For the sake of this post, I tried something new here for the first time , which is recording the audio version of this article as a practice. If you want to listen to my recording, you can click this link; https://voca.ro/1gWAGN4p0U5U

Ever since the global pandemic struck the whole world, online learning has become such a big deal at a rapid pace. Not to mention, online teaching has taken a dramatic turn as a booming business among teachers and coaches from all aspects of fields. Considering the fact that schools, educational institutions, and in-person classes have come to a halt, most students take up new activities and classes related to their self-development in a sense that they don't want to fall behind with their peers when everything returns to normal. In my case, the country where I live is currently going through a series of dreadful events which I would never have been able to imagine. To put it mildly, both COVID-19 and the political crisis are wrestling with people from all walks of life here. We don't know exactly how things will pan out down the road and when all of this chaos will be over. So, the idea occurred to me that it's important to make good use of my free time as opposed to dread the unfortunate situation.

Looking back, I found my passion for learning English in late 2020 and since then, I have been working on my English day after day, night after night. I established a foundation for my English and took every opportunity and resource I could get as building blocks. Then, it got to the point where I am today as an advanced learner. Of course, learning is a never-ending dynamic process and It is reasonable to say that I shouldn't take every achievement at face value. That's why I have an ambivalent attitude toward my English from time to time; I am not challenging myself enough, I should try different approaches or I need to put my mind to the nitty-gritty of advanced English. The weight of these doubts had been hanging over my head for the past few months, so I gave a try to volunteering as an ESL teacher under the non-profit online organization. It was hands down, one of the most thrilling experiences that I ever had and at the same time, eye-opening to me. I came to understand the value of teaching with no charge as well as the amount of pressure that I was being put. Plus, incorporating technology into online teaching was nothing short of confusion yet excitement. Although it was nearly 2 months and a half of experience, little did I know online teaching might come in handy, especially amid barriers to education in my country. That experience brought me an incentive to create content and share the knowledge that I acquired. I'm not getting any profits off this type of teaching but in doing so, I will definitely have my work cut out to explore new techniques in my learning process. The way I see it, teaching also goes hand in hand with learning. I have to learn the capability of my students, their strengths, and weaknesses so as to provide the right materials for them. I need to set a genuine tone for my style of teaching so that they will feel at ease while learning English.

Now that I just started my very first course on Facebook, it provokes me with a sense of purpose that I didn't use to have and a motivation that keeps me on track. Thanks to the course, I have to go out of my way to facilitate teaching English by breaking down the chunks of information into bite-sized ones. You never know how shortcuts sometimes make it more memorable and easier to understand. Having said that, I don't enjoy cutting corners at all times which to my mind, seems like a quick fix to get everything done and right on the first few tries. In this way, I will not have a clear understanding of something and it will take a toll on me sooner or later in my learning journey. There should be a reasonable amount of time to let the information sink in. This is why I try to make my lessons comprehensible the way I do self-study on my own. The bottom line is that you will never know unless you try something. There is nothing to lose when you tap into the knowledge and skills you have and contribute them to people or places which are in need. Your experiences will let you have the upper hand in a particular area that you are working toward. I have been hungry for the new exposure to English and I would say, teaching it fulfilled my hunger to some extent. Driven by a great passion and enthusiasm for teaching, I'm looking forward to what lies ahead of me in the future. This story is just the beginning and I'm thrilled for the ride.