Making Good Use of Your "Down Time"
On the subway train, we always see people on their cell phone. Everywhere you look, people are staring at their cell phone. What are they looking at? Facebook, videos, games? What are they doing?
Do they know that they could be looking at videos that would help them learn English. Their five to ten minute subway ride could easily become a learning opportunity.
Are you efficient with your time? Or do you waste a lot of time?
We, adults, are busy. Some of us have children who go to school in the morning and have to be picked up afterwards. Some of us have jobs, sometimes two jobs. So we ask, "When will we get a chance to study English?" It is not easy devoting every evening to a 3-hour a night English class. Sometimes, it is just not possible. When you are thinking about your children at home, how will you be able to focus in class for three long hours? Learning requires concentration. That's why a lot of immigrants choose to work instead of spending time in a classroom. I have known people who have been in this country for at least ten years and never once went to school to study English. This is the immigrant life. Sometimes the choices are difficult.
In We Speak America, we are creating a platform for you to learn on your "down time". What does that mean? When you are on the train, you can watch our 3-minute videos instead of playing games on your cell phone. You can read our short blogs. You can watch We Speak Stories and see how much you understand. You can make your short travel trip productive.
If you do this regularly, you will make your subway waiting time worthwhile.
- Mr. Bino
READING WITH UNDERSTANDING
Reflection: Think about the last time you took public transportation--a bus, a subway train, taxi. Did you find yourself looking at your cell phone? What were you doing? Think about that time. Try to explain what you were doing in English.