English was the first language that I learnt when I was young. As a child, I enjoyed reading English storybooks under the influence of my parents. A large portion of my current English vocabulary and grammar was built up through those readings. As a result, English was always the easiest subject for me when I was in primary school.
However, after I was enrolled in a Chinese primary school and got used to the environment, I started to fear speaking in English. I rarely approached my father during my primary school and even high school days because he wanted my siblings and I to speak to him in English. Whenever I uttered out a sentence that was grammatically incorrect, he would point out my mistake immediately. I was afraid of making such mistakes at that time, but eventually I came to realize that these conversations played an important role in shaping my grammar foundation in English.
I continued my studies in a Chinese independent high school. During my high school days, we spent most of the time learning verb tenses and doing “fill in the blanks” exercises in our English classes. Essays were written almost on a monthly basis. In addition to that, I stopped reading English books and emphasized more on Science and Mathematics subjects. My English proficiency level has actually dropped due to my lack of exposure to English. I always take a long time to finish my English essays. I find it difficult to recall certain words in English as well. Even though I knew that communicating and writing in English is important, I never took the effort to polish up my English.
Therefore, I actually feel happy to take up this module. I hope to improve in both writing and speaking skills after taking this module, as it will definitely help in my university studies as well. At the same time, I also feel a little stressful to be in a class where I am the only non-Singaporean. I hope that my peers will not mind my poor English language skills and do point out when I make mistakes! May this new journey of English language learning be a fruitful and enjoyable one!
Edited on 28 August.
ES1102 