The non-academic adult comes to his English class with deeply fixed convictions about teaching methods, proper classroom procedures, and what constitutes learning. Often, the less educated the student, the more firm and precise his ideas about education. To fly in the face of these convictions by presenting English using a methodology developed primarily with children and academic adults is to lose the students' attention in the classroom, if not their attendance. If the adult feels that he cannot learn in this way, he will not, in fact, learn. Instead throughout the lessons the means must be found to satisfy the students' pre-conceptions while at the same time satisfying the educational and linguistic requirements of learning a language. However, this means need not be a diluted compromise in either direction. The search for methods to satisfy every requirement equally can lead to better lessons and provide insights useful in other learning situations. (Author)