There are no formulas in education

I usually find myself looking for formulas or easy ways to solve these little problems we come across in life, such as a way to fix something on my smartphone that is not working properly or how to use a specific tool to make my job easier. In this regard, the internet has helped us a lot providing the kind of information we need and the solution for our problems in a few seconds. And that’s great! It saves a lot of time in our busy routines and sometimes we can save money too.

Besides the solutions for these little problems, we can find formulas for almost anything: how to lose weight, how to start or end a relationship, or how to improve your brain. It seems we are all looking for clues or tips on how to deal with our problems so that we can actually solve them. In the field of education, it is not different. It is easy to find a formula on how to finally learn English, or how to speak English like a native speaker, or, if you are a teacher, how to engage students, or how to make them learn effectively.

And though tips are always helpful, we must be careful with formulas and secrets that promise to solve all problems and help everyone. There are lots of methodologies, approaches and tips we use in our jobs and they can work for a lot of people, but they are never going to work for everyone. And maybe that is the coolest part about education: we are dealing with people, so it’s never predictable. They are never going to react the same way. And that makes our jobs more interesting since we are always thinking about the process. We are always learning with our mistakes. We are all humans! Thank goodness there are no formulas in education!

Nathália Horvath

Bacharela e licenciada em Letras (Inglês-Português) pela Universidade de São Paulo e mestra em Estudos Linguísticos e Literários em Inglês pela mesma universidade. Editora de livros didáticos na Richmond. Desenvolvedora de conteúdo didático e professora de Inglês.