I started working through WhatsApp during Covid because I noticed something troubling: my students were exhausted.
They'd been staring at screens all day. Their energy was depleted. Their focus was shot.
I knew the feeling firsthand.
Before Covid, I was taking French classes at the Alliance Française after a full 9-to-6 workday. Classes started at 6 PM sharp - no time to breathe, no time to reset.
I'd rush from my office to the classroom. Those 2.5-hour sessions twice a week gave me splitting headaches every single time.
Why? Because my brain had zero oxygen between work and class.
I was often late because of my job. And once I got there, I'd spend most of the time waiting - waiting for other exhausted people to process information, waiting through painfully slow interactions.
The boredom made the fatigue worse. By 9 PM, I'd drag myself home, still facing a 30-minute commute and dinner prep.
Online classes? Same problem, different screen.
My workday would often stretch to 6:30 PM. Even scheduling a class for 7 PM didn't help. I'd scramble to catch a crowded bus, rush home, and fire up my laptop just in time.
I was frequently late. And I couldn't exactly tell my manager, "I need to leave on time for class."
When Covid hit, I could skip the commute, but the mental load was crushing. I was even more exhausted than before.
At that time, I was taking private classes myself and teaching others who found me through Instagram - all Iranians living in Italy. Lockdowns had made online classes explode in popularity, and requests kept coming.
"What's the point of all this screen time when students just have to listen passively?
We're both exhausted. They need to listen again to the explanations and not by recording a whole hour-long lesson.
It's boring because they're not actively engaged. It requires concentration and energy they don't have - and neither do I.