English was not my favorite subject when the first time I was introduced by my English teacher. I was not interested in learning English at all. I seldom studied. I never did the assignment from my teacher instead of my friend did. When my teacher suggested me learning English, I just nodded my head then skipped it. I thought that English was not important to learn because I had already had language. It was so hard for me to understand. There were so many roles in learning it. It was really complicated. But now I am really interested in learning it. Almost all my time I spend learning English. When I was at junior high school, my English was really poor. I did not know a single word instead of ‘rain’. It was because my English teacher’s favorite word. When he did not attend the class, he always said ‘Sorry, I could not attend the class last week because it was raining cat and dog’. Besides the teacher seldom came, the English subject was really confusing as well. I realized that I should not always rely on my teacher’s explanation but I was an English beginner. Of course I needed much guidance from my teacher. The teacher also needed to pay much attention to his students moreover the stupid student like me.
My difficulty in understanding English affected my desire to learn it. I spent much time sitting down just studying English but it seemed to be useless. It just made me frustrated. It became more and more boring subject. To make it worse, my problem in English continued until I was at senior high school. A year, two years, three years I tried to solve my English problem at senior high school but it could not be solved. It was likely to be same. English was never easy to learn. My English teacher was sometimes angry with me. He tried hard to make me understand but I could not. He wanted me to like studying English but my desire to study English was gone. He asked me to memorize and to do the tasks but I did not. When he was teaching, I just sit on my seat pretending to pay attention to him but actually I did not. I sometimes slept. My teacher often woke me up and said ‘Man, do you still want to study or I force you to get out’.
My English teacher at senior high school was really kind. He never stopped suggesting me learning English and teaching me with various methods until my failure in national examination. The mockery came into my face. ‘Stupid’ that lovely word was always heard in my ears. However, I really thanked to people who said so. It did not make me down. It was really helpful. It encouraged me to learn English. I was really motivated to prove that I was not what they mentioned. My interest to learn English is more and more. My English books are more and more. My English ability was increasing until I could speak to native speakers with little English that I had.
After I knew I did not pass the exam, I directly went to English course. My first English course was at Sungai Durian. Mr. Dedi Miss. Indria taught me English. Then I continued studying in east Java, exactly Kediri-Pare. During my studied at English courses, I thought that almost all my English courses there focused on grammar more than other skills. At VEC Sungai Durian I was introduced with Part of Speech that was known as PANCA VIP. It stands for Pronoun, Adjective, Noun, Conjunction, Adverb, Verb, Interjection, and Preposition. After I knew those words, they taught me tenses and then continued to other English structures else. I liked so much because I thought I did not get those at school. It made me more and more interested in learning English until I went to Java.
In Java, exactly at my English courses there-RHIMA and BEC, it was the same. The teacher focused for the first time on how the students could produce correct sentences before they used them to speak with others. It was incredible the old method could make me be able to understand English and it could attract me to learn it. For some people might say that it was not good teaching our students for the first time with grammar. They would be difficult to understand and they would think that the English was so confusing. However, I did not feel so. Grammar gave me description that English was not so confusing to learn. I think it depends on the students themselves. It was really fantastic for me even it was so difficult for some others to understand. After 10 months I had studied there, I could use my little ability in English to speak with the native speakers at Borobudur. It made me more and more interested in learning English. And the result, now English is not as big problem as it was.
What I can learn from my experience in learning English above are:
1.My first English teacher at junior high school seldom attended the class that made the students accustomed not to study.
2.Lack of interest to learn English that made it hard to understand
3.The methods that the English teachers used were still not good
4.The first failure is
5.If we want, everything will be possible to get
6.And the most important word that if we want to get is never saying die. It means never do you give up.
