I have a student with a high-stress job.
This is on top of other commitments she has in her life. She told me the other day that lessons are a way for her to decompress. She isn’t alone: other students at the Calgary Language Nerds have also shared similar feedback over the years. I think it’s because learning a language, especially with a tutor, is a way to:
Be social
Have fun
Challenge yourself and grow
Engage a different part of your brain
Taking private and small-group classes can be a lifestyle.
As you may already know, I’ve taken 1-1 and small-group classes for well over 10 years. It’s one of my favourite ways to learn a language, at least in part because I develop a real bond with my teacher. I’m a people-person and I can not imagine a world where I don’t learn a language from another human being.
I also think this is why many tutors teach languages.
Here’s a story that comes to mind that demonstrates this. One of the instructors at the Calgary Language Nerds teaches late at night and early in the morning for a tutoring company. When I asked her why she stays up so late and wakes up so early, she said it was because of how attached she feels to her students.
I know exactly how she feels. Maybe you can relate yourself.
These are my reasons as well.
Be social
Have fun
Challenge yourself and grow
Engage a different part of your brain
You certainly summed things up nicely!