If I could go back in time to change my learning process of my English Language I would dedicate more time to learn it. Maybe if I knew I would end up choosing TESL as my career I would have devoted my entire life to get ready for it. However, I am sure the lack of language I had was the push I needed to choose this career.
My English learning journey started in Colombia, which is a Latin country. As a Latin country, the main language used is Spanish. Thus, the school taught all the courses in Spanish, except for the English course which obviously was in English.
I do not remember how many hours per week I had
English classes, but probably three to four times a week. To be honest, I do
not remember much of how I was introduced to the English Language, but I know
the school system has the English class as a must class from Kindergarten. I
was born in Lebanon but I went to Colombia when I was six years old, so my
journey there started in first grade.
Concerning my vocabulary acquisition, during elementary years it did not improved much. The teacher focus was in teaching a variety of words by asking the class to memorize them. Off course, I had to memorize the words for the dictations, but I used to forget them instantly. The teacher never tried to link the words to the student’s personal life to make it easier for the student to understand them.
Under those circumstances, to enrich my vocabulary, my mom used to buy me books to read at home. Additionally, I used to play with my sisters and neighbors "The Teachers and The Students" game to practice our language. During this game, my passion for the language was increasing. I wanted to learn more. I wanted to become a fluent English speaker.
Year after year, my English language got better. It was in high school, when teacher used only English to communicate in class. At this stage, I was not a beginner learner anymore. The teacher main goal in this new stage was to help the whole class to use English to communicate. The teacher encouraged student participation by proposing topics of our interest. The teacher used to have always an opposite opinion, which encouraged me to participate. Actually, there was a reason behind this. He knew, as teenagers we would have a standing position and he wanted to motivate us to defend our opinions no matter what. Additionally, the teacher used teaching aids to grab the attention of the whole class. I remember his classes as it was yesterday. His classes were very meaningful. The teacher used to give my classmates and me books to read at home to improve our language. Once each student finished a book, he/she had to discuss it with the class. This technique was very effective, even if I was not a fluent English speaker, the teacher used to compliment me after discussing what the books was about. He used to motivate us to keep learning the language, additionally to the love he was cultivating inside me for the language.
Despite the teachers effort, having English classes one hour three to four times a week was not enough. I only used English during the English class. I did not used it at home, at the park or at the supermarket. I was living in a Latin country I was not supposed to use English in my daily routine. To my disadvantage, my family spoke only Arabic at home. My parent’s main rule was to speak only Arabic because they used to say we could not lose our roots. By then, I did not understand why they made my brothers and I speak only in Arabic, but today I thank my parents for that.
When I turned a teenager, my whole playlist was English songs. My passion for the language was increasing more and more. I used to read the lyrics of the songs and translated them into Spanish to understand the songs. Then, I started buying my own English books to read in my free time.
Once I graduated from high school, I went back to Lebanon to get a Bachelor's degree. I did not even know what career to choose. My dream was to become a psychologist but the university did not had this career. The only university close to my place that had this career was the Lebanese University in Zahle, but my poor Arabic language did not help much. I had to dedicate one or two years to learn Arabic before starting my career to learn the language. After some time, I thought choosing TESL would help me to improve my English language. Wouldn’t an English career improve the language I was so passionate about since my early childhood? I took the decision. I became a TESL student, not to become a teacher, but to learn the language.
I started this career with one purpose in mind, but today everything have changed. My English Language journey had a different taste, with every instructor and every course, my passion for the language increased. Today, after my language had improved a lot, my goal have changed completely. My goal today is to be the teacher I would have liked to have when I was at school. My goal today is to be part of the English Language journey of many students.
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