Mio’s Class Description
I am currently taking a private general English lesson course. It’s only
been about 5 months since our first class, but I feel a great
improvement in my English. I lived in Canada for 3 years during
elementary school but had not kept up with my English so much. I
wasn’t even confident enough to have conversations. However, byspeaking more English and participating in class activities, my skills
improved dramatically.
I plan to enroll in a university abroad, so we first prepared for the TOEFL
examination. I had taken the TOEFL examination during my third year ofhigh school, but I hadn’t studied English at all since then, so I wasn’t
sure if I could attain a higher score at all. Despite my concerns, I wassurprised to find that my score had actually risen from 82 to 96!
Tammy teaches me strictly. She corrects my English from language
usage to punctuation. The class is of high quality, and I also have a lot of
homework to do. I am always presented with a challenge. This ispossible because Tammy and I have a close relationship and a bond oftrust. I always do my best, and she knows my level of understanding
very well (better than I do myself.) But Tammy herself is not a strict
person at all. We have personal chats, read funny articles, and our classalways has a happy atmosphere.
I highly recommend this class for someone who really wants to improvetheir English and is extremely serious about it.
MioFor those of you who are planning to study abroad, you need to take the TOEFL
examination, at least once. The Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT) focuses on listening andreading comprehension, and writing structure and expression, to which there is anadditional essay, the Test of Written English (TWE), which is required for a writingscore. The Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT) consists of four parts: Listening, Speaking,Reading, and Writing. ou want SOMEONE teaching both English and test taking
tactics to you simultaneously, whether you are taking the PBT (with or withoutTWE) or iBT. How to relax while studying as well as studying for such a gruelingexam is another issue you want to seriously consider.
One of the courses currently in session is extremely successful – if you agree withme that Mio, my dear student, achieved not only a 96/120 but was at the 96th
percentile on her latest iBT exam! However, if I describe TOEFL as a “grueling” exam,
my courses are just as “grueling”. I assessed her English writing, listening, andspeaking (non-colloquial) skills, and from there, we started from scratch andworked uphill. She told me where her goals were; I was, and am, just a guide in
helping her to achieve them.
Mio responds in a singular and intelligent way to the content I bombard her with inclass and in her homework. Since I snow her down with it and our classes are chockfull of information, I make sure that every second is as enjoyable as can be. I KNOW
students do NOT learn anything when they are bored with classes or class material.
Humor articles and opinion editorials work just as fine as textbook material, though
I use novels and TOEFL tactic textbooks as well as my handmade worksheets,
exercises, and SAT vocabulary workbooks, of course! It’s just a matter of how tomaneuver entertainment on a mature, intellectual basis.
Finally, as Mio also kindly wrote, I am a strong believer in trust and firmcompanionship between the teacher and student. Mio trusted me enough to allow
me to get to know her well so that we could work on such an intensive level. I also
keep myself opened up towards her so that she feels comfortable telling me
whenever she has trouble with an assignment or the load of it. There is a reason
behind every tardiness, forgotten homework assignment, or out-of-the-blue excuse
from any student, and I need to know what it is before I start breathing down
someone’s neck…which I end up not having to 96% of the time. Good English
education is based upon the trust and bond between competent teachers anddedicated students – and that is the foundation of my overseas preparation course.
Tammy