Teaching With Mo Americanoid

Episode 10 - Surviving covid19 as a self-employed teacher -part 2

Locked in Now over 70 days into my Quarantine – (since March 17) – what can I say? With the announcement that within the next two weeks some of the restrictions will /may /might (choose one or all three) be lifted or at least there could begin an easing out of the quarantine, some people are starting to think about their mid- to long-term plans. Considering that I had already been teaching f2f lessons at home prior to the Quarantine measures “enforced” in São Paulo where I’m based – I already had an office – simple but convenient and comfortable – the only inconvenience is that my back is to the window – so the camera faces the window (gotta keep window and blinds closed) Feel free to suggest a different layout for my desk in my office. Create an inviting and inspiring work/class environment with your likes and interests Pre-Pandemic Before the pandemic I had to get up to answer the door, other times I would go out and teach somewhere else. Now I stay in front of a screen – time goes by faster and more slowly at the same time (hard to explain it) – you feel more tired – you have no distractions or too many distractions. See what I mean? Working from home has pros and cons – cat not included Self-care A great risk while working with your computer is that you can be distracted or look for distractions even with the best of intentions. For example, a student mentions a song – I immediately go to YouTube and look up the song (with lyrics, of course) to use during the class. This multitasking may sound cool or imply how efficient I am, but actually it causes distractions, and energy spent on something that could have waited. Never ignore the importance of drinking water (hydration is king), and stretching every 60 minutes of so. Don’t deceive yourself that teaching classes sequentially back to back will do you good. They won’t. Allow breaks between classes so you can breathe, exercise (even if going to the bathroom) and stand up – to bring more oxygen to your brain. Business in the pandemic This week alone, two new people looked me up to ask about classes – one has already seen my work and decided to start classes as of next Monday. The other one is a 19-year-old 1st semester International Affairs college student – daughter of a former student of mine – I remember him, but not that he had once been my student – guess I’m growing old. Considering that for two months not even the phone had rung with prospective students – 2 calls in one week show resumption (hopefully) of business. Professional Development Braz-Tesol has been making available a wide range of webinars which are a boon to teachers everywhere offering a great lifeline and bringing a sense that things are starting to happen again. Check out their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/ Braz-Tesol’s great new series of Language Teaching Webinars _S_e9JuBg The light at the end of the tunnel might not be a truck moving towards you. Fingers crossed. Cheers, Mo https://americanoidblog.com/2020/06/04/surviving-covid-19-life-as-a-self-employed-teacher-part-2/

Surviving covid-19: Life as a self-employed teacher part_1_

2020 looks like it will be a great year” – or so I thought back on January 01 – unaware that the world would grind to a halt and be turned upside down. New year, new students signing up on the professional level and 25th year wedding anniversary celebration scheduled for April with a lovely reception scheduled to take place by a lake shore with over 1 year bookings and preparations. Well, … Covid-19 happened. Right after Carnival (of course, nothing should get in the way of the beer, drugs and sex event) we learned that the virus was here brought by a traveler returning from Italy – or so that’s how it was officially labeled. Today, June 01, there are half a million Brazilians infected with the coronavirus, and 30,000 Covid-19 related deaths. Covidzilla’s attack brought great devastation to the world’s society and economy. In early March we found out they were starting to restrict access to some office buildings – including where I used to teach some of my business students. March 16 – I told wife, “I’ve just cancelled my classes for the day – let us go take a walk on the beach before it’s too late”. Lovely. A sunny Monday on the beach. The following day we knew quarantine was coming and since March 17 we’ve been in Quarantine. No malls, no schools, no churches, no coffee shops, no restaurants, no museums, no parks – even if totally in the open air – that reminded me of last year’s closures of many parks in the city of São Paulo because of yellow fever mosquitoes. Confusing information: REPORT THIS AD Don’t wear masks. Wear masks. Don’t drive. Drive. Stay indoors. Go outdoors. Hydroxychloriquine. No hydroxychloroquine. One constant was the advice to stay home and leave it only if you’re part of the “essential workers” in-crowd. Of course, education and entertainment are not part of that crowd. But that’s fodder for another blog post. Well, everybody thinks I’m doing fine financially because I’ve migrated my f2f classes to online. Easy there with your assumptions. I already had a few students having classes exclusively online but 80% of them were face to face students. When I told them of the “temporary” migration, some 70% agreed and started having classes right away, or at least were willing to try the online classes. Is teaching online similar or different from face to face lessons? Yes! Of course the body language is different, the physical energy is missing but on the other hand the same content can be used both ways – different approaches at times, but… with the same goals. However, 30% of my clients said they were not interested in having online classes. The lessons wouldn’t be the same, so they said. One elderly learner said she wouldn’t know how to connect with Zoom and was not willing to try to learn. Another student – a highly respected economist at an International Bank – said he doesn’t like that “sort of class” – without even trying – and he would rather wait for the end of the quarantine. Another Student had a 30% cut in her pay, so in order to keep her on I agreed to a 50% cut. Another was so stressed dealing with her work that she decided to take some time off since she wouldn’t find any time to have lessons (in normal times she already didn’t have time – always feeling tired and stressed). Student A still had 2 classes that he had paid in advance so he made sure to have those lessons online and then, Hasta la vista, baby. Take care of yourself. I’m used to losing students who have a family emergency or lose their jobs – that happens, life throws you lemons while you’re not even looking… but I still felt a little hurt when the students who claimed they loved my classes were so quick to drop me off at the first corner. But, thank God I still kept some of my students- the well hasn’t dried up totally. Yet....

