Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. homeschooling
    • ex. As a mother, I think homeschooling is the best for my daughter.
  2. enrollment
    • ex. There is an increase in enrollment in the public school this year. A lot of private school students transferred to the public school.
  3. varied
    • ex. She has varied interests, including arts, science, and sports.
  4. motivation
    • ex. She works very hard. Her source of motivation is her family.
  5. hopeful
    • ex. The family is experiencing difficulties, but they are hopeful that things will be better.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Since the pandemic started, around 50,000 students are still missing from US schools. The information is from a study done by the Associated Press (AP). AP studied public, private, and homeschooling enrollment information as of fall 2022.

There are varied reasons why students left schools during the pandemic. Some students lost motivation or had problems with their mental health. Others weren’t doing well in online schools. According to the study, the number of missing students has decreased compared to 2021. There were over 230,000 students missing at that time. Many students slowly returned to some kind of education, while others had already become adults. The decrease in missing students is a hopeful sign that the education system is improving.

However, it is not yet the same as before the pandemic. The study also shows that more Americans choose other kinds of schools over public schools. According to enrollment information, homeschooling increased by more than 25% and private school education by about 8%. The number of students studying in public schools decreased by more than one million.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Education

  • Do you think homeschooling is a good option for children’s education? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Many American students have left school since the pandemic. One reason is that they weren’t doing well in online schools. Why do you think this happened? Discuss.
  • In the U.S., many students have lost motivation to study. What do you think schools and parents can do to increase children’s motivation? Discuss.

Motivation

  • What’s your motivation to study or work hard? Discuss.
  • Some students lost motivation to go to school. Why do you think they lost motivation? Discuss.
  • Why do you think motivation is important? Discuss.