Samêt Ibas

Turkey, Spring 2016

Samêt was one of several of my best students on Cambly -- the deplorable English language conversation forum (see Cambly's Gollum Technology) that brings non-native English language speakers together with native English language speakers in order to facilitate a mutually beneficial exchange of real wealth liquidity for acquired knowledge.

What made Samêt exceptional was his singular ambition and sincerity of purpose. He wanted to become a pilot, and the English language was held up to him as a reasonable, but formidable barrier by Turkish Airlines.

Samêt was no novice to his task. He had already failed in his first attempt to overcome this barrier and did not wish to risk failing a second time. How he found me on the Cambly portal I am not at all sure, but find me he did, and I did my best to help him.

So, he directed me to several webpages with well over one hundred interview questions, and together we rehearsed each and every one of them.

This was not the kind of light-hearted, often frivilous, English language conversation for which Cambly was designed, and I could have easily demanded much more than what Cambly paid me in compensation for my side of the effort. This said, I was new to online tutoring, had already established a five-star rating (4.7/5.0) on Cambly, and needed whatever I could get in the moment that I was receiving it. More importantly, Samêt satisfied a very important requirement that makes teaching a rewarding experience that goes beyond real-wealth liquid compensation -- sincerity of purpose and a willingness to learn. In short, we were a good match, and our sessions rocked.

Several months after we parted, and I had already become homeless, I received a correspondence from Samêt thanking me for his wings. At first, I was very happy for him, and then quickly overwhelmed by own situation. The contrast was too much, and I cried briefly. Then, I thought what an inspiration! His gratitude gave me confidence. So, I congratulated him on his success, thanked him for having shared it with me, and returned to work -- regenerated.

Last year, he wrote me again. He is now in the air, a pilot in his own right.