I’ve been wearing a lot of black lately.
It’s not a style choice.
It’s because my white shirts are usually unironed (I hate ironing).
And my blue shirt died many months ago (a rip on the sleave and a mystery stain on the front).
That’s why before I left for my trip back home I was doing another activity which I hate almost as much as ironing – shopping.
Blech!
And as I was navigating my way through the shops, I noticed how many businesses advertised the year that they were established.
For example, the bag the sales lady put my new blue shirt inside says “T.M. Lewin Est. 1898”
I guess that’s a good selling point.
It says the store has tradition. And that’s good for an English men’s clothing shop.
But what if the shirt was actually form 1898…?
I mean, what if it was the same style… the same fabric…?
Well, that would be strange.
And they’d probably go out of business.
The same if your doctor advertised “Medicine Est. 1898”
But here’s a business which really hasn’t changed since 1898.
Language schools!
Group classes…text books… memorize and translate…
These are the exact same methods that teachers have been using for over one hundred years!
The research proves there are better methods…
The research proves these methods can actually make your speaking worse…
And yet every day students return to the language schools expecting different results….
I don’t get it.