CHAPTER 2
The Problem with Schools
My teaching experiences in different parts of the world convinced me
that something is wrong with English education. Everywhere I went, it was
the same situation. The students were bored, frustrated, stressed, and
nervous. Most students, even after years of studying English, failed to speak
the language fluently. You are not alone, because it’s a global problem.
One of my students, Seiko from Japan, described this combination of
failure and stress as “English trauma.” Seiko said that she hated English.
She felt that learning English was boring and stressful and speaking English
was even worse. In fact, the thought of speaking to a native speaker
immediately made Seiko feel extremely nervous and shy. Seiko felt she had
developed a psychological problem with English and had named it “English
trauma.” A “trauma” is a deep wound or injury. “How sad,” I thought to
myself, “that so many people now think of English as a kind of injury or
mental disease.”
Throughout my teaching career I’ve met many students who had similar
feelings about English. I discovered that Seiko was not alone. Rather,
“English trauma” is a global epidemic. Though most people feel they must
learn to speak English, very few seem to enjoy it. Most who learn the
language struggle with the same feelings of nervousness and frustration that
Seiko had.
As I encountered this problem more and more, I began to look for the
root causes. I realized that before I found a solution, I needed to understand
the problem. Just as a doctor must first diagnose a disease before treating it.
Think about it. What is the cause of all this misery and failure? Why do so
