"Where there's will, There's power - 2"

I'd like to share with you another example of commitment to the studies.

Karina Alves started studying with me in May, 2007, for the basic book Intro. Back then, Karina studied with 2 more people, twice a week, one hour each day.

For three or 4 months it went that way, until the other two guys decided to quit, one after another for private reasons. Karina came to me then and said she wouldn't give up, didn't matter if she'd have to pay a little more for private classes.

Time passed by and she always reviewed things at least once every single day. She also kept texting me for questions on things she didn't understand. Workbook was always done, and her interest on the language increased significantly.

Recently, Karina has been able to go abroad and visit her cousin Kelly in Australia. She's a low-intermediate student right now and she's improving fast doing simple things as sending me emails whenever she has the chance. That's one of her emails below:

From:
"karina viana" kak_viana@hotmail.com

To:
"Teacher Santos" marcelosts@yahoo.com

Hi prof How are you doing back in brazil?

Things are great in OZ... People here are very friendly, but I haven't had much chance to practice my english.

I've been to many fantastic places and beaches, like: Bondi, Manly (by ferry boat), Watson's Bay, Darling Harbour, The fabalous Opera House and Harbour Bridge, The Rocks.... and many other ones that I can't remember right now...

I had the opportunity to watch the " Le Grand Cirque" at the Opera House!!!! It was amazing! The performance was really great and enjoyable...

I have been going out a lot, as my english classes will start next monday.

I will send you more new pics soon...

keep in touch

Kisses,

Karina

"Where there's will, There's power!"

In my 9 years of experience, people have come and asked me thousands of questions of how they could improve their skills on the language, how they could overcome their difficulties and sometimes, how to learn in weeks or months, something that took me years.
Some of those questions were asked in agony and despair, what made me feel really sad.
Well, it kept me thinking of the way things happened to me. It reminded me of days when I was a student and sometimes wondered if I would EVER be as fluent as the teacher I was having then.
I kept seeing those actors in movies speaking English and, wondered if I'd also speak that way.
During those years, one of my biggest challenges was, putting in practice everything I learned in classes, having in mind that my father had no money to send me to a trip to the States and, I had no one to talk to out of school.
Things started to change when I made a promise to myself: "I would bring the United States of America back to my house". It sounds weird, but I decided to have my own "exchange program" without leaving the country.
That would be possible through a routine of watching, reading, studying, watching again, listening, writing ONLY and EXCLUSIVELY in English.
We're talking the NINETIES here, so that means I didn't have as much as you guys do today, as far as technology is concerned. There were no IPODS, IPHONES, PODCASTS, INTERNET RESOURCES with all those data that makes the process even easier and more entertaining.
I don't remember exactly when I realized I already spoke English. Things happened naturally as soon as I decided to engage myself on that. I knew that I had to USE MY ENGLISH FOR OTHER PURPOSES IN LIFE, OTHER THAN ONLY INSIDE AN ENGLISH CLASS.
That's exaclty what happens in an English-speaking country, you wake up, think, write, go out, watch tv, read the paper or magazines in English. This way, the frequency you learn new words and review others increase.
This way, whenever you come across a conference call, a job interview, a talk to you foreign boss, everything will sound so simple and natural, butterflies on your stomach will sound as past as Abraham Lincoln.

Lessons on how things will work from now on...

Watch for the things you need to know:
1 - The attendance cards will be available for consult within 12 years (tops) after the class was given.
2 - Keep checking the new words I taught in class. If you don't know the meaning, email me. There will be a test on vocabulary every month, so don't you miss a thing.
3 - Watch for new emails from me in your inbox. They will remind you of things you need to do and things recently uploaded in your "Group folder"!
4 - Don't forget everything will be evaluated every "three months". Keep your workbook up-to-date, as well as your self-study exercises and your extra exercises.
5 - Every time you have a new listening file in your folder, download it right away. They will be available for 48 hours tops!
6 - Make sure you have an Ipod, a portable mp3 player, or even a cell phone with this resource. Listening and understanding what you hear can be acquired through practice. So, wherever you are, find a way to be listening to everything that concerns the language.
7 - Every month from February on, you'll be asked to read short-story books in English. remember reading is part of the package. So, do it and tell your classmate how good it was.
If there's something you need to ask me, you know how to contact me.
See you around.
Marcelo.

New Class Methods - The Virtual Disk

From January on, my students will have the opportunity to experience a new system in class, the "Virtual Disk", which is a file-storing website where you guys will be able to follow our syllabus, keep track of every new word taught, get extra exercises and mp3 files for listening practice online, keep track of every class replacement and, last but not least, know exactly how much you'll have to pay for the current month.

One of the greatest challenges we face today is the green issue. Day after day, companies and people are trying to find solutions for the environmental matters and for energy-cost reduction.

Every end of year, I'm used to organizing my classroom and teaching stuff, so that I can start the next year with a new energy. Realizing the stack of papers I acumulate in the end of every single year, I decided there might be something I could do to change the game, especially because all those papers were printed to have a collection of signatures on them that didn't amount to anything but to that stack itself.

Having thought of getting rid of those stacks, I also came up with a system where you guys would have full access to our studies, reports, and exercises, without my having to print anything else. Thinking green, I was able to solve a problem in my classes, which is the distance between one class and another, the time you spent without practicing.

Our Virtual Disk is not a state-of-the-art software, it is just a part of a famous internet company's website, but we were able to use it to change the way we behave in class.

We've been using that for the past 2 weeks now and, I've already heard good things from the people I deal with directly, which is why I believe this year will be different for all of us, as far as your development in class is concerned.

So, if for any reason you haven't received an invitation to the website in your email, please reach me through my email and I'll provide that to you right away.

Just remembering that this system is useless if you guys don't participate, if you don't keep checking it from time to time, especially in your search to new exercises and for some listening files.

Happy New Start!

Hi friends, Please be Welcome to my Blog!

The beginning of the year has always had a special meaning for me. It's when I take my time and reevaluate everything I've done so far. That's the time for checking up on how pleasant my life has been or even how many targets I've reached so far. That's when goals are resettled, that's when past achievements are celebrated.
I've started 2009 willing to change, totally into doing things a different way, rechecking methods, renewing speeches, restarting ideas and, I believe this blog, focused on the performance of your English Skills, is the first step for a new YEAR!
Here you may find: Articles concerning the English language learning; exercises on every single topic you may find it difficult to deal with (as far as English is concerned, of course); topics for composition; the best compositions for topics; the best composition of the month; movie suggestions; book suggestions; you may also make friends with other students of mine and practice a little more what you've had in class.
Furthermore, you might find your "attendance cards" and your "Classes schedule" to check out.
Also, keep track of all the new vocab you have learned so far.
Well, be my guest and go through the path!

Marcelo dos Santos.
English Teacher
VIP and In-Company