I work for an online school that has provided English language instruction to more than one million students worldwide. All the course material can be studied without the help of a teacher, and some students choose to do just that. But a teacher is on hand at all times to answer any questions about the course or about English in general, give grammar or vocabulary quizzes, correct sentences, and just give the students an opportunity to practice their speaking and listening skills by discussing general topics of interest.
I teach online, from my office at home, for about 16 hours per week. It's the ideal job for a young mother like me, or for those teachers unable to work in a physical classroom. Typically, my mornings are free to spend with my baby, and my working day begins at around 3 pm when I enter the voice chatroom. The chatroom is an online community where people go to talk to each other, or type messages, in real-time. Nowadays, more and more online schools are offering these services to students. In the school where I work, the teachers come from the UK, the US, Australia and Canada, and live all around the world.
At 3 pm I open the chatroom, and wait for my students to arrive. Students can come and go as they please. This also means, of course, that the teacher never knows who will be present, what questions will be asked, and what topics will be discussed.
A student enters, and I greet him. Just like in the physical classroom, the online teacher is responsible for creating a relaxed, informal atmosphere where students feel at ease. This student is from China, and he works for a foreign company. He needs English to communicate with his foreign colleagues. He learned English for several years at school, but he has a very strong accent. He is highly motivated, and he comes to the chatroom every day to practice his English.
Another Chinese student enters - this time is especially popular for Chinese learners. I explain the topic to her, and she tells us about herself. We all listen to her story, and I pass the mic (microphone) from student to student as they ask her for all the details.
Three hours have passed. I have one hour to go (у мене залишається одна година), and have not yet moved from my seat. I work four hours straight, usually, and do not get a break. When I first started teaching online, my eyes would be heavy by the end of this shift, my fingers sore and my throat dry. But I'm used to it now, and I always have refreshments at hand.
The four hours are up (мої чотири години закінчилися). We say our goodbyes, I close the room, and my working day is over. I'm tired after spending four hours in front of the computer, but, oh, I feel so lucky to have this job.
Unit 5
Text A. In a West London Hospital--------
It is Thursday afternoon in West London and Diana is starting work in the hospital. Rebecca, another nurse is talking to her.
"Today you've got three patients. Mr Miles is no problem. He is very independent. The two problems are Mr Knight and Mr Blythe. Mr Blythe likes to read quietly, but Mr Knight has a lot of visitors. One of the visitors is his wife. She likes to talk. She talks all the time and Mr Blythe is becoming very angry!"
"Is the doctor coming round today?" asks Diana.
"Yes," says Rebecca. "She's coming at about five o'clock. Could you ask her to look at Mr Blythe's left foot? It's giving him a lot of pain. Here's a list of jobs for this evening. I'm going home now. I'm very tired. Good luck!"
"Goodbye, Rebecca! See you on Monday!" Diana says.
Diana is also tired, but she is happy. Thursday is the end of her week. But Mr Blythe is not happy. Mrs Knight is still talking to her husband.
"You have three pairs of socks and two clean shirts in this bag. Tomorrow, I'm going to wash your green pullover. Do you want your red pyjamas and your small alarm clock?" She asks him.
Mr Knight does not answer his wife. She talks all the time, but he sleeps nearly all the time. He is sleeping now.
Diana feels sorry for Mr Blythe and plans to help him.
"Mr Blythe," she says. "There's an empty bed near the window and the view from the window is very nice. Would you like to move there?"
"That's very kind of you, nurse!" Mr Blythe answers.
Diana asks Fiona (вимовляється [‘fi∂n∂]), another nurse, to help her. Together, they move Mr Blythe's bed. He can now read in peace.
