Scenario:
You are a famous YouTuber teaching mathematics. Your old high school has asked you to write a feature article about yourself for the next edition of the school magazine.
Use the following four headings (for the sake of a mind map):
1. The best part of my job
2. The biggest challenge I have ever encountered in my job.
3. My school days
4. Tips for aspiring YouTubers (including the possible perks)
(IMS)
Content: 6/7
Language: 6/7
Organisation: 5/7
The best part of my job
Perhaps you're betting living in the lap of luxury is the icing on the cake given how much renowned YouTubers earn every month. Yet, you know what engrosses me every day?
"I guess you can be my math teacher"; "This 10-minute video already makes for invaluable knowledge"; "Can't wait to watch more of your videos." Yes, adrenaline-pumping comments from fellow subscribers who appreciate and value my assiduousness make for, indisputably, the best part of my job as a YouTuber teaching math. Had it not been for such compliments, I wouldn't have plowed on for so long given how demanding teaching is. Geometry, as you well know, is an unrelenting foe which has befuddled many. However short the questions are, figuring out the angles' magnitudes is no child's play. What's more, teaching style matters provided students may not be able to understand why a question can be solved this particular way. So, every time I see comments expressing gratitude to me, I would say, my day has been made. It is immeasurably rewarding at the thought of learning my hard work has paid off.
The biggest challenge I have ever faced in my job
Having been a YouTuber for years, I know manifestly many have been nipping at my heels. But six years ago, it was I who was playing catchup. Indeed, making myself known among a sea of eminent YouTubers was the most trying challenge. I can still recount having no views at all after producing my first ever teaching video concerning quadratic equations. Needless to say, it was nerve-wracking and disheartening. "Can anyone explain this to me?" I kept grilling myself with questions like this. Then I turned to looking for similar videos. Given YouTube is a no-holds-barred platform, eminent producers, at that time, all had catchy thumbnails summarising their lessons, whereas mine only featured my face. A merciless arrow was patently sent piercing my unfortified heart: I thought I could bank on YouTube to put bread on the table. Now what? Yet only after catching up with a bosom buddy of mine in high school did I learn that it would take some doing to captivate viewers. So, I worked tirelessly on the thumbnails, such as embellishing them with colours and subtitles with different fonts, as well as rejigged my teaching like via incorporating the keys textbooks never featured. As time wore on, I began receiving a flood of compliments from viewers. It was undoubtedly the most insurmountable hurdle to jump over, but it is what it is. Snags are ineluctable before success beats a path to your door.
My school days
Are you sure math was my favourite in high school? If you know me well, you'd say it's anything but. English was and still is my buddy, yet back then, math was my achilles heel. The most sobering never came before my class teacher in Form 4 fought tooth and nail to promote me to F.5 despite flunking math. "It's about time I upped my game", I admonished myself. Immobilising this nemesis was never rosy. However compelled I was, my confidence was nearly dented a few times for failing quizzes in F.5. Then, it was my turn to remind math that two can play at that game. I devised my unique learning strategy, which encompassed practising every day, in addition to raising questions whenever entailed. It had been indescribably grinding: I had to struggle with math until 11 p.m. every day, with teachers answering questions in a confounding fashion...All these came to an end when my final examination result revealed the secret angel had come to my rescue -- passing with flying colours at 80 percent. It was only then that I realised what's effective when it comes to wrestling with math and what is not. If I had never fought fire with fire against it, the victims would still have had to crusade perennially.
Tips for aspiring YouTubers
If you find YouTube fascinating, this is for you. Before this section, I would like to stress that impediments cannot be eluded. I shouldn't call them obstacles, but rather lessons. Could you imagine having countless people trampling on you? How would you feel? Only by tinkering with your style and taking a page from the illustrious will the boot be on the other foot. Never be intimidated by toothless monsters who threaten to suck you into their maws. They are just enemies you will have to vanquish -- a prerequisite for victory.
Atop that is the topic you would like to devote your content to. Are you trying to stop people from scraping the bottom of the barrel via more prepossessing content? Or what about sharing your daily life? These are topics worth-considering. The be-all and end-all: Think about what you want people to benefit from, and what you believe will enthral the masses. Will they be satisfied with the perks? If they are riveted by your content, they will subscribe and hence, a reward.
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