From F grade in English to an English-based undergraduate program, I achieved it within 6 years.
It is never too late to start. Internet is your 24/7 teacher.
I’m Asian. None of my relatives are good at English. I started learning English late. I experienced failure and was mocked by classmates. There were a lot of barriers on the path. Angry and helpless? Of course, I was. But I successfully overcame them. Now I enroll in a full English program. Everyone can do it.
Started learning English Late
Most of my friends started learning English when they were in kindergarten. What about me? Elementary school was the first place I had a formal English education.
It was not late, to be honest. All students learn A to Z in the first grade. However, it WAS late for me, for I lived in the capital. This is a place where parents care about the international experience. As long as the parents can afford it, the children soak in an English environment before elementary school. They introduced themselves fluently without a trace of an accent. How could I compete with them?
My motivation for learning English: Avril Lavigne and Justin Bieber
Who are the most important existences for teenagers? Excluding friends and families, the answer is definitely celebrities. As an 11-year-old teenager then, I fell in love with Avril Lavigne’s and Justin Bieber’s music.
I was eager to know the latest information. I hated waiting for translation. I wanted to know what they said in the interview and what the lyrics meant. To understand that, I watched the video on YouTube for times. I tried to translate the lyrics. Gradually, I find a connection with English.
By doing so, my progress was seen by the English teacher. I was exempt from the English course in the last year of my elementary school. I was confident. The feeling, however, did not last long. I was about to wake up from the dream.
Failed in English in my first exam in junior high school
It was my first exam in junior high school. The average score was about 80, but my score was below the pass line. I did prepare for it. I did, but I failed. I had never expected this kind of score.
I fell from heaven to the hall, from the top of the class to the bottom of the class.
In the following exams, I was hovering on the edge of passing. English became a nightmare for me. My grade didn’t improve until the last exams (there were six exams within one academic year) in the 7th grade.
I gradually found the learning approach that suits me. It was NOT registering for a cram school.
Crame schools? No. I have never been there.
In Asia, crame school culture is significant. The majority of high school students go there and take academic courses after school. Generally, math and English are the most popular subjects.
We can find the hint from the languages. Cram school is called 学習塾(Gakushu juku) in Japanese, 학원(Hagwon) in Korean, and 補習班(Buxiban) in Chinese. We even can say that the cram school experience is a shared memory by students in Asia. There is always a cram school street in the cities.
When students face problems, they tend to seek assistance from the crame school. I, however, had never registered for cram school courses. I don’t like how they force me to memorize the contents. I have my schedules and learning plans. Besides the textbooks, there is a lot of learning resources available on the internet.
I like music. I enjoy watching talk shows. The words appearing are even closer to life. Why don’t we learn English in a happy way? I read the articles, listened to the music, and mimicked how they spoke. That’s how I created an English environment in Asia for myself.
I was mocked for my accent. Now others are impressed by my accent.
When I was presenting a project in senior high school, I heard laughing from the audience.
I knew it was not because I was humorous. It was because of my accent. They laughed when I said a particular word. I saw them whisper to each other.
That was a heartbroken moment, but I couldn’t cry. I was on the stage, under the spotlight.
After that, I started practicing speaking by talking to myself. I did it when I walked home, when I took shower, when I couldn’t fall asleep.
I won’t say that I have a native accent, but a near-native accent. My classmates in the university told me that they used to think that I was an English native speaker. In fact, I am not.
Internet is the best teacher, interested and always there.
As I said, I developed my way of learning English. That’s another long story. However, there is one thing for sure. The online resources are really helpful.
I love music. I learn English via music. I enjoy watching the videos. I was excited when knowing a new word since I felt that I was closer to my favorite singer.
There are considerable online resources. Explore it. I believe all of you can find the best way of learning.
