Abby is the most patient and passionate English instructor I’ve ever met. Believe me－I’ve been learning English diligently for more than 10 years since junior high. If you missed out the opportunity to celebrate with her on her big birthday last December, you would probably think she is an old, kind, peaceful grandmother type of being who is full of wisdom in every aspect of life, not just in helping people with English. She is indeed full of wisdom, and young and lively as well. She embraces both the classics and newly trends, which makes learning itself full of reflections of the past, inspirations for the future and surprises at the moment. Her experience and expertise in English and language learning give her a pair of keen eyes that can right spot on problems that couldn’t be otherwise figured out by myself. Meanwhile, she is modest and no harsh at all, and these qualities of her make learning with her a breeze. Meeting her is a life-changing experience for me! I should have come here and join the program earlier.

Did you hesitate before joining us?

Yes, I hesitated a bit when the door was not yet open to the public. At that time, all I had for a taste of this membership was a succinct description about how it works and Abby’s Facebook page, where she explains and realizes her philosophy: Teaching and learning in an organic way. I signed up for newsletters and simultaneously put myself on the waiting list. This way I received a free pamphlet on Abby’s suggestions about how to overcome obstacles in learning English. After weeks of reading her posts on Facebook page, waiting and pondering, I soon realized I was making it a right place to ask for help in learning and it was not a decision made in the heat of the moment. The day it opened to the public (and as far as I know it was a limited-time offer), I hesitated no more and instantly joined the membership for a year.

Describe how you used to learn English before joining us & how have things changed since then

I felt like my journey in learning English once stopped and stuck on the day I was back to Taiwan after spending two years studying in a graduate program in the US. I stopped there not because I was lazy or fed up with English. Totally opposite! I got stuck because I was so passionate about English that I’ve tried so many ways to learn it but nothing seemed to work out very well. I couldn’t find a way of learning English that could possibly fit my tight schedule and my interest. To give you an example: I’ve attended two or three writing classes hosted by the university, each of them were at least 12-week long, all were specifically designed for taking TOEFL and GRE exams. I could have joining other writing classes but there wasn’t much left for intermediate-to-advanced learners who were interested in writing, purely. I always found myself losing motivations after working on topics and subjects that were neither appealing nor relevant to my life. I managed to complete the courses but I felt totally frustrated afterwards. Worst of all, I was always among the oldest students in class. And I always had trouble answering the questions that always got asked on the first day of the class: Why are you here? What is your major (I hope there is a major called marriage or parenthood)? What scores you hope to achieve after attending this writing class? I was definitely surrounded by a group of passionate learners who were willing to spend extra hour in improving English but we barely talked before, during and after class. Everyone seemed to be in a rush for something else. Everyone had a tight schedule. We just rushed into the classroom with a nod or a smile to others, and rushed out of it with a good-bye and good night.

What is it like to learn in this online community and how is this experience different from classes you’ve attended before?

I was once skeptical about joining and learning in an online community because all the online things sound unreal to me. I was once wondering: Will I be heard? How could I possibly get helped by someone who I’ve never met or talked to in person? Could Abby get a whole picture of my needs in English in distance? As to the community things, I once doubted what if no one out there is interested in things that I am passionate about? Will the conversations there be shallow, like those with strangers I met in a cocktail party? Could there be sparkles of friendship at all? It turns out that everything is way better and beyond my expectation. I can hardly remember the doubts that I once had if I am not writing here and thinking in a retrospective way. Most important of all, and probably the best in my case, I can learn and share and explore English anytime and anywhere as long as I have an internet connection. It gives me a lot of flexibility and help me keep my learning alive. Abby manages to make the program run really well in every device. I hardly met any technical issues; if any, it’s rather minor and Abby fixes it in a speed of light. The online setting also give me space and time to contemplate on things that matter to me and I am not pushed to make responses if I am not ready. I am learning on my own pace, I am involving in a lively community, I make progress that I can see, and I enjoy learning with our members and Abby so much!

What would you say are the big benefits of joining this membership?

So far in the community, I really enjoy both working on my own projects of interest and being involved in the lively discussion with other members. It wasn’t easy to talk as freely in English as we do in our mother tongue at first. But it’s getting better little by little with every endeavor I put in each of the posts that I share in this community. What Abby says is totally right: The most effective and efficient way of learning is organic. We learn as we go. A neurology term just manifest the spirit of learning a language: We either use it or lose it. Of course, all of this can’t be achieved merely by opening up an online group, randomly casting some thoughts and everything would automatically grow by itself. It’s not possible without a quality supervisor who work as diligently as you are. It is eye-opening to witness how Abby manages to give individual attention and tailored-made suggests while keeping the vibe of the community that gets people closer to each other! One of the big benefits of joining this community is that I become an active learner rather than a passive receiver of more learning materials. Thanks to the members and Abby’s recommendation, I now feel better at using technologies to help me with learning English and so many other learning in my life. I’ve learned a better way to organize my notes and pieces of information, and thus I work more efficiently and in a smarter way. I enjoy exploring the world of Audio books and E-books so much. How can I miss out the gem for so long? I feel like my learning has been deeply rooted in this membership program and it’s been taken good care of. It’s now trying to extend its growing branches and to reach out the world the best I can.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Abby helps me retrieve many of my long lost or forgotten passions in life. And, to my surprise, such retrieval comes in a natural, smooth and sweet way. Through discussion with other members who coincidentally share the same interest, it encourages me to try my best to use my limited ways of expression to convey the big ideas and passions in life. This membership is entitled to call itself an English learning plus a life coaching program 🙂