Two students in the same class
When he came to talk to me about improving his English skills and getting accepted into the university, I learned a lot about him. This student was in my level 2 listening and speaking class and his English level was a low-intermediate level. Every day of class, he sat on the front row.
When we talked about his future, I asked him about his goals. He explained that he wanted to learn from great professors in his content area, get his degree from an American university, and return to his country and teach young people in the university in his home town.
He was in my listening and speaking class because his English proficiency level was not high enough yet to handle university studies. I asked him about his plans to take IELTS or TOEFL before applying to the university and he shared this perspective:
“I want to take IELTS more than TOEFL because it fits me better, but I really need to work on learning English a lot first. I know I will need to learn the strategies for the best score on IELTS, but my English classes that I’m taking now are helping me learn to communicate in English. I’m getting vocabulary, learning to read, and understanding the foundations of English that I will need for my degree. Studying English is helping me get ready for passing the IELTS, but even more important, studying English is getting me ready to pass my university classes.”
How are they different?
There was another student in the same class, but his perspective was different. I asked him to meet with me and tell me about his future goals. He also wanted to get a degree from an American university and return to his home country to work. His goal was to work in business and he knew that a degree from an American university would get him a job with a good company and a higher salary.
However, this student didn’t come to class much and didn’t do his assignments so often. I asked him about his plans for university studies and he told me his perspective. He said:
“I am studying very hard every day. I am using my own textbook about IELTS because I’m going to take the IELTS test and skip these English classes. My major is more important to me and I think I am wasting my time in these English classes. I just want to get accepted into the university and complete my degree.”
What would you say to this student if he were your friend? He was paying the same amount of money to learn English, but chose to study on his own. He thought he could be successful at getting his university degree in a shorter time.
Same goals, or different goals?
I watched both students over the next year. The first student worked hard and always got excellent grades in his classes. His goal was to learn English so he could get his degree. The second student failed many of his English classes because he was studying on his own. His goal was to get a test score to get accepted into the university. The first student is ready to begin his university courses, but the second student is still trying to get a high enough IELTS score.
Who do you relate to most?
Which type of student are you? Do you take a holistic approach to learning like the first student? Do you try to take shortcuts like the second student? The second student will probably get an acceptable score sometime soon, but it is taking him longer. He wanted to save money by getting a score faster, but in the end, he spent more money and took a longer time.
What are your goals?
It is necessary to be intentional and make good plans when you have great goals. It is important to know when to take shortcuts and when not to take shortcuts. If you are interested in succeeding on the IELTS test, I know I can support that goal. But, you can be sure that I will encourage you to have a balanced perspective.
Get in touch and we can talk about your future plans with English. DM me on Instagram or send an email to jerry@learnenglishwithmrjerry.com. I look forward to meeting you!