Practise what you preach...

Okay. I know that I'm always going on about the importance of setting goals and making sure that you have motivation. You guys also know that I try to show empathy as a teacher, too! So here's the plan: I am going to do the DELE this fall - the C1 level, which is probably a little lower than I should aim for, but probably realistic (since I learnt most of my Spanish by reading El Jueves and listening to Raimundo Amador.)

I'm going to do the exam some time before Christmas, probably November. Part of it is because I want to have a certification in Spanish (I need to know what, exactly, I AM able to do) and part of it is because I think teachers are better if they remember what it was like to be a student....so....here we go. Goals are important! Look at me - I've set myself two important goals this year: I'm going to run a 10K run and I'm going to pass the DELE. I should be capable of meeting at least ONE of those goals.

I wasn't kidding about the thing about Raimundo Amador, by the way.

Great help with listening and employment English

Elllo.org (yes, with three L's) has started something new and interesting - a Flash game that helps you practice your English listening skills and your problem-solving skills.

Here's a great listening exercise that helps you think and practice your "employment English."

Is he...? No he isn't. (Part 1 of....)

Just one note (I thought of this as I was working on a new exercise:) do not use "sportsman" to talk about someone (male or female) who plays a sport.

If you're speaking about sports in general, you can call someone an "athlete" (it's not just for athletics), use "player" with the name of the sport (volleyball player, tennis player, hockey player) or use the noun that goes with the sport (cyclist, jockey, runner).

"Sportman" (singular) does not exist in any dictionary that I consulted.

Bilingual and looking for a job?

Just saw this on Twitter and thought it might it be interesting for anyone who's a fluent English speaker and is also looking for a job: BilingualPeople.es is having a job fair this weekend in Barcelona.

Comma karma

Another example, this time from The Grammar Nazi, about why punctuation matters.

Business phrasal verbs!

Here you go - 64 phrasal verbs related to business! (Note that they're not exclusively for business - you could use quite a number of these in regular social situations, too.)

Remember to write down the ones you need the most (or the ones that give you most trouble), and practice them as often as you can!

Pre-Intermediate isn't a level....it's an attitude.

It's 8.45, in the offices of a bank in downtown Madrid. I'm packing up my things and getting ready to go home because the class was supposed to start at 8:30 and I don't know where anyone is. Then, just as I'm putting my coat on, R. comes in. I explain to her that the company policy is that if we don't see anyone for 15 minutes, we can go. Yes, she says, but the security guards told me that you were here so I didn't worry. Yes, I say, but I didn't know that you were here, and since no one else has come, I was going to leave. I don't think R. has understood what I meant.

Next: the homework. You didn't give us any exercises, so I didn't practice, R. says. This is the kind of attitude that makes me want to go back to being a waitress. Honestly. But it's normal. Sad, but normal. If I had a dollar (sorry, no more Euros now) for every time a student tried to make it my problem that they didn't study, I'd be rich. Honestly.

Let me ask you something: who is the boss of your class?

The teacher? The student?

No, YOU are.

Yes, YOU. Not the teacher. Not the school. The reason is easy to understand: only you can help yourself. If you don't know how to help yourself....if you aren't disciplined enough to review your class notes and do your homework...if you don't take responsibility for helping yourself... that is not the teacher's fault.

That's why so many people get stuck at the pre-intermediate level, in my opinion. It's not that they're dumb. It's not that they're bad at English. It's because they have a very unrealistic attitude that the teacher is the person who must do all the work. If the student fails, it's the teacher's fault. (Is it any wonder that so many qualified, experienced teachers are leaving Spain and going to other countries?)

"Pre-Intermediate" is not a level. It's an attitude.

Is that attitude getting you what you want? If not, it's time to change your way of thinking. In this economic climate, you don't have the option of thinking that someone else is going to do the work for you.

Ask your teacher for help.

Look on the Internet for ways to practice.

Review your notes!!

Just do....something....except blame the teacher.

How do you know if your English is good enough?

One politician in Arizona found out the hard way that her English isn't quite as good as she thought it was....

(via The Economist)

Okay, I admit it. We've been lying to you....

This is the real reason you should learn English. Honest.

(Thanks to Stuart for the link and the laugh.)

Back on the horse

I have a new personal trainer. His name is David and he has huge muscles, and he yells a lot. I don't really need a personal trainer, really. Some of you know that I am a huge cycling fanatic and, not so long ago, I used to race, too. I wasn't very good at it. No, the truth of it is that I was REALLY bad at it. I was so bad at racing bicycles that the only reason I went was to have fun with the other gals who were also really bad.

Then last summer hit, and a lot of stuff happened. It's not worth describing what it was; let's just say that I'd rather forget the period between, oh, say, July 27th and today. It's done. It wasn't fun, but it's over with. (I hope.)

I've wanted to write this post for about two months, but it's hard to talk about something when you're still in the middle of it. Let me just say this: even when things are really horrible, even when learning English only makes you feel stupid or silly and you think that there's no sense in trying, you still have to try. I know. It sucks. It's awful. Doing things that you don't want to do, when you really aren't convinced that you can do it, is the most agonizing feeling in the world. But sometimes, it's all you can do.

There's more valor in trying. No one has to know if you quit, but YOU will know if you quit.

You don't have to quit. You can keep trying. You're not Don Quixote. No one will ever make fun of you for trying. Or they shouldn't, anyway.

And you can hold onto trying. Even if it doesn't work out, no one can ever take the sense of pride away from you. There is nothing wrong with being proud of doing a good job. Nothing at all.

In English, we call this "getting back on the horse that threw you." I don't know anything about horses; I know a lot about bicycles. And I know that if you fall off a bicycle, there is only one thing that you can do -- get back on it. Why? Because the shame of giving up is, sometimes, too great.

So that's 2012. Back on the horse.

I hope that you had a great Christmas and a fabulous New Year's, and that you've managed to avoid the January flu.

Now let's get back to work.