I've just had a German lesson of my dream.
For a very, very, veeeeery long time (more than 12 years, I guess) this was the first ever moment when I truly felt that what I have learnt really HELPS ME SPEAK.
I learnt German at school, then at uni, but the quality left much to be desired: shitty books, shitty teachers.
As an English tutor myself, I know just how easy it actually is when you get a cool book and a cool teacher and suddenly the language starts making sense and you start talking without even realizing it. I always try to be in the position of a student not to lose touch with reality and remember that my student's struggle is real. They are not stupid (nobody is), it's just the brain is processing new info, and it takes time. With correct scaffolding, empathy and gamification any beginner can start talking, it was proven billions of times. This is why as a teacher I was very picky when it came to personal tutors: I can see or smell the bad ones from afar, and my standards are extremely high.
THIS IS THE MOST REFRESHING FEELING. I can actually speak. I am actually working with a C1 German book, I understand what is written and can answer the questions - it's not a joke! Hundreds of hours in Quizlet, writing esays, reading books, consuming dozens of textbooks were not in vain, after all. How wonderful!
For a very, very, veeeeery long time (more than 12 years, I guess) this was the first ever moment when I truly felt that what I have learnt really HELPS ME SPEAK.
I learnt German at school, then at uni, but the quality left much to be desired: shitty books, shitty teachers.
As an English tutor myself, I know just how easy it actually is when you get a cool book and a cool teacher and suddenly the language starts making sense and you start talking without even realizing it. I always try to be in the position of a student not to lose touch with reality and remember that my student's struggle is real. They are not stupid (nobody is), it's just the brain is processing new info, and it takes time. With correct scaffolding, empathy and gamification any beginner can start talking, it was proven billions of times. This is why as a teacher I was very picky when it came to personal tutors: I can see or smell the bad ones from afar, and my standards are extremely high.
THIS IS THE MOST REFRESHING FEELING. I can actually speak. I am actually working with a C1 German book, I understand what is written and can answer the questions - it's not a joke! Hundreds of hours in Quizlet, writing esays, reading books, consuming dozens of textbooks were not in vain, after all. How wonderful!
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