It makes me happy when there are people in my life who want to work on themselves and learn new things. And when I can be part of their progress, it makes me even happier!
And because I see some “students” every week in lessons and we talk about important things, sometimes we become friends.
I’ve known Ashley for two and a half years. She found me as a Czech teacher when she had already been living in Prague for several years and wanted to speak with her Czech partner’s family.
Every week we have two lessons together, in which we always do what has priority at that moment. Sometimes it’s practicing dialogues on a walk with the dog, sometimes how to arrange an apartment viewing, and sometimes a specific grammar topic in real-life situations. Sometimes we also talk about a text or a video that I send before the lesson. Every month we adjust our plan a little, because communication priorities change in life too…
And recently we spent a weekend in the Krkonoše Mountains together. It wasn’t Czech lessons, but simply a friendly weekend in nature. We hiked up hills, enjoyed beautiful views, and of course we talked!
And how? ONLY IN CZECH!
Did I speak simply? – No!
I didn’t think about how I was speaking at all and I actually completely forgot that I was speaking with an American. And Ashley maybe forgot that she doesn’t speak English, because she spoke quickly and automatically used words that Czechs use in the same situations.
When we talked about complicated topics together last year, we still combined Czech with English. Now, after two and a half years since Ashley started having lessons with me, we speak only Czech together.
Does that mean Ashley makes no mistakes in Czech? – No!
She makes mistakes just like I make mistakes in English, but that doesn’t matter, because we understand each other perfectly and after talking for a while, we completely forget about mistakes and have a one hundred percent functional conversation that we enjoy!
And what is the most important thing on the path to functional Czech? – Real motivation, open communication with the teacher so she always knows what your current priorities are and can plan lessons accordingly. And it’s also very important to fully focus on what works for you, not for others!
