ONE OF MY GOOD FRIENDS TOOK THE BRAVE STEP OF BECOMING MY STUDENT

Everything “Monica” does professionally, requires her to “keep her distance” from the people she deals with. One of the hats she wears is as a teacher. As strict as she is, and because her native language distinguishes the formal vs informal “you”, “Monica” was expecting me to address her by her official name, instead of her nickname. 

Considering that she has one-on-one lessons with me (I also have classes with multiple students), I told her that calling her by her official name would feel awkward/unnatural, and that she shouldn’t worry about me crossing boundaries. 

Today I told her that her progress was so noticeable that I could see her transitioning to conversation classes soon (in which grammar isn’t discussed), in case she would want to continue practising English, to what she immediately whispered: 

“Great! I want my friend back!” – and I could see her taking her mask off, so to speak. 

Mind you, this beautiful soul had alerted me of the fact that she was on a journey of changing her mindset about doing business with friends. She wants to remove her barriers, in that regard. 

I have three cousins on board – same difference. If anything, the pressure is on me, and I like being challenged. Furthermore, I do make sure my students get a say on how the lessons are going, their progress and, they are always free to bring topics they would like to discuss, to the table. 

So, the capacity under which you know me should not stop you from having one of the most uplifting experiences of your life and certainly the best English learning method you’ve ever had. 

So far, my list of students comprises medical doctors, lawyers, life coaches, psychologists, economists... 

Come join them!