I don't mind shutting off the camera when the internet connection is too bad, but wanting to see the teacher has nothing to do with online affection or looking for a friend. I have male and female teachers for multiple languages and as was pointed out already, seeing the mouth helps with the pronunciation and facial expressions and gestures help with understanding what is said. Learning the facial expressions and gestures of countries where the target language is used is also very important. 

I'm with Miriam on this one. I like using webcams because I like seeing my teachers' facial expressions. It's extra feedback that helps me know if I'm messing up or not. Plus it makes the lesson more personable and since it's one-to-one training, I think that's important.

I'll add an interesting twist to this.  I plan on asking my teachers to sometimes turn off the webcam so that I can practice and focus on my listening comprehension.  I have to take a test over the phone, which means I won't be able to rely on the additional cues that are helpful for communication.