Thanks for reading
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
English as a whole has at no time ever been my strongest or favorite subject readings. I never feel confident when I am writing essays for English class. I came to this country at the age of seven and have never fully grasped either language in writing or reading. To this day, I cannot see myself as a writer, nor can I see myself being able to fully understand many readings.…
- 517 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Because when I came to the United States at a young age I faced a lot challenges and hardships but I decided to keep going and stay resilient. One of the challenges I faced was learning the English language. At the beginning when I arrived the U.S I did know any single word in English and that was upsetting and sad to me because everybody in my school knew how to speak it. English language has always been a difficult language to learn for me. But, I try to not give up and I am improving in it through my diligence. Nevertheless, I was dedicated to develop my English skills through learning and studying new vocabulary words and tried to use them in my daily life dialogues. My growth mindset was pushing me every single day to learn and face my obstacles. I also liked to read a lot of books which improved my reading skills and correspondingly gave me new words and notions. Despite, sometimes I do not understand the senses of the words while reading it I used a dictionary. I listened to music and read the lyrics of the songs because I have told that this is one of the effective methods to learn a language. On the other hand, I have taken plenty of workshops, programs on how to progress in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. I know learning a language is hard but what it is harder is to not give up and stay focused on my own work. I have failed a lot of times in the past but once I fail I…
- 909 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Motivation to learn is very important thing for everyone to being with before becoming a professional. English is an international language when once enters a new country they must go through the difficult process of learning the language. From Amy tan’s “Mother tongue” it is evident that language has an effect on our lives. “Mother tongue” by Amy tan tell us how the writer can develop her English well even though she lives in the middle of family who speak broken English. All of it starts from her desired and her motivation to learn, make all of things around her become something that can be learned and take a positive side of it. In her essay she described a lot of problem she had faced to learn English. Tan and her mother faced discrimination because of her lack of proper English. People pretend they cannot understand her or would ignore her all together. They did not take her serious even in the instance of a medical issue. She also faced problem in department stores, at bank, and at restaurant people did not give her good service, or even acted as if they did not hear her. Tan teacher want her to change her major like make her interesting another thing, but tan don’t want she want to become an English writer. In all that situation she felt very ashamed. She noticed that people are very disrespectful with her mother. But she never gives up she raised her…
- 657 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
However, halfway through my freshmen year my ENL teacher noticed that the material that she was given to me was too easy because I already knew it. So, they decided to put me into English 9. It was probably one of the worst struggles i’ve had to go through in High school. But I know that they did it for my own good. If it wasn’t for them, I would not know the English I know today. I was able to speak fluent English in 1 year and a half. Life for me has not been so easy. It has been an emotional rollercoaster. However, this has helped me to succeed and it has made me stronger than ever. This has encouraged me to keep pushing myself forward, and has prepared me for a new journey-…
- 553 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
When I first arrived to America, I was not pleased with being in a new country with a new language that I don't know anything about it. At the beginning I struggled at school when I saw a new People with a new culture completely different than what I was expecting. Also, it was very difficult for me to adapt in a new school with everyone around make me making me feel less and stupid because they speak English very well . Even teachers were not very good and help me understand the lesson or at least translate. Teachers were giving me assignment to write and I don't understand what to do. Student in my class were friendless that was making school more difficult.…
- 608 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
In second grade I had a fair level of Spanish reading, but to kill my life I had to learn English, how devastating, it took me two days to learn the ABC’s in English. I understood nothing of written English. My teacher started giving me small lessons on it; I loathed English so much I wanted to give up. In fourth grade, I started to write essays which took me for ever, and I was so deeply embarrassed, because I would get my papers basically all in red of corrections. As time passed I hated books more and more, every time I would have to read I would get…
- 583 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
When I was in Hong Kong, my grades in school were not as high as was expected of me. Also, my attitude towards reading and studying was not as serious and sincere. My parents began to be concerned about my future and looked for an alternate way for me to be successful in school. My mom found different solutions for me; such as tutoring, watching English language dramas, reading novels and doing exercise books. I followed my mom’s plan and schedules for me religiously because I did not want to disappoint my mother. Also, I promised to stay away from my friends in order to reduce times spend hanging out with them. It was a waste of time that could be better used for learning. After following her recipe for learning my English skill improved. However my mom was not pleased enough with my development.…
- 804 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
