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Thanks to Shirley from Girls on Top for my page of the week, showing Beijing’s new Olympic swimming arena called the “Water Cube“.
Pretty impressive, don’t you think? But I wonder, was it money well spent? Some people think the money spent on the Olympics is an investment in China’s future. Others think it will benefit Beijing only. What’s your opinion?
I heard a great quote from a friend more than two years ago, then I heard it again this morning. Now I realize the true meaning behind it. Here’s the quote:
“A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline.” - Harvey Mackay, author of Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive
This certainly describes my dream of being able to “Teach from the Beach”. I have had the idea in my head since my first Internet English lesson in 1999. I have dreamed of being in Hawaii, or Okinawa, or Hainan Island, or Langkawi Island, sitting on the beach with my computer, a set of headphones with a microphone, and nice cool drink by my side. Okay, a nice, long-legged girl in a bikini also pops into my dream from time to time, but that would be a bonus! The main thing would be to help students around the world improve their English. Too bad that this has always been just a dream. In fact, I have no plan that I am trying to follow. And with no plan, I also have no deadline, no time limit to achieve my plan, so in a typical week or a typical month, how much work do I do to achieve my dream? Not very much.
I think language learners often dream about being fluent in another language. That is a great dream! But do we have a plan for learning? Do we even know what a good plan is? Do YOU have a plan for improving your reading in English (a great way to learn vocabulary!) or to improve your pronunciation or grammar? Do you know what your strong points and weak points are? And what is your timeframe for learning? In my experience, students who put at least 20 minutes a day into learning a language EVERY DAY have more success than those who study for four or five hours two days a week, then forget the language the other days. In other words, you need to think about how much time you will spend on English. There is no easy answer - you have to find the best answer for YOU, just as I have to find the best answer for ME. Good luck to all of us!
For some ideas on how to learn a language, check out Teacher Joe’s suggestions here.
