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Message board > Where did you learn English? Thanks for responding
Where did you learn English? Thanks for responding
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GIOVANNI
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I am originally from Italy and my parents immigranted to Canada when I was five years old. It was such a cultural shock for me because I couldn �t understand anything, and moving from a small village to a huge city was an adventure in itself. A couple of months later when I turned six I started kindergarden and again another shock because I couldn �t understand my classmates. Fortunately, I had a teacher who spoke a little Italian and she helped me out with my English. I still remember her kindness. I was raised in Toronto and did my schooling there. Like some of the others, I met someone and moved to Quebec, where many of the people speak French. Again another shock from moving from a big city to a small city and leaving my family and friends behind. Now it was time to learn another language, French. I have been living in Quebec now for many years and would not think of moving to a big city again. I love the peace and quiet that a smaller city has to offer. I would agree with Linda, that even if a person is a native you still have to learn English in order to teach it well. Through my years of teaching I have learned many things about the English language and I �m still learning. It never stops, there is always something new to learn. |
7 Jun 2011
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mmbermejo
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After reading all your comments, I have no words. I could see you have spoken with your hearts and I hope to do it, too.
Well, when I started listened to Beatles songs I fell in love with these sounds. I changed magazines with my friends to get the lyrics. We didn�t have much money, so it was very difficult. I learnt the lyrics by heart and it helped me to study English. I always liked to communicate with people from different countries, and this language help me a lot to do it.
Thank you for your messages I enjoy a lot with them.
See you! |
7 Jun 2011
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MarionG
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I grew up in Holland so my mother tongue is Dutch. In my time (loooong time ago) we started studying English only in highschool, together with French and German. The only thing I remember about it is a silly word joke (I need two second class tickets for the 13.58 train to the Dutch royal palace called �het Loo � which became "I need two two-s for the two to two to the Loo") and the song �Streets of London". I obviously did learn somehow because by the time I finished high school and went to Law school, most of my classes were in English and I even wrote my thesis in English. Now I feel really bad I do not remember anything else about my English lessons at school, not even my teacher �s name...... maybe it was Korsakov? |
7 Jun 2011
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pilarmham
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I particularly remember one teacher who made me fall for English after many years studying French. He was simply in love with life and with communication: he used to say that learning a new language was like knocking down a wall in front of you which was preventing you from moving on. He was very strict, let me tell you that, but (here �s a little secret...) I now know that he sometimes made mistakes ...(I keep all my papers from his classes!!). He knew several other languages and had such an unusual ability to transmit his love for them, such enthousiasm...
After a couple of years in his class, this American boy came along... |
8 Jun 2011
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MapleLeaf
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I �ve been learning English for a long time and it �s always something new. First it was learning only by reading Grammar and Literature. It was interesting, especially to translate from English into Russian. Then it was a new stage, a colloquial English -- here was a lot of movies, conversations with people involved. And I must say, it was quite challenging in the beginning because I wanted to talk instead of listening :). Now, I developed listening skills and only want to listen and listen. I just ask people questions and enjoy their stories. But with lot �s of listening i �m missing my time for reading. So, trying to get that harmony -- reading, listening and writing which is probably will be the next ;) |
8 Jun 2011
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kinho
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Wow!! I�m surprised with all these stories!! People I thought were natives in fact were from other countries and had to learn like us... Well, I realised I wanted to learn English watching old movies(most part of the time musicals) which passed on my TV every afternoon, we called it "Sess�o da Tarde", in my language. I loved watching all those fantastic actors and actresses of Hollywood!! I loved the sound of English language,it was so beautiful for me that I wanted to learn it. At school, we had poor lessons and we couldn�t achieve success, but then some teachers came to my class to present a new course which was coming to my town and I asked my mother if I could take this course. She couldn�t afford it , but she made all her best to make it happen and then I started learning it... Later, one of my teachers, who was one of the owners invited me to teach there. I started my college at the same time and the course I chose was Portuguese-English Language. I worked at this course for about 18 years!!! There I must say I had to improve more and more!!! All I learn of English language today I thank to the classes I had to prepare, study and research. And I�m still learning (hope not to stop)!!! I do want to learn Italian, Germany and French, among Greek, Russian,and.............Big Hug for u all..................... |
8 Jun 2011
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lovely child
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Sounds interesting to share such amazing stories. Here in Tunisia we study French besides Arabic (mother lang) since the primary school. So I started discovering English at the age of 15, in the secondary school. I really loved it from the beginning and I was always excited to attend the Eng lesson. it was a great feeling to speak and learn that �new foreign � lang.So I started listening to English songs sometimes with lyrics and sometimes I spent days trying to write the words myself with the help of a dictionary. It was a hard work  But I had never thought that one day I �ll be an English Teacher!!! because I was also interested in scientific subjects, esp Maths. So I had to choose??? Studying languages (in our system) was related to studying other subjects like history, geog, philosophy..., which I find boring . So I continued in Maths and got my A level in it. When it came to going to University, then I decided to study Eng. I spent four successful years to become finally an English Teacher!!! Then I had a training in England and many training sessions in Tunisia. And here i am enjoying my job  How beautiful are childhood memories! |
8 Jun 2011
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valentinaper
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Hi, everyone! Such lovely stories shared by all! Mine is a story of music and romance... At first, let me say that it �s usual for Greeks to start learning a foreign language at an early age, so I, too, started at the age of 8. I took to the language and even kept a journal in English! But then...I was sixteen when I saw Iron Maiden in concert for the first time, and I immediately fell in love with Bruce Dickinson �s accent! Right then and there, I decided I loved the language so much that I wanted to get a deeper look into it. So, after high school I went to University to become a teacher and study Linguistics. I �ve been teaching for almost ten years now, and I keep finding out fascinating things about English every day!!! |
8 Jun 2011
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Mallerenga
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Well... my story with English is, in fact, my father �s story. He was a businessman and he worked all around the world but he didn �t know a word in English. He had to use a translator in all his conversations and when I was young (I can �t remember how old I was) he decided I had to learn the language. So, I went to private lessons with a girl who had been living in England for a while.
I think that it �s quite easy for me to learn new languages (after that I learned French and Italian) but if it hadn �t been for the nice teachers I �ve had at the different schools I �ve gone, I wouldn �t be an English teacher now.
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8 Jun 2011
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