Teaching Never Fades

One good thing that happened to my life is being a Teacher, not just any teacher but I am proud to say an English Teacher.

Many educators claimed that teaching is the noblest profession of all and I totally agree. It is a profession that never fades as time goes by. A teacher will always a teacher wherever he/she is. There is always somebody calling you "Sir" or "Ma'am". I can say that I had chosen wisely and I am happy with my being a Teacher.

With due respect to my fellow teachers in the academe, I don't know if you will agree with me in this point. I can say that among all the teachers, English Teachers are the most popular. Why is this so? First, there is the unending schedule of programs that the English teacher will be the emcee. Why them? It is because they got good pronunciation and correct grammar. Most often, school heads rely on them to make the program alive. Second, English teachers often serve as editor in any communications and researches , critic in any write ups like announcements, and writer or those who cannot compose what they are trying to write. This demand for the services of the English teacher is not prominent amongst other disciplines.

Nobody became rich as a teacher, the elders would often say. This is correct. The wealth is not more of monetary aspect but of the social one. There is no equivalent amount for the happiness I felt when my students in the past, now a professional will come back and say "Thank You" for helping them shape as what they are at present, successful young professionals. Further, anywhere you go there is always somebody who was your student before to assist you, help you or attend to your needs. Won't you feel secured knowing that your attending doctor who is now a specialist was once your student?

There are so many reasons I could enumerate as to the beauty of being a Teacher but I will see you next issue. Kudos to all teachers in the world.

Learning English the Fun and Inexpensive Way

To achieve a certain level of English language proficiency does not happen overnight. You must really have that zeal and sincere interest to learn English or better still, an addiction or thirst to learn it. Without putting your mind and heart into it, learning will be a very difficult and tedious process. It is like forcing yourself to do something that you don't like. So, you have to be self-motivated to make learning easy and fun.

An enjoyable way to begin is being around native speakers most of the time. This means hanging out with them and conversing with them in their language all the time. It would be great if you can stay in a place frequented by tourists where people don't mind what kind of English you speak or you don' have to be watchful on how to say it. Boracay is an ideal place for this but this is a luxury that only few can enjoy. Alternatives to this are reading books and magazines in English, watching movies in English, surfing the web and chatting with friends in English, and speaking English all the time, may it be in school, office or home. For sure, people will be surprised at first but once they are used to listening to you in English, unconsciously, they too will be speaking to you using the language.

A paradigm shift in how a person views English language is also important in learning. It should not be viewed as something difficult and complicated but rather as something interesting and beneficial to a person. With this positive outlook towards the language, learning becomes effective and fun. This could also be a way automaticity of the language can be developed. Automaticity in the language or thinking English is like thinking in the mother tongue. So, once a person speaks to you in English, the response is automatic in English-- no more translation of the first language to second language happening in your mind while the person you're conversing with wait for a few minutes until you can answer.

So, if you enjoy doing the things mentioned above, start doing it and it would not be long before you, a second language learner becomes proficienct in the English language.

Have fun while learning!

How I Honed my English: From the Author's Experience

There is no standard formula on how to be fluent in English, but there are necessary requirementsto be one, the optimism and the love for the language. Let this be an opportunity to share a personal experience on how the author had slowly honed her skill in L2. This doesn't mean that she is an expert on the subject but rather it is her hope to inspire others to do some of the things she did. Learning is a continuous process so this means unending quest for knowledge especially in terms of English proficiency.

The writer has this attraction to the language as early as in her elementary years. Compared to other disciplines, she spent most of her time trying to mimic her teachers' pronunciation. She loved listening to stories, poems, and essays in English. This love moved her to read and read stories in English, fairy tales, folktales, adventures and many others. She was amazed with the different character in the stories she read. She would even share what she read to her friends. She also developed admiration for her English teachers. She told herself that when she grew up, she will be like them. From elementary to high school, she had exposure of the language through the different English reading materials which she read. Understanding the L2 was still a little difficult but she can follow what the teacher was saying.

When she started college, she could not speak fluently yet but can compose a "good" paragraph. She often would use the words she knew from the things she had read. Majoring in English was a good decision for the opportunity to be exposed to the language was there. Her teachers in the major subjects played a crucial role in the fulfillment of her dream, to be a fluent speaker. She pays tribute the icons of her alma mater in the English Discipline. She could vividly remember the days when they would encourage her and her classmates to argue on some points they are teaching. Looking back, those were the says when the author shed her inhibition in using the language. Those were the days she was optimistic. Those were the times she believed in herself. Not only that, everytime she and her classmates were together, they would speak in English, just to make a difference in the whole campus becaue we were English majors. They were supossed to be the best in the language.

One personal habit which really helped her hone her proficiecny in L2 was the hobby of reading pocketbooks. She was able to read 5 a day to the point of not eating and sleeping. For her, it also paid off. She was able to speak the language when she was teaching for the first time. She had a wide range of vocabulary courtesy of the stories and pocketbooks she read. Teaching English among high school students was not that difficult. I t was fun. She was able to relate well because she saw herself in them.

Since then, reading was a part of routine before going to bed. She read diffirent papers, books, magazines, any reading materials as long as they are in English. She talked with some friends in English regardless of what they think of her. All these things were not wasted, it helped her shape into a better speaker of the English language.

So don't give up. You too can become a good speaker. Keep up the enthusiasm and the love for English. Master it!

Why Learn English

Learning English is the best thing you can do for yourself. Everyday, more and more people, native or non-native, expect you know some English. The language has become the main way to get you around, the main way how you get things done, the way you make friends, the way you do business with a foreign country, and the way to get information from different sources around the world.

The role of English as an international language has become important as time passes by. English has made centuries become boundless. It has become a vital medium for communication. It is important for travel since the common language of tourism is English. It is also the most commonly used language in the exchange of information in the business world. Thus, forging an alliance globally is only made possible through a certain amount of English.

Learning English is one activity where you can be sure you will never be wasting your time. The knowledge can give you access to one of the biggest and brightest bodies of literature that ever exist. Being able to speak the language will put you ahead of others in terms of employment. Improve yourself, build knowledge, and make yourself appealing by being proficient in the English language. Advance your career opportunities by becoming an interesting person.

English will bring you to far away places you have never thought possible, So, learn English!

What English Can Do For You