Can You Hear Me?

Derek joined his online English class a few minutes early. He had prepared a short description of his last holiday because the teacher had asked everyone to practise speaking in the past tense. His camera worked, the lesson materials were open, and he felt ready.

When it was his turn, Derek started reading his first sentence. The teacher watched him but didn’t respond. Then another student pointed at the microphone icon on the screen. It was red: nobody could hear him.

Derek clicked the icon, but nothing changed. He felt embarrassed, especially because he had spent so much time practising his answer. Instead of leaving the meeting, he typed, “Sorry, my microphone isn’t working. I’m checking it now.” The teacher thanked him and moved to another student while he tried to fix the problem.

Derek opened his browser settings and discovered that the website did not have permission to use the microphone. He changed the setting and returned to the meeting. “Can you hear me now?” he asked. Four people nodded, and the teacher smiled.

He read his description more slowly than he had planned. When he finished, the teacher said his past-tense verbs were clear and asked a follow-up question. Derek realised that he had learnt two things that evening: how to change a browser permission and how to explain a technical problem in English.