Experience of Learning English - Essay Example

Outline I. One of my uncles was a well known businessman who had dealings with people from all over the world. As achild, I often heard him interact with them in a different language and at one time, I gained the courage to ask him what language it was. That was the first time that I encountered the word English and I became fascinated with it. My uncle told me that English, like Arabic, was an international language which was used to communicate with people all over the world, no matter their nationality. In America, I met a great teacher who would not only teach me the English language but also make it possible for me to gain some proficiency in it. II. My two friends, Abdullah and Mustafa, and I started taking English classes with Irving Penzo, a renowned English teacher. From the beginning of our classes, we all loved the company if Irving Irving was a very experienced English teacher having taught the subject for over thirty seven years we from the Middle East were pleasantly surprised to discover that Irving could speak Arabic III. Irving realised my problem with English idioms To counter this flaw, he encouraged me to speak correct English through explaining concepts to me both in English but also in my native language. He influenced my drive to become proficient in the English language IV. Conclusion - Through Irving’s influence, I worked with a group of students from a wide ethnic background I volunteered and took part in several extra curriculum activities to acquire practical experiences My new confidence in myself has enabled me to think of a greater role for myself in future I was born and raised in a Middle Eastern country where my first language was Arabic and all of my interactions were conducted in that language. one of my uncles was a well known businessman who had dealings with people from all over the world. As a child, I often heard him interact with them in a different language and at one time, I gained the courage to ask him what language it was. That was the first time that I encountered the word English and I became fascinated with it. My uncle told me that English, like Arabic, was an international language which was used to communicate with people all over the world, no matter their nationality. However, in my country, there was little opportunity of learning this language because the medium of teaching in school was mainly in Arabic. Despite this, I resolved that there would come a time when I would learn English and be able to communicate with people from other cultures. My opportunity came when my application to Middle Tennessee State University was accepted and became the turning point because my desire to learn English came to be satisfied. In America, I met an individual who would not only teach me the English language but also make it possible for me to gain some proficiency in it. My two friends, Abdullah and Mustafa, and I started taking English classes with Irving Penzo, a renowned English teacher who helped the three of us excel in the language. from the beginning of our classes, we all took to him because he was not only jovial, but also a man who was dedicated to the welfare of all of his students. Irving, as he insisted we call him rather than the more formal Mr Penzo, was a man in his early sixties with graying hair. He was a very experienced English teacher having taught the subject for over thirty seven years; a feat that many teachers of my acquaintance in my home country had not achieved. Irving, from the very beginning, insisted on making sure that all of his students understood what he had taught before moving on to another topic and this helped us, at a personal level, to ensure that we were able to develop our English speech skills. Furthermore, we from the Middle East were pleasantly surprised to discover that Irving could speak Arabic, having spent considerable time in that region during his youth. Because of his knowledge in my native language, I was able to learn English at a much swifter manner than my other classmated from other countries. However, it was quite difficult for me to learn using English idioms because it was extremely difficult to translate Arabic idioms to English. In some instances, when I attempted to make a joke in English, I would be misunderstood because I oftem used Arabic idioms. In this way, while the joke may be funny in Arabic, those who Arabic was not their first language did not get it and this tended to be extremely frustrating for me. Irving realised my problem with English idioms because I often made direct translation from Arabic to English without considering the differences in meaning that may arise. To counter this flaw, he encouraged me to speak correct English through explaining concepts to me both in English but also in my native language. This method of teaching helped me practice and develop my English speech skills and made it possible for me to not only see the language as being simple, but also allowed me to gain confidence in speaking the language to native speakers. In addition, during my drive to become proficient in the English language, I was influenced significantly by Irving who turned out to be a most excellent teacher. I was impressed by his eloquence and wealth of knowledge in the language as well as the manner through which he was able to explain concepts to me in a manner that I could relate to circumstances in my own country. It is because he realised my determination to learn the language that he took the unusual step of making me his assistant as a means of ensuring that I could better polish my language skills. He did this with the intention of encouraging me to study the language because as a teaching assistant, I had to get all the concepts of the topics that would be discussed in class so that I could field and answer most questions during class. Through my experiences with him, I not only gained invaluable experience in research as well as reading but also sharpened my leadership skills considerably since I served in directing some of the classes when Irwing was not available or when he wanted us to practice what we had learned. Through Irving’s influence, I worked with a group of students from a wide ethnic background and this experience helped to hone my interpersonal skills and appreciate the diversity of different people and importance of teamwork. Because of his encouragement, I volunteered and took part in several extra curriculum activities to acquire practical experiences that could not be attained in a class setup. One of the greatest benefits that I have personally come to reap from being in Irving’s class is the confidence in my ability to do all the tasks that are assigned to me, most especially those concerned with the principles English not only as a subject but also as a means of communication. This new confidence in myself has enabled me to think of a greater role for myself in future than I had previously considered when I was still a child. It has, indeed, been a privilege to work and share activities and experience in class with Irving because he is an individual who is not only friendly but he has also supported me whenever I have experienced any problems when learning the English language. I am, therefore, thankful for all the support that my English teacher has provided for not only myself but also for my classmated in ensuring that we realise our dreams in learning the language but also in giving us the confidence to interact with others in the society in which we live. Read More