My student watches the news every day. He's still not fluent in English (here's why)

My student watches the news every day. He's still not fluent.

Yesterday, one of my students told me something that a lot of English learners believe.

He said he watches the news every day to improve his English.

He also told me he's learned a lot of grammar. But he still can't communicate fluently.

I told him to stop watching the news.

Here's why.

Reason one: the news is negative.

There's so much negativity in the news. Something bad is always happening. When you watch it every day, you start to feel scared, nervous, and anxious. You start to believe the world is a bad place.

But that's not true. The world is beautiful. There are so many good things happening around us. The news just doesn't show you that.

And this negativity affects your daily life. It programs your thinking. When you wake up and check the news first thing, you're starting your day with negativity.

When you cut the news out of your life, things change. You can still know what's happening in the world. But you focus on your own life, the things you can actually control.

Reason two: the news isn't practical.

English is about practicality. When you learn something, you have to use it.

Political words and news vocabulary aren't things you use in daily conversation. They're not phrases you'll use when you go outside and talk to people.

Instead, learn with material that connects to your life.

If you like soccer, watch lessons about soccer. If you're interested in money and finance, watch lessons about that. If health matters to you, watch health-related lessons.

When you learn this way, and you actually use what you learn, you won't forget it. Your vocabulary grows. Your confidence grows. You become more fluent.

Because if you don't use it, you lose it.

And yeah, stop watching the news.