Consistency is Key

With language learning, fluency is always the goal, right? We hope that one day we’ll just wake up and realize “¡Que padre! ¡Hablo español con fluidez!” like a mysterious, locked treasure chest of language fluency suddenly opens and everything makes sense.Unfortunately, that’s not quite how it works. Fluency is achieved over time and unless you use it you may end up losing it. Even our most fluent students, teachers and team members at Na’atik Language and Culture Institute are still learning. Here we aim for progress instead of fluency.Consistency is key to achieving progress. That progress then gives you the motivation to be consistent which in turn means more progress!The initial excitement of something new often isn’t enough to make it a consistent habit. It’s easy to miss a day, which can turn into a week or month, and then you lose your momentum. But let us ask you this…how many days did you miss when you were learning your first language?Now we know that learning a second, third or fourth language isn’t the same as learning when you’re a baby, and as we get older there are more and more distractions. But as many of us face new changes in the age of Covid-19 (going back to school, venturing back into the office, and confronting this new normal), don’t forget your new habits and language skills. Integrate them into your new routines and be realistic about the time you can dedicate to them so you can be sure to keep some daily or weekly consistency.  The reward of consistency is always that it will give you the much-needed motivation to keep going, and that’s why consistency will help you succeed in achieving your language learning goals.

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The best way to experience the Mexican lifestyle is in person, with a Na’atik Immersion experience. Not only do you live with a local Mexican-Maya family, sharing home-cooked meals and free time, but also receive expert instruction in your chosen language at our school. Best of all, every immersion experience helps fund our subsidized and free local education program, helping local students to access opportunities and make their own futures.