Today, teacher Justin is in the house!
I want to dispel any fears or doubts you might have about actually speaking English and also give you some strategies for keeping your English learning on track, in simple and practical ways.
I can tell you these things because, not only am I your friend and the writer of this blog, but I have been an English teacher for over 13 years.
AN ENGLISH TEACHER!
But what exactly IS an English teacher?
That’s the 6-million-dollar question.
An English teacher is a lot of things.
English teachers have to wear lots of hats.
We are mentors.
We are grammar law enforcement officers.
We are cheerleaders.
We are psychologists.
Occasionally, we are comedians. (Some better than others, I must add).
So, what am I going to tell you today? Let’s get straight to the point.
YOU
NEED
TO
SPEAK
ENGLISH.
AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN.
Yes, you say, but I live in Moscow / Cali / Ulan Bator / Cordoba. How am I going to speak English here?
You need to R-E-C-R-U-I-T people in your environment who can speak English and then only speak to them in English.
Who do I mean?
The local hairdresser. Yes, him!
Or a taxi driver. She’s might be a hard nut, but she speaks English!
What about a nun at the local convent? Scary? Maybe, but she is friendly when you get talking to her.
Your boyfriend or girlfriend, or spouse if you are married.
Instead of speaking in your native tongue, speak to each other in English. Try it for a year!
I’ve seen it all. The students who triumph are the ones who find ways to interact with English every day. One of my best friends in Madrid, Alberto, spent a year in Ireland, learning English, and when his girlfriend, now wife Monica came to visit, they only spoke in English.
THEY BOTH IMPROVED.
R is for RESPOND
When people talk to you in English, talk.
TALK!
Talk as much as you can. Don’t be a wallflower. Don’t try to blend into the background and disappear. That’s never going to work.
Open your mouth and take the plunge.
E is for EXPRESS YOURSELF
Now is not the time to be shy.
Pull out all the artillery. All your finest.
Use everything you know. Even if you are not 100% sure it is correct. SHOW OFF. When you use a grammar structure or phrase once, you’ll be able to use it again.
C is for CHECK
Native speakers are delighted to help and will point out your mistakes, but only if you check. If you’ve used a new expression or grammar structure, ask the native speaker if it you used it well. Pester them. We really don’t like correcting your English, (mainly because we often don’t know how to explain the error), but if you show us how important it is to you, we will.
R is for REVIEW YOUR MISTAKES
There is no point asking native speakers to take the time to explain your mistakes to you if you then do nothing with this information. Take note of their explanations. (I
write notes in my mobile phone when people correct my Spanish). Then review these notes. I do this in places where for some reason I have to sit and wait (bathroom, doctor’s waiting room, airports, airplanes, buses).
U is for UNDERSTAND
Understand the corrections.
If you don’t, ASK.
What you don’t want to do is ignore a mistake because you are too shy to ask for
further clarification. We native speakers love proactive learners. What we DON’T like are people who don’t seem to care when they are corrected. The same people
who keep making the same, basic mistakes all their lives.
I is for INTERNALIZE
Once you understand your mistake, put the whole concept back together in your head.
· Make up sentences while you are driving or drying your hair before work in the morning.
· Write sentences.
· Record yourself on your mobile using the grammar or vocabulary and of course, listen to those recordings.
T is for TRY THINGS AGAIN
Finally, try things out LIVE. Try them at work. Try them on conference calls. Try them on dating apps. And feel proud and accept the compliments when people tell you your English is really good.
Finally, here are five things you need to know about native English speakers.
1. WE ARE NOT MONSTERS
Really.
We are not the enemy.
We are people just like you.
We have good days and bad days.
But, deep down, we are impressed when you speak well.
No, let me rephrase that. We are impressed when you speak, and you communicate with us, whatever your level.
WE ADMIRE YOU.
We realise how much effort you’ve made and although we don’t say it to your face, we celebrate your success.
Good on you!
2. WE DON’T CARE
You do.
You are the one who beats yourself up when you make a mistake.
You tell yourself you are stupid and that you are never going to speak English properly.
You are too hard on yourself.
Be like us.
WE THINK YOU ARE GREAT! Even if you make a mistake.
3. WE DON’T WANT YOU TO FEEL STUPID
Everybody has felt stupid at some point in their life.
It’s not a very nice feeling, is it?
So, native speakers will very rarely correct you when you make a mistake, in an effort to avoid hurting your feelings or making you feel stupid.
That is, unless you INVITE them to correct you!
4. WE MIGHT LAUGH
If a mistake is funny, we might laugh.
Come on! We are human beings after all. We are not laughing at you. We are laughing at the improbably “alternative reality” your mistake has provoked.
Recently, one of my students meant to say “couch” but for some reason pronounced it “cock”. And used it with the verb “sit on”. It was hilarious, and I couldn’t help laughing out loud. Native speakers are probably laughing as much at ourselves and trying to imagine how we would get by if we had to speak another language.
5. WE ARE RELIEVED AND THANKFUL
You have made the effort.
You have learned our language.
You have tried to understand how we speak and what words mean in different contexts.
We don’t have to do anything. You have saved us time and a lot of effort.
And we salute you. Remember! WE THINK YOU ARE GREAT.
Now there is nothing stopping you.
With your army of “helpers”, you are ready to take over the world.
Remember, we don’t care about your accent, your grammar or your mistakes.
All you need to do now is practise, take note, learn and try again.
And again.
And again.
One day, you will realise how much your English has improved.
And how comfortable you feel when you are speaking to others. It will improve even more if you subscribe to my mailing list.
I might even send out some free stuff! Yes! Free stuff!
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