What I wish I knew as a New Online Teacher

Thank you so much for joining me on this new adventure! Class creation has been just that for me. A big and wonderful adventure. The thing is, adventure can be full of mishaps and pitfalls. Without that it wouldn't be an adventure! But when you don't know how to navigate those speed bumps, they turn into mountains that are very difficult to get past.

Having been a teacher for six years at Skillshare, and being in the process of licensing my first course with a school, I've learned quite a bit. The first very valuable lesson I’ve learned, is that creative's seem to struggle more with tech than other type of person. That isn't to say that we can't figure it out! We can for the sheer reason that we are highly creative. For that reason, problem-solving make him easier to us than other types of people.

The thing is that I've had to approach class creation like it was just another creative project.

But how is that done when there is so much tech involved? That's when it's time to break things down into little tiny steps. It takes an immense amount of patience and dedication to learning this. But I have some good news…

I'm here to help you! I don't know all there is to know about all the tech. However, I do know the basics of how these things work involved in class creation. That means I can guide you and give you a leg up where you might be stumbling.

In the coming months, I am working on content that I'm hoping will make your life easier as a new class creator who happens to be a creative. 

My first tip?

Start small.

This may not seem like much, but this advice is gold! Many experienced teachers I know wished they had done this starting out. What do I mean by start small? When you are planning your very first or even second class, you're going to want to make a splash. You're going to want to prove to yourself and to others that you can do this. And you can! 

However, there is a lot to learn in this process, and you don't want to take on so much that it becomes a tsunami of unknowns. I know countless would-be teachers that have quit after their first class because they shot for the stars when they should have been shooting for the moon.

Therefore, here are some guidelines that would have helped me while producing my very first few classes:

1. Try for a 20 to 30 min class tops. Anything longer could burn you out before you get going.

2. Keep your equipment simple. Trying to learn how to use a bunch of new equipment while you’re trying to learn how to teach is going to be a lot. We will be going over this point in more detail later on.

3. Don't be afraid to be you. Honestly, seeing and hearing yourself on camera is not easy. I still cringe and want to turn away from my screen regularly. However you will get used to it, and the main thing that you're selling is you. Don't try to be like any other teacher, presenter, or YouTuber, because people will see through it. Besides, your uniqueness will give you an edge you don't even know you have yet. So being your natural self is your best option.

Once you have about 3 to 6 classes under your belt, you can start to get more creative and experiment without the risk of falling out of love with class creation.

My hope is that the monthly tips I'll be sharing with you and in these newsletters will keep you on track and enthused to keep going in your class creation journey! 

Have questions you want to see featured in this newsletter? Just click the button below to send them to me via email and I will see if I can work them in.

Until next time!