"The Four A's!"

Have you ever moved countries and cultures in your life? Have you changed your main language of learning? What was hard? What were the "keys" to help you progress through the challenges? What do you think makes a successful international student here in New Zealand?

I am privileged to run an English Language School and I have watched and worked with hundreds of International students in the last 15 years. I have built up my own ideas of a "successful" student from my observations. Let me share what I think he or she "looks" like! I call this picture - "The four A's." See what you think. . .

The first "A" is attendance!

Now, that's obvious - you say. Of course, it's a Visa requirement! But there is "attendance" and "attendance". For sure - you must come to class every day, and not be late. The school keeps records of that. What about being "really present" in class while you are there? I remember one of my students declaring, "My body's here, but my mind isn't!" There could be many reasons for that. Perhaps you are over-tired, because language learning is overwhelming, or you have been emailing your friends back home until the early hours of the morning, or have gone out to a party and stayed up all night! Perhaps you are homesick or depressed or sick or have had a fight with your boyfriend / girlfriend, and so many other things are on your mind and worrying you.

To be successful in your study and to make the most of your time - you must have a healthy lifestyle. You need a good balance of study and exercise, rest and sleep, and a healthy diet. It takes more energy to live in another country with more demands on your brain and body. Eat when you are hungry, drink a lot of water, sleep longer hours, and really concentrate when it is study time! Make yourself a good rule about not "going out" from Monday night to Thursday night and have an early night on Sunday. Then, when you come to school, both your mind and your body will be "in attendance" and you will not be wasting your time and your parents' money! OK?

The second "A" is ability!

Does this mean you must always achieve marks above 90% and be an "A-grade" student in everything? No, I don't think so! But you must be someone who enjoys study most of the time! You see, you have chosen two challenges over and above your "Kiwi" classmates. English is, for most of you, your second or third (or more!) language. This means you have to have your "mental running shoes" on to race and catch up with them in your English language knowledge. For example, they absorb new vocabulary every day quite easily, but you must work hard to learn and remember so many new words. Not only must you learn English to a good level, you must learn your other subjects in English. This is truly a double challenge!

Studies show that it only takes 2 - 3 years to catch up with native speakers in "social or conversational" English. That's good for relationships and chatting with your friends. It takes much longer to catch up in "academic" English - in fact, 5 - 7 years! That is the English of the classroom, and the textbooks and the individual subjects you are studying. Wow! That's a challenge that will really test your mind and will - so think about ability, and ask yourself the question, "Do I enjoy study most of the time?" If you can say "Yes" to that, then you are half-way to the finish line in your race to reach your goals!

The third "A" is attitude!  

Do you ever think, "Oh, this is too hard!" or "This is boring," or "I can't be bothered - forget about this!" or "I don't care about my study and my marks anymore?" or "I will give up!" I think we all think like this sometimes, however, for some students, this thinking is a habit - they think this way most of the time. Actually, most International students I have met are very hard workers who have high goals for their future and who really try to fulfil their parents' expectations as well as their own! In fact, sometimes, it is these very students who are in danger of "giving up" and becoming depressed because they think they should be progressing more quickly or that their English isn't improving or that they are somehow, "no good"!

Learning always takes time and energy, even when everything is "normal" and familiar around us - so language learning in a foreign place with totally new styles of classroom teaching will take even more time and energy. You actually need to be patient with yourself and even be kind to yourself. Try some "positive self-talk". In other words, instead of the negative thinking and heavy words, tell yourself, "Actually, I'm OK!" and " I'm quite good at this!" and "I'm lucky to have this chance to study" and "I will work hard today," and "I will try my best!" and "My best is always good enough," and "I like being me!" So being truly lazy or focusing on negative thinking will not bring a good reward, but steady hard work and a positive attitude will always lead to a good result in the end! Do you agree?

The fourth "A" is adaptability!

May I tell you a little about myself? I am a New Zealander because my parents are New Zealanders, but I grew up in another country and culture with three different languages, and when I was younger, I only spoke English in my family and used English for my school work.

When I arrived in New Zealand as a 14-year-old, I "looked" like I belonged here - but I "felt" like a fish out of water, or a stranded whale, maybe! This was a foreign country to me. It looked very different and it smelt different - the people smelt different! The food was different and heavy and boring; everybody looked too white; winter was so cold, and my uniform felt so heavy to wear. In winter, so many trees looked dead! (I came from a tropical country with no true seasons!) Christchurch was flat and I got lost a lot. My homestay was 12 kilometers from school and biking 24 kms every day made me very tired. I was not happy in that homestay. I missed my family and friends. When I dreamt, my dreams were in my other two languages - not English! I didn't know so many Pop songs or famous movie stars and I couldn't remember which cities belonged to the North Island and which places were in the South Island - so sometimes in school, I felt stupid! It took me 3 years to feel "comfortable" here and to begin to be "successful" in the New Zealand environment. I had to become like a Chameleon. It changes its colour to suit the environment. I had to change some of my thinking and lifestyle and learn about "Kiwi" customs and New Zealand "idioms" in order to cope and be comfortable and feel confident inside myself in this place. This slow change is called "adapting". Can you feel yourself adapting? How adaptable are you?

In the end, you can feel very proud of yourself because you can feel "at home" and "belong" to more than one country. This can be a very big advantage - because your thinking can expand and you can understand and respect many different kinds of people, and make friends all around the world more easily. I hope you will look back one day, like me, and say, "It was worth the hard work of adapting!"

So how about the four A's? Do you think you can aim for these and become an even more successful student in New Zealand? Why don't you talk to your friends or your teacher or email me and tell me a little of your story and share some good advice! Think about it!

Kathryn Thorne

Director,

Alpha Educational Institute

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