Lotus in the Rain

reshipment from http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4d188f9f0100bs4h.html

After the whole year, I look back the days when studying at WSI(Wall Street Institute),I figure out the corporation’s advantage and disadvantage .Some people told me that WSI is so poor, and it is not a place to learn English, but a place for those employees to make money. Nonetheless, the rest of the people suggest that WSI is a perfect place to study English for every body. As I see, their statement,  however, is too naive and critical.

Let us begin with the positive things WSI offer us.

First of all, I would like to state that WSI has own a advanced system among all other institutes. It is undeniable when we walk in to the center, introduced by those polite receptionists to our CC(Course consultant),we will probably have the feeling of entering to a different world. After their patient demonstration about WSI, our mind would be refreshed, in that we have never heard of any body in China learn English in such alternative way. The institute’s method of learning is ’keep it with originality’, which means we learn English the way we learn our mother tongue. We listen, learn in EOL ROOM, and speak during Encounters.

When compare to the education system in China and WSI. The latter way is absolutely much superior. Let us see how we study in English in China, teachers giving speech about grammar, offering us to recite vocabularies, and then do some interpretation. After a decade’s hard working under this system. we might realize that we have completely no idea about English, especially oral communications.  

This effect is highly due to our conventional method. The reason why our English turn out to be such poor is because the attitude how we treat English. We Chinese always learn any thing for examination, and so does English, therefore, we have a bad idea about English. Actually English is all about communication, we are going to be trained as a good communicator but not a grammar book under WSI’s innovative method. In my opinion, there are foundementally three stages to treat English. Above all, also our common stage, we learn it for exam. Secondly, which is the stage I am currently in, we learn it as a tool. the final one is the most difficult stage to reach, we learn it as an Art. If  we follow these phases, step by step, keep refresh our attitude, then every Chinese can learn English well.

WSI is also a place to enjoy our lives. When clients walk though our centers, they may become extremely inquisitive by one of our amusement------parties. In fact, local Chinese residents hardly ever old parties as foreign friends do. As a result, Chinese seldom experience the enticement party give us. Also, a various of outdoor entertainment hold by us properly, visiting theme park, out for picnic, go Dutch together for instance. At the mean time enjoying our lives, English is spoken by us, implanted with emotions. To be extensive, this is also how we learn------learn with enjoyment.

To consider about the environment here, WSI is almost a perfect to stay at. To begin with, I would say it is a place to make friends, particularly to make friends whom to get along with all our life. Let us take myself as an example, approximately 60% of my friends are Wall Street’s students, people there are easy going, as most of our conversations are in English. I personally feel it easier to talk with strangers in English than Chinese (based on cultural diversity).My best Friend, Frank, is a staff in WSI, working as an accountant, he is not only good at dealing with financial issue, but also keen on English speaking. In fact, he is my best tutor in English. We compete with each other, every of us saying one strange and wired word, then letting other to figure out the meaning of it. If any of us failed, plenty of sarcastic sentences will be as follow. This ‘game’ impel me to learn more words, especially strange words like ‘metabolism’ or ‘arteriosclerosis’.

In Wall Street, all employees apart from cleaning auntie can speak English. Although their English are not as good as native speakers, but at least it is sufficient to offer student’s communication. This means every day we are staying at an English environment. Afterwards, even survival students may find themselves seized some basic English words and able to speak up without the reliance of Chinese translations.

Further and even more important, Wall Street provide students a stage for personal show.  Admittedly, Chinese students are most likely buried their self-confidence after teachers’ long-term misunderstanding and scolding. In western culture, this policy had been abolished hundred years ago. I have once heard the way how Americans taught their younger generations. When a teacher performing an Art class, he/she would not letting children to draw a duck as our teachers do. Instead, a sector of music was played and children are required to ‘draw the music’. Some of whom painted curve, while others may create some irregular triangles. There won’t be a milestone to fix a student’s criteria. Reversely, children are encouraged to develop their innovation. This theory is almost identical to the way how WSI teach English. Ultimately , confidence has been established in students’ heard. they then have their own way to think, to ask, and to determine.

When in the course of analyzing how languages were invented by human beings. It is not so difficult to find out there is at least one regulation for every language, that is languages are highly depend on culture. The longer one culture last, the more difficulties you will figure out to learn its language. Whenever we ask for questions, our lovely foreign teacher will help us to solve the issue and extend some cultural relevant knowledge. Thus, WSI is also a nice place for culture learning.

