Of Apologies and Quotes

Yes. I am no longer part of Rachell Allen Reviewers, USA for reasons that, because of ethics, I’d rather not divulge in this oh-so-public blog. I do have ethics, you know, despite my freakishly blunt blog and my ability to say “vagina” without flinching.
My leaving was a quick but painful process. There were no tears, but there were certainly heavy hearts – not because I was leaving, but because I was attempting to, I reckon. I wanted a proper good bye, but circumstances had other ideas. Again, explaining this is not something my blog is for.

I know I owe the people who’ve become my friends an apology for upping and leaving without telling them. You see, I do not like drama, my coping mechanism screws up upon thoughts of tears and sugary words (I’m sure they’ll be sugary, my colleagues are rather sweet), but they do deserve to know that I wouldn’t be around anymore. At least, not as an employee. So to everyone who’ve been my friend, and who’ve treated me as a friend, I am sorry. I wish I can record my voice so that you don’t imagine Gloria Arroyo’s tone along with these words, because I am sincere.

More than the companies I’ve been with and more than the colleagues I’ve had, the people who’ve made my teaching career fruitful will always be my students. They’ve made me laugh more than I should, made me study more than I want to, and made me work hard on being a better teacher, something any empty promise, training, or threat could hope to achieve.

So for my students, here is some IELTS stuff and real-life stuff to remember. Take it to heart, because I may never have the opportunity to say these things again.

1. In communicating, remember your aim: to express and not to impress.

2. You will not master anything by just sitting on your armchairs and taking down notes while the lecturer incessantly blabs about the topic.

3. So what if you know the difference between gerunds and participial phrases? Concepts are useless if not practiced.

4. Writing is frustrating. Writing is demanding. “Writing will ask you why your handwriting is like chicken scratch?” “Why you’re saying the same thing again and again?” “Can’t you say things in different ways? You are soooo boring!” To be an effective writer means you have to be a disciplined writer. No room for laziness.

5. Monotony is codswallop.

6. At the end of the day, it’ll be up to you. Your success or failure depends on you, 90% of the time. Your lecturers and coaches will only provide 10% of what you need to succeed, but it is up to you to work your bullocks of if you seriously want to achieve your goal. Remember: YOU need this exam; your lecturers, coaches, and review center DON’T.

7. Regardless of whether you pass or you fail, and regardless of which review center you enroll to, your lecturers and coaches WILL get paid. Make the most out of your review program.

And lastly, just so we’re all clear: I RESIGNED.