Aprendiz 1: Narrativa coletada por Liliane Sade My learning experience As requested, this reports aims
at expressing my own learning experience as far as English as as foreign
language is concerned. To start with, it is of a vital
importance to mention that I was always very interested in learning a second
language, especially English, since I was a child.
This desire to master English was so uncontrollably strong that at the
age of seven I started studying
alone in my house with books from the local library. Although I was unable to
pronounce the words I was capable
of reading and writing.
One year later, at the age of eight, I was
able to understand all the phonemic symbols which helped me improve or start
pronouncing the words correctly. Basically, I spent about three years of my life
studying English alone. My aptitude to learn English was
so strong that my mother decided to enroll me in a language school, at that time
Curso Yes – Cultura Inglesa today.
Strange as it may seem, I was one of the worst students in the class.
I found out that I was extremely shy and it was very difficult for me to
socialize. I do believe now that one of the reasons why I felt so intimidated
was the fact that the majority of my classmates had already studied English in
Curso Yes and they were all very
rich and snobbish guys. I was a very simple person and at the same time very
frightened of being in a “big city” alone, taking into consideration that my
home town is Lagoa Dourada, much smaller than São João. I was kind of a “
caipira em Nova York”. I never felt at ease with this
group and I couldn´t change to another group because I had a
busy timetable and mainly because I depended on the time of the buses to
go to my house in Lagoa Dourada. Things got unbearable when a student humiliated
me in front of the whole class and
the teacher agreed with that. As a dire consequence I gave up the course. Some years later I decided to
return to Cultura Inglesa. At that time I was an adolescent full of energy and
self-confidence. There was nothing of that
“caipira em Nova York” anymore. I was different, taller, more
beautiful (I used to think I was beautiful at that time). I started studying
with people from my age and I liked the teacher a lot. In fact I fell in love
with her. I was the best student. Besides, everything I learnt alone in my house
made sense for me and I learnt the language very fast. Before finishing the
first book I received an European in my house and I spoke fluent English with
him. I concluded all levels of
English and I took and passed in all Cambridge Exams: PET, FCE, CAE and CPE. I
have the best memories of my teachers and I still remember many of the lessons I
was taught. In brief my learning process was
extremely profitable and not even for a second disturbing. I may shoulder the
responsibility of my success as a
speaker of English as a second language on my teachers, the way they delivered
the lessons and of course on my dedication and interest.
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