Woke up this morning, stepped into my patio, noticed a slight chill in the air and realized that it was September 1st. People all around the country are waking up with a different chill in their bones as they realize it's Monday and their holidays are over. Cities around the country are beginning to refill and villages empty, as Spaniards make their yearly migration back to urban areas. The newspapers will be filled with tragic news items regarding the absurd amount of people who lost their lives on the roads this weekend and yearly articles about post-vacation syndrome will be trotted out, slightly edited to match the times. Lamp posts and public phone booths will be covered with ads asking for roommates and back-to-school ads dominate.

Language schools with evocative names like Oxford-this and Cambridge-that around the country are also warming up, putting millions of flyers under windshield wipers, each one promising that their school makes learning English just that much easier. Would you like to learn English quickly, efficiently, without effort and with perfect pronunciation? Each academy promising that with their exclusive method, you'll be waxing eloquently in the Queen's English in no time at all...12 months...9 months...even 3!

Worried about your child's English? No problem, we take children as young as 18 months so that they will "coger oido", get an ear for it early! Drop off your toddler with us for two one-hour sessions a week and watch with amazement as they enjoy the Disney Channel in English! All for under a 100 euros a month!

Not to be outdone, print and TV media shower people with equally absurd claims. Learn English while showering, 600 words is all you need, put our book under your pillow and in the morning....viola! Dr. Kravinsky's fool-proof method of watching porno with English subtitles is just the one for you!

With all of these fool proof methods around, can you believe a teacher actually telling learners that learning a language is hardwork, a long and winding road that might last years? Telling them that unfortunately there is no magic pill and that yes, revision and homework are necessary to consolidate vocabulary learnt.

Maybe that's why I'm broke and the snake oil salesmen's classes are bursting at the seams?

Originally taken from www.troyshouse.blogspot.com