I have been meaning to to keep a diary recently. Unfortunately, I am always interrupted by this or that, or I lack motivation which I don't want to admit. Haha

This is my first diary entry. What should I write for this significant moment? Since I've decided to write in English, Why not express my opinions on the status quo of English education in China.

At present, all I can see is that English is particularly attractive to students, specifically, students' parents.

If you ask me, I agree that learning English certainly will help you expose yourself more to the world.

But I disagree in thinking that learning English as the only path to success, a notion I’m pretty sure many have.

At this point, you might be asking “Well if you’re such an expert, what do YOU think is the essence of learning English?”I would say you need to recognize WHY you’re learning English.

As for me, I have three main reasons for learning English.

1. I like coding. I am not a programmer, but I like coding because I can develop my logic and patience. When I started many years ago, the docs in Python or Java intimidated me so much. Later on, I gradually got the hang of coding in English.

2. My wife is a foreigner, and we should communicate in English and speak to our child in English in the future. Our English philosophy for our kid is speaking English at home and speaking Chinese at school.

3. Last but not least, I want to discover the world as much as I can. I feel at ease when I watch youtube; I feel updated to the world when I browse the news; I feel close to locals when I travel around the world. I can only do this by improving my English.

Ok with this in mind,I have made spoken English my top priority, second will be my listening. Next, reading and writing. I don't need a 9 in IELTS, nor do I need a 120 on the TOEFL to prove my English abilities. I think being able to apply practical English into my daily life is the true marker of success. 

We can discuss different approaches to learning English later but first, make sure that you are not learning English blindly because time is limited, keep in mind effectiveness and efficiency are the most important things.