My crazy challenge: final update!
Here we are: the end of my crazy challenge with the final update! Now I really know why I did it and it’s such a good reminder!
In case you’re new here (welcome!), you can check the story of my crazy challenge. This experience was meant to create the best learning/practice routine for my students, and it was very instructive! Let’s take a closer look at this final update.
The truth
I always start with the truth so I’ll be honest: I barely practiced my Italian since update number 3… I did listen to some new music though (still have my Italian playlist)! My motivation went down, then life happened, and last thing you know, I’m not practicing my Italian at all…
I could shame myself for stopping, but I’m against shaming and blaming, especially in a learning environment! I don’t really enjoy learning without a teacher or classmates, that’s just who I am; so I’m not going to blame myself for this lack of motivation, because I know where it’s coming from and there is no shame in that!
Let’s do a little recap now. When I started the challenge, I explained the why, how, where and when; what I can say about it, is that I know I want to learn in immersion with other people, so hopefully I’ll be able to travel to Italy next year to make it happen! I’m not giving up on my goal, I just need a better way to learn! 😉
What I’ve truly learned from it
This challenge has reminded me why I’d rather teach in person instead of online: the energy and the engagement are not the same and when I see so many online courses with NO teacher, I know I can provide a better service because I’m creating the French journey with my students and bringing my energy to help them thrive and keep their motivation! That’s what being a teacher is all about!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against all the tools we have access to now to learn; I think it’s amazing and I use technology in my classes. But learning is a human experience so if you take the human part out of it, the process will never be as good as it can be with a qualified teacher.
It’s exactly the same if you want to learn to play piano or to paint for example: do you think you’ll learn better by watching a YouToube video or by actually working with an instructor that can give you specific feedback?
Speaking of awesome instructor (yes that’s me 😀 lol), did you know that immersion programs are now available? YES! I’ve used everything I learned from my crazy challenge to improve my teaching approach and be closer to my students’ needs. That’s also how the immersion programs were born! It’s a weekly commitment and you have different types to fit your schedule even if you’re working! For a week or more, learn and practice French with others every day! These programs are made for (English-speaking) beginners; you can check them here!
If you’d like to chat more about your learning journey or my services, let’s book your free meet and greet; I guaranty you that together, we’ll go way further than Duolingo!!
