How many of you agree that you learn better when you're enjoying?
Well, count me in. It's always hard for me to study something I'm not actually interested in. In fact, I sometimes have to force myself to study something I'm not passionate about. In the university, for instance, not all of the topics we discuss interest me.
Conversely, when I have free time, I'd rather do other things than study about those topics that I don't care much about. Of course, there are some things that we're obliged to learn and do however much we hate them. For example, we can't totally avoid cleaning or learning how to read and write, unless of course, we want to remain illiterate all our lives.
The reason behind this is that it's much easier for us to work on something we enjoy. Did you Mom have to force you to play your favorite video game? I don't think so. It's the same thing when you decide to study something you're interested in. There's not much effort or resistance.
That's why we often need teachers. It's one of their duties to make the students interested in their lessons. Because frankly, a big percentage of learning involves stimulating the students and getting them interested. As Samuel Johnson said "Interest is the mother of attention and attention is the mother of memory." To secure memory, Joseph Cook concludes, "secure its mother and grandmother." That's an important point to remember if you are serious about learning something.
Some people have a natural ability to encourage themselves and force themselves to do things they don't really want to do. Still others are good at finding something that interests them, in order to study what they have to. Unfortunately, most people are not like that, which is why we still need teachers. Aside from this, our teachers can also bring about a fresh outlook on a tired subject. He/she can also make a boring subject seem interesting. Furthermore, if we feel tired and helpless, it always helps when someone can encourage us and take the initiative.
I have already given you pointers on how to find good teachers. The most important factor is a teacher's competence on the subject matter he/she is teaching. Would you like someone who can't even teach you grammar or conversation correctly? Maybe not. Then, of course, the teacher has to be committed to your learning and improvement.
Yes, sometimes the answer is simple. If you can't learn by yourself, go get a good teacher. And if you find that challenging, don't you worry, I have something in store for you. I've been planning and working hard to look for the best teachers. It might take some time because I'm really looking hard, but maybe you can help me if you know someone who's good at making a website in Japanese.
Anyhow, I'll tell you more about my plans soon..