As far as finance is concerned, the tuition fee seems to be tremendous expensive. This statement, anyhow, is not accurate. Experiences hath shown that money from students will be paid to each staff every month, enable the firm making centers be sustainable. Hence, as a matter of fact, the more we paid. The better education we get. On the other hand, money is absolutely an efficient bacon to entice more elites come to Wall Street. In addition, Wall Street is per se engaged for white collar. Although it hire students in vary fields, but this high expenses will anyhow reject more people in large to study at. As for fortunate students, they may cared by our FT(foreign teacher),CC(Course consultant) and SA(study adviser), in that there won’t be over crowed students in every center. So by this view, finance issue is in fact positive for us.

In general, Wall Street is far more than a learning institute. It’s approaching to a little community, in witch you can encounter social experiences, absorbing western culture, etc. These beneficial effect could open our mind. In future term, they are positive for students’ future career.

Then people may wondering whether there is any drawback in WSI or not. My answer is yes, and what is more, there are plenty of drawbacks facing us. A conventional Chinese philosopher suggest that things can not be too ideal in the world, and Wall Street is not an exception.

There is one thing we can not deny that WSI’s methods is superb, but it is in fact difficult for Chinese students to understand. Due to Chinese based education have a deep impact on every citizen, alternative method may not take into work for ever body in short-term. Normally Chinese people rely on every teachers the most, this phenomenon must to blame the political band in China------obscurant as we known. As a result people have no creativity at all. This condition is just converse to WSI’s method. Finally, students began to complain about the method, but not trying to adapt into this creative way.

Another way, enjoyment let students pay more attention on playing but study. Nevertheless, to resolve the issue, study adviser can play a key-role. They could be a student’s supervisor. Certainly, this supervision require a SA’s responsibility.

To extend SA’s problem, I would say that since SA act as the role of a teacher, they have to be well qualified first. But in my memory, there was once I, a friend of mine in WSI, and my study adviser had a conversation like this:
         “what is the meaning of‘turbulence’?”   my friend asked.
         “ohh, it seems familiar, wait a minute, I will just go and look up the dictionary.” He answered.
         “you needn’t bother, turbulence is an incident we encounter when our plane flowed by air.” My safe seems leading the situation more embarrassed

Go back to our discussion. This incident seem to be common, but to think more, students in lower level such as ‘survival’ and ‘waystage’ are highly rely on their adviser. If this kind of little incidents happen all the time, our students may have been misleading, or become miserable.

However, these problems can be solved as long as WSI’s human resource department hold the threshold of employing study adviser higher. From the angle of students, not hiring students under 17 years old may also be a good way to sift student’s quality as well.

Moreover, Chinese students are always too shy to communicate with native English speaking people. If this issue can’t be solve in advance, students will accumulate this shortage, then their English skill can’t make big progress. After all, complain letters will be sent to CD(center director)’s office. In order to get rid of this problem, not only should the firm modify advanced policy, but also students have to force themselves to be talkative, and have critical thinking.

In addition, FTs should take the pressure above themselves. They are supposed to spend more time on caring new students. With this statement, WSI’s leaders may have the contrary view to me, but accordingly experiences hath shown, some of our FTs are not as responsible as we expected. The first stage, for example, freshmen meet sophisticated students like us is ‘English Corner’. But it seems our English Corners are likely to have little interests and no creativity nowadays than before. This point tell us the importance of employing good FTs, because not every body can be a teacher.

I truly believe after reader read though these drawbacks have the same question, “can these problems be solved?” From my perspective, these issues can be solved easily, because they are essentially not overwhelmingly difficult to solve as we seen it.

By way of conclusion, the problem can be solved by mainly two factors:

Subjectively, students should fix their problem first. Try to be alternative and give away the thought of Chinese learning method. Develop extravert characteristic and talk to ever body whether well known or never before.

Objectively, WSI management level should be sophisticated in human resource, so as to hire good employees, who are well qualified, and full of responsibility. However, for this we should trust them already working a good job on it, in that our teaching system is becoming much better.

All in all, WSI have a good future, in order to dominant English teaching market in the planet, the firm per se should handle those little problems in advance.

For customers’ concern, I hope every student can learn real English in WSI afterwards.

Good Luck for ever one!