more in-person workshops this year, but that changed when we went into quarantine. I decided to adapt things to offer the workshops online when it became clear that we were going to be in quarantine for a while, and it has worked out well for the most part. I’ve offered 5 workshops since May, and the turnout and reception has been very positive. I’m developing more confidence and momentum, and it’s encouraging me to keep experimenting with my teaching.
I’ve been updating about them on my Facebook page as well as LinkedIn, but I haven’t been active on my website with updates.
Productivity
Overall I’m feeling pretty satisfied with what I’ve been able to do given the almost 4-month quarantine. I’ve been able to manage my energy and adapt to the situation as necessary.
A tool that has been incredibly useful for me is Focusmate. It pairs you up with another person that wants to get work done on their platform, and you work for a 50-minute session. At the beginning of the session you greet each other and state what you goal is, and at the end of the session you then chat about how your work went. You can book sessions in advance, or you can book them with 5 or 10 minute’s notice.
This has revolutionized my productivity. Knowing that I have someone depending on me when I book a session has been a great way for me to stay accountable and follow through. I’ve also had some great conversations with people, and I’m starting to see some people that I would like to book repeat sessions with to learn more about how their work is going.
You can do three sessions for free per week, but if you’d like unlimited sessions it’s just $5 a month. It seems they are still in a phase of growth, and they are experimenting with new features.
Conclusion
I don’t know what the rest of 2020 has in store for me. Hopefully I’ll be able to make it back to visit family in New Jersey before the year is over, but it’s hard to tell as of now. In any case, I want to keep forging ahead with online classes, workshops, and the podcast as best as possible.
I hope everyone reading this is staying safe.