episode 8: Teaching English with Mo Americanoid

Episode 8: Teaching English with Mo Americanoid 9 tips on Learning English (or any other language) in 2020

Episode 7 Teaching English with Mo Americanoid

Christmas in Brazil https://americanoidblog.com/2014/12/23/christmas-in-brazil/

Episode 6 - The 7 deadly sins in language learning

Many people around the world are interested in learning a second or foreign language, be it English, Spanish, French or any of the 6,500 spoken languages in the world today. It would do good to any of us to try to avoid these 7 Bad Language Learning Habits That Turn People Off.Image result for seven deadly sins of language learning Speaker and author Julian Treasure gave a popular TED Talk in 2014 that explained how anyone can speak effectively, whether in a conversation or in front of a crowd. Here are the bad habits you need to avoid if you want to learn another language, loosely adapted from Treasure’s “seven deadly sins of speaking”: I’m not pretending it’s an exhaustive list or what I’m saying is rocket science … but it’s a good start. The list doesn’t follow any necessary order of priority, but includes extremely nasty habits that kill the joy of learning any other language:Related image 1. Worrying about what others will think and say If you worry that other speakers will be judging you and that they always speak better than you and more fluently and effortlessly, that will only hold you back. 2. Setting unrealistic goals “In 3 months I’ll be speaking the Queen’s English” – Well… that will depend on what queen you’re talking about. 3. Being negative “I’ve been learning ___________ (fill in the blank with any language) for X years and I can’t get above a pre-intermediate level conversation. My listening sucks. I’ll never speak like my friend/ enemy/ boss, spouse, etc.” 4. Complaining Complaining easily becomes a habit, and before you know it, you’ll be known as the person who complains about the weather, the news, work, and about the language you’re learning. It’s what Treasure calls “viral misery. Guess what happens if you keep saying: “This exercise is boring… it’s too difficult … it’s too easy, why do I have to learn this grammar point? … “ 5. Making excuses Some people have a “blame-thrower,” Treasure says, putting the blame on anybody and anything except themselves. “I don’t have anyone to practice my language with”. “I don’t have time; I have 2 wives and 1 child to provide for”; etc 6. Not using the language you’re learning It’s a waste of time and energy to only spend 45 minutes a week in touch with the language you’re learning. You have to find ways to listen, read, write, speak (even if only to yourself) in your target language outside the classroom environment, be it physical or virtual. 7. Being lazy or a slothImage result for seven deadly sins clipart see item 6 – you see? – you not even want to refer back to the previous topic (yes, I told you you won’t learn if you don’t invest time and effort). Image result for tree of learningSo what can you do to enjoy you’re learning journey? Start using the little of the language you already know, not worrying what other people will say. Set realistic goals. Be aware that the you’ll be learning the language for years to come. Be positive. I’ve been studying this language for X amount of time and I already can … “Today in class I learned x, y, z.” I was watching a movie in my target language and could understand some words here and there”. Suggest alternate exercises, topics or activities that might be more appealing to you. Own up to your duties in the language learning process. Use the language you’re learning as often as possible. If not daily, at least every other day. Don’t surrender to the sin of laziness. Just do it. Happy learning, Cheers, Mo