Filling the Silence
Every year around this time, I get a chance to catch up on podcasts I listen to or discover new ones. At least for the last five years. This is because I’m preparing to teach new hires at work.
I’m not on the phones. I’m not in front of a class, or assisting a co-instructor. What I am doing is analyzing the course materials, making notes of dead links and incorrect references. I’m making lesson plans and checking the test answer keys.
And, though I’m coordinating with my co-instructors, I’m mostly doing it on my own. I can put my headphones in and listen to podcasts while I work. And since I’m a bit of a completist when it comes to podcasts, I tend to start with the first episode. If it’s an older podcast that I’m just getting to, there may be upwards of a hundred episodes to catch up on.
I’m never going to run out of stuff to listen to. There are plenty of podcasts I’m interested in, but don’t have time to start listening to until I caught up with the ones I’m currently listening to.
I may be able to add another one or two before class starts this year. I’m nearly caught up with all but two of the podcasts I’m currently subscribed to. And I can only listen to so many episodes of the same podcast in a row. Most of the podcasts I listen to only have new episodes once a week or twice a month, so on the rare occasion when I’m caught up, there’s not enough material to fill the hours at work or the commute. That’s when I start adding from my “to listen to” list.
What do you listen to when you have time?