When you’re studying a language, it’s not unusual to lose sight of who’s responsible for your success. This is especially true when you’re attending a language learning class, where the instructor is easy fodder for blaming when things don’t go your way.
I’ve known people who have taken language lessons for years, yet continue to have little to show for it. When asked about why their advancement seems slow, they pass off the blame elsewhere, pointing at their incompetent teacher, the poor quality of their language learning software or the lack of opportunities to practice speaking.
Why It’s Wrong
Allowing someone or something else to be responsible to your success is a bad idea. Why? Because it’s irrelevant.
Say you were training ten new employees in the office and two of them just don’t get it. When asked what was the problem, they put the blame at you, saying you didn’t have enough teaching skills to be able to properly impart the skill to them. Is it really your fault?
Truth is, they had more to lose not understanding the lessons compared to you. As such, the pressure was on them to adapt and figure out what you were teaching. If they didn’t take the initiative to ask you or put in extra study time, it’s their loss.
Taking Responsibility
At the end of the day, you are the only one responsible for your success. Everyone and everything else are there to help you succeed (and a good teacher may be such a blessing), but actually making it happen all hinges on you.