Do you speak English?
How many times have you been asked this question? In the world we live in, knowing English seems to have become a prerequisite. At work, within the hard walls of your office, or simply walking on the street-you hear English almost everywhere nowadays. Schoolchildren know it, your friends know it, and you want to know it.
People learn the English language for different reasons: maybe they want to travel more, maybe they need it in order to get promoted at work, or they simply regard it as an intellectual exercise. Whatever the reason might be, you want to speak it too. But learning a language-with all its slang words and subtleties, can be a daunting tasks. Where do you begin your journey towards knowledge? There are hundreds of books, materials, courses available. This can be a bit confusing. But you’ve already made a decision. That cannot be taken back. And like the old saying goes-where there is a will, there is a way. In my not-so-long experience as a teacher I found out that having a community that shares your desire for learning and that supports you can be very helpful. But here’s the thing: you need someone on your side on this journey. Because it is a journey that will carry you to amazing places in the world and that will give you the opportunity to meet amazing people, that you might not have met otherwise. You need a teacher, my friend. And good teachers aren’t easy to find, I know. Why are good teachers hard to find? Because not many can give you the opportunity to see yourself as you truly are. To see your own skills and flaws, to see your potential and to tell you when you’re on the wrong path. And that is a lesson in itself. A good teacher, in my opinion, is not the person who will praise you everyday, and tell you how amazing you are. Your mother can fulfill that role very well. A good teacher is honest with you, pushes you to become better-not by sugarcoating things, but by telling you the truth. When you’re learning a language, you need someone to explain things to you, to push you to do the work you don’t want to do, a person who understands your efforts, but who will not spare you the hard truths. Once in a while you’ll meet a teacher like this.
I’ve been fortunate to have these kinds of teachers in school, but lately I’ve been listening to a new teacher. I’ve been watching Mark’s livestreams on HelloTalk. Mark is an American English language teacher from Cincinnati, Ohio, who I discovered when I signed up on the HelloTalk app. In a world that drives us to be divisive, his goal is to make at least one friend in every country of the world-with 47k+ followers on HelloTalk alone, I think his dream can become true. What I find fascinating about his approach is that he managed to create an engaging learning environment, where you can contribute and where you can listen to interesting debates. Do you have trouble understanding a grammar concept? Did you ever want to know the meaning of an idiom? Ask Mark. He doesn’t discourage anyone from learning, he’s not the person to put you down if you misspell something and yes, he will tell you to practice, practice, practice-and teach someone else what you already know.
You can find Mark on HelloTalk at @markdrumsamson and you can also like his Facebook page-A Friend In Every Corner with Teacher Mark. For the past months I’ve been watching his clips.
He always says: “Be a Language Warrior”, but I think the real battle is less metaphorical. One day you’ll find out that you did it, that you’ve learned, but you’ll also discover that along the way you’ve learned about life as well, and, if you’re lucky, you will have found a friend.
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