Reminder Before Reading
There are more classes and events than usual this weekend. I have even decided to organize a couple of special lessons for French and Mandarin learners on Sunday that are only being offered once. If you haven’t had a look at the schedule, do so now.
Progress > Perfection
I tutored a grade 12 high school student this evening and we worked on her English reading comprehension skills. English is her first language, but the texts she reads at school are complex.
Most of our lesson today was spent on explaining words she didn’t understand from her class readings such as ambivalent, indifferent, malicious, and impoverished. She also asked me grammar-related questions about how to use some of the words and phrases I taught her. Near the end of the class, she sighed and said, “English is pretty hard!”
This utterance captures the essence of today’s newsletter: progress matters more than perfection. If an intelligent 12th grade native English speaker who has spoken English during every waking hour for 18 years still has plenty of room for improvement in her first language, a second language learner studying on a part-time basis should not be aiming for perfection. Focus on progress instead. Be 1% better every week. By doing so, you will improve by 52% in a year which is an accomplishment to be proud of.
Always remember that language is about communication. No matter how fluent you are, there is always room to become a stronger communicator, should you choose to focus on it. Therefore, perfection doesn’t even exist. For instance, I have spoken French for 24 years and I have plenty of areas that I could work on despite being almost as proficient in the language as a native speaker. In fact, I even have flaws in my communication skills in English that I am actively trying to remedy - and English is my mother tongue!
Perfection is an ideal to strive for and progress toward, but embrace the fact that you will never reach it. Take a breath and fall in love with the process instead :)