Personal Education Narrative
Sweaty palms, stuttering, and shame were common in my English class. The fear of learning a new language extended to the class setting and was a major impediment to my expected progress. Learning from the beginning and hesitation in speaking also impeded my progress while learning a new language. I had to start with the basics, such as the alphabet, which made me feel stupid. Greetings and everyday phrases were also a challenge that significantly impeded my learning. Although I had significant proficiencies in my native language as a new language, I discovered learning from the beginning, hesitation, poor vocabulary, grammar challenges, thinking in another language, and attitude were major impediments.
Learning English is a challenging aspect, especially for international students. From personal experiences, learning new alphabets and greetings made me feel stupid, especially due to my level of proficiency in my native language. I would describe the experience as learning from scratch. Although I could fluently speak and connect with others, putting my thoughts on paper was a significant obstacle. Observing others in my class gave me some hope and highlighted the primary challenges that English learners go through. I remember seeing my friends hesitate to create sentences and express themselves fully in written language, although they had little challenges speaking.
I was ashamed to make mistakes when speaking, leading to hesitation, and stuttering, despite significant proficiencies in speaking English. Reminiscing on my experiences, I would hesitate to talk to others, owing to the fear of shame. Questions like, “why are you so quiet?” significantly and adversely affected my confidence, resulting in hesitation and stuttering. I would choose to remain quiet, other than speak and embarrass myself in front of peers. However, personal experiences with friends were encouraging and played a vital role in increasing my confidence.
Reading newspapers, blogs, and watching movies helped develop proficiency in English. Although I made considerable effort to increase and expand my vocabulary, speaking the words and relating them with others was not easy. A crucial lesson from my experiences was the need for consistency, despite the numerous setbacks that may occur. I was self-conscious about my grammar, although I later discovered it was not a critical part of learning spoken language. My challenges in the area included talking about my deficiencies with friends and asking for help when necessary.
In conclusion, despite a person’s level of proficiency, learning a new language can be challenging for most individuals. Various issues, such as the need to learn from the beginning, hesitation to speak, and struggling with poor vocabulary, are prominent. Self-motivation is a vital component that increases competency, although learners should be ready to address such challenges with little outside help. Self-awareness and the readiness to ask for help are crucial when learning a new language. In such a case, vital lessons encompass persistence, understanding the self, and developing a precise vision of where the learner wants to be or attain in a provided timeline.