I still remember how John would teach me few slang words such as "wassup man!" But at the same time, he would warn me to not to use these words with my teachers. Every day after school, John would stay with me for an hour to teach me how to speak like him. He would tell me, "If you can't speak to me, people would make fun of you as they did to me when I first came to this school." I realized the importance of learning this unfamiliar language. I knew that it's important for me to understand the language in order to feel belonging in this new environment. Although I knew few words to communicate, but people would put an effort to understand these words since I couldn’t translate them into clear English and would just ask john instead, "Yo John what this kid tryna say?!" I would try to use the word tryna, even after going home, I would try to find it’s meaning. Not being able to find the definition “tryna”, next day, I asked john and he told me that it means to "Trying to". After a few months, when John was successful in making me hold a regular conversation, My sense of feeling different from my classmates started to go away. I started to feel more accepted in my school. I started to feel that I belong to this new city as I was able to interact with people. Through gaining the skills of speaking in English from John, I was successful in my first approach to get fit into…
- 823 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Then, that summer I started to attend an English course. My mother chose it for me. But that course had just been established; it had only two teachers and five classes. I do not know why she picked up for me, but she said that it was the best course and director of that school is highly educated person. Next, I did some tests and started to attend that teacher’s class. Although he was director of that school, he was very open-minded person and he was giving us many advices about how to learn English. His lessons were very easy to understand and increased my interest in English. When I finished that course, I was happy choosing that course because by studying there, I learned lot of things. Sometimes I see my notes which I wrote down when I was taking that course. Then I understand that there are still many things to learn from his lessons.…
- 524 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
I rank top 5 percent of my class. Even though my rank and grades were outstanding I still felt that my English still need it more to improve I still haven’t mastered English. But who has I still believe that even the best writer needs help because no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. Every day I feel is fault for not knowing and learning English sooner but at the same time I am proud of whom I have become.…
- 528 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
I could have easily succumbed into the clutches of despair, loneliness and laziness if I did not put enough effort into quickly learning the native language. Due to my hard work, I was able to enter a specialized middle and high school, both renowned in New York City. From an ELL student to a scholar who appreciates the intricacies of this beautiful language, I would go on to taking many vigorous, challenging English courses and electives. While it may not seem much to many, and not taken for granted, speaking English did not come firsthand for me, and only through hard work and tenacity that I could be proud of where I am at…
- 631 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
I have been living in Boston for 3 years. In the US, I had to speak English as my second languages. So I went to school to take English as Second Language class. Writing, Reading was fine for me because I could use the dictionary to look up meaning of the words. In Note-Taking class was a nightmare for me, my listening skill is quiet bad, I couldn’t get the word from the speaker, I couldn’t use the dictionary on this. So taking-note was really hard for me. I really scared the test in class because I had to listen to the people speaking from the radio to take the note, people spoke really fast. I tried my best on the test but didn’t finish it well. Finally, I got an “F” on it. I was sad because it was unfair. I was a new student and English wasn’t my main language, the professor did not give me any chance to take it again. I was tressed out on Note-Taking until the en of the semester.…
- 552 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
I have to admit that english can become a challenge for me sometimes. I am always trying to push myself though. I have done good in english before, and I think that I can do good in english in the future. I just have to work harder than what I would in math for example. I can get caught up in the work that english requires sometimes. The assignments are very different from other classes and it is not something that I can just complete in 30 minutes. With all the work, sometimes I can procrastinate because it seems like a lot. Once I start on my assignments, I find that they aren’t as bad as they seem to be. I also think that I need to improve my grammar and participation. Participation is a problem for me in all my classes, but in the past english has always had the most discussions and assignments that require me to participate more. I am going to try to participate more in class next year, which will hopefully benefit me in all my classes, but I’d like to start with english first. Grammar isn’t really a huge problem for me, all I need to do is just practice a little more. I am hoping that I can overcome these weaknesses in the future, preferably next year in class, and improve my english skills…
- 506 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Despite my efforts to trying to learn English over the short summer break, I barely could speak anything. By the first day of school, I only knew how to introduce myself with verses I had memorized. I was very anxious because I was so new. I felt as if everyone were staring at me because of my complexion and more stressed by the fact that I didn’t understand anything people were saying. And the food; it was so different. I was like a newborn baby, learning everything over again.…
- 504 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
My feelings about the English language, including both grammar and literature, have changed several times throughout my life. These changes took place as I was influenced by my family and by the different teachers that I have had throughout my academic career. As a young boy, I knew very little about the English language, but the instruction which I have received throughout my academic career has worked to shape my feelings about the English language.…
- 3292 Words
- 14 Pages
Good Essays