Educational 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. Although poor vocabulary was also a challenge, the fear of castigation from other students was prominent despite my interest in learning a new language. 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 impediment. 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 coherent sentences and express themselves fully in written language, although they had little challenges speaking. And then one of the students whispered to me, “maybe you should try sciences. People from your region are successful at that,” a stereotype I vowed to prove wrong.
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. Despite my fears, I learned that friends who had more experience were willing to listen and offer help, positively correct, and encourage me to learn. Although others laughed, especially when I made mistakes, I would also receive positive feedback, which was vital in my mastering English progress.
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 this regard, I committed to purchasing and read at least two grammar books annually to address any challenges in the area. However, I soon discovered knowledge is best attained when practiced. Subsequently, overcoming my shyness and talking to others were vital aspects that I needed to pursue. I soon learned to ask for help, particularly from tutors, whenever I faced challenges in tenses and other grammar aspects. It was frustrating, particularly when I saw other people progressing in the area and having lesser difficulties than me. Patience and lots of practice were crucial aspects that I learned from my experiences. One of the most successful aspects that promoted progress in learning was thinking in the new language.
I discovered I was directly translating words from one language to the next, an aspect that adversely affected my success. Awareness about personal challenges is vital in promoting progress and addressing the identified issues. In my experiences, I discovered I was struggling to translate words in my head after a tutor pointed out the problem in class directly. The issue resulted in additional confusion, where I would take significant time translating words to understand or try to learn them. After the awareness, I attempted avoiding direct translation and committed to thinking in the new language, regardless of the number of words I was comfortable with. The greatest lesson from the challenge is that every language has its voice.
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. From personal experiences, challenges with grammar, thinking in another language, and a negative attitude towards learning was critical. 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.
