Why Cafetalk has opened my mind. (With vocabulary!)

In my opinion, teaching on Cafetalk has opened my mind.

I have heard so many different opinions and perspectives, and have opened my mind to new ideas.

We all have our own political or personal opinions, but listening to what others have to say can change those opinions and make our opinions much more balanced and nuanced.

Often, when talking to others, we only focus on our own opinions. Conversation is a battle that we want to win. But as a teacher, it is not my job to change my students' minds or convince them of things. Instead, it is my job to listen to them and get them to talk about themselves. I really try to listen to their thoughts and reasons without interrupting them with my own opinions. After all, this is their time, not mine!

This has all made me a more patient and understanding person. I have learned that everyone has reasons for believing what they believe, and it is always worthwhile to listen to those reasons. It is even more interesting when that person has a different cultural perspective than me, and mentions things I never would have thought about.

If you'd like to share your opinions and ideas, feel free to book a lesson with me. I'm sure I'll learn something, too. :)

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Vocabulary:

perspectives (per-SPEK-tivz): These are different ways of seeing something. Basically, it is how someone looks at or thinks about something. -> "From my perspective, the movie was actually good, because..."

nuanced (NOO-awnsd): This means that something is complex and complicated. It is not simple, and will take time to understand. -> "The lecture was very nuanced, so I took many notes."

understanding (UN-der-stand-ding): When used as an adjective, it means that someone understands other opinions and perspectives. In other words, it is a person who does not judge others and tries, instead, to understand them. -> "The teacher was understanding when she found about the student's illness."