Is it ever too late to start?

[Willie]

With a growing number of International students and foreign exchange students, some people wonder if they are proficient or not with regards to writing, speaking, listening and reading on any level.

As a student (yes, sadly) whom IS proficient in English, I was wondering is it ever too late to "start" teaching or helping these students with regards to speaking and possibly reading in relation to the course I am studying at uni just to gain some experience.

The only thing that I am afraid of is teaching them content and explaining the HOW's and WHY's of English.

What are your thoughts?

[Niko]

Is it ever too late to start learning? Simply NO. However, we all know that the younger you are, the faster you learn.

There are many older students learning a language, and they do it not primarily to improve their fluency, but for a chance to nourish their brain, meet other students, and get out of the house. I have taught seniors before, and over the course of 1 year, I see little improvement in their language, however one thing is evident - they enjoy their classes very much, and try hard in assigned activities. These seniors come to class for the challenge.

[kdavid]

I agree with Niko. If it's never too late to start learning, it's never too late to start teaching.

I've also found that older students tend to take a little longer for things to click, however I believe that with proper motivation and self-discipline older students can actually learn faster than younger learners.

Unfortunately, many older students have lost that "spark" or thirst for knowledge and learning that children have.