A Student Learning English

At English Steward, we have classes for both American kids who need to improve their reading and writing skills and for kids from other countries who have come to visit or live here, and need to learn more English to thrive in school.  But we also have adult students who need to learn English to live and be successful here.  

The biggest worry I hear from adult students is that they are not learning English quickly enough.  My response?  Learning English takes time.  That is obvious.  For adults it takes much longer than for children.  I've taught a wide age range of students and found that young children can remember the pronunciation, meaning, and spelling of a word after just seeing the word once or twice.  Late Elementary and Jr. High students take four or five times.  And High School students can remember more than adults, but definitely must work harder to learn than young Elementary students. 

So, what does this mean for adults who are learning English?  They must remember a few things:

1. Language is a living thing and has a mind of its own.  I didn't believe this when my Spanish teacher told me in High School, or when my French professor said that in college.  It took my personal experience with learning many languages to learn this.  Language is like a person you have to build a relationship with.  You have to learn more about it through experience, working with it, talking with it and getting to know it over time.  Learning English takes time, but it's well worth it, because the more you learn it, the more opportunity it provides.
2. Therefore, an English learner must study, hear and use their English every day, even if it is in a small way or for a short time.  I learned Spanish for six years, but remember very few words right now.  But when I was in Guatemala, within a week, some Spanish words that I thought I forgot came back.  I realized it was because, in Guatemala, I heard Spanish all day, every day. 
3. Don't be scared to speak English, even if your grammar or pronunciation isn't perfect.  Some people will be understanding that this is not your first language and some will not.  It is easy to get paralyzed by your fear or bad past experiences in speaking English, but you have to be "thick-skinned."  This means, you need to be strong, and not worry about people who are rude to you when your English isn't perfect.  Remember, this is not your first language.  It's okay to make mistakes.
4. Also, "a watched pot never boils."  This is an American idiom that means, if you think every moment about something, you will not see it happen.  This is the same with learning English.  You need to just study and live a life which involves English.  Don't think about when your English will be perfect.  If you just focus on learning the language and culture, you will find yourself being able to communicate with and understand American people better.  And really, that is the goal.

Don't give up in learning English.  Even if you just study one new English word or phrase a day, over a year you will learn so many new things.  Keep trying!  :)