Thumbnail Image

It's that time of year

Tanya Forbes

Hey Happy Christmas Everyone!

It's that time of year again - time for celebration and a bit of reflection (I prefer the celebration part rather than the reflection side!). Firstly, I would like to thank all my students for your enthusiasm and your love of learning English. As many of you know, I have recently moved to Japan, which means I have a completely different schedule than before. My apologies to those of you who I am no longer able to teach due to time constraints.

 

Secondly, reflection. Language learning is changing and evolving all the time with countless websites and apps all telling us that if we do this, then we will ‘sound native,’ become fluent, etc., etc. How often do we watch YouTube and think, "OK, got that now," just to forget it in a few days' time? I am not preaching here, but through my own experience of learning Japanese, I have fallen into this trap! (I LOVE YOU, YOUTUBE)!

 

However, back in 2021, I shared my goals regarding learning Kanji and rewarding myself with a sticker each time I managed to complete a level. Back then, I had just 6 stickers and 54 more levels to go; the picture shows what my laptop is like today. While my Japanese speaking is not great, I can handle basic conversations. Reading is my strongest language skill currently, but next year I will focus on my comprehension and listening. To attain a basic level of Kanji reading proficiency, every day I have studied Kanji using only 1 app; this is now routine for me.

 

So, whatever motivates you to do regarding your language learning for 2024, do it and stick to it. Also, take good, enjoyable lessons along the way! Hopefully, see you soon. If you cannot see time available on my schedule, please contact me, and I’ll see what I can arrange.

Bless you and stay safe
Tanya

Added to Saved

This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

Comments (0)

Login to Comment Log in »
Premium ribbon

from:

in:

Lesson Categories

Language Fluency

English   Native
Japanese   Daily conversation

Tanya Forbes's Most Popular Columns

  • Finally, it made it!

    Recently, I flew home to England after spending some time in Japan.  Instead of saying to my f...

    Tanya Forbes

    Tanya Forbes

    0
    5053
    Mar 6, 2021
  • That reminded me!

     I recently received a picture of my friends Christmas tree all decorated, as is the cust...

    Tanya Forbes

    Tanya Forbes

    0
    4308
    Dec 23, 2020
  • Is it a day to stay at home, by any chance?

    We can use the phrase, by any chance, to express an idea that we are not really sure if we think so...

    Tanya Forbes

    Tanya Forbes

    0
    4296
    Jan 29, 2021
  • From the horse's mouth.

    While in quarantine in Japan, my friends have been sending me photo's of my horse "Ted".  This...

    Tanya Forbes

    Tanya Forbes

    0
    4286
    Nov 21, 2020
« Back to List of Tutor's Column
Got a question? Click to Chat