aufsteigende flügel

So one day, I just decided...

"Perhaps I would do Linguistics after I graduate from my current degree course,"

It simply a thought that I had in mind at first, and to be honest, I was thinking of doing that before I came across mass comm. and journalism. Sure, it probably has a lot to do on writing (perhaps not the kind of writing that I enjoy) but it has language as its main element and I would love it.

Yes, yes, I have doubts too. Knowing me, I would probably find something else more interesting than the other and would end up switching to that. But for now, as I am still studying and teaching in my former tuition centre, I would like to think that getting a Masters in Linguistics would be the most probable solution to this strange-like heartache I have in me.

Now this raises another question; I call it 'heartache'. Why, one would wonder?

Maybe it was not the right term to use, yet, I feel it that way especially when I look at my students. As you all know, I am currently tutoring Std. 2, 3, 4, Form 1, Form 5, a Reading Class, and an Adult English class. And yes, you guessed it. They're all English.

This aching feeling was born when I saw how these children are struggling to grasp the language and to gain full understanding of it. At times, I find myself teaching them past tense and present tense when they should be able to automatically detect what and how. The worst for them would probably be on constructing sentences. Even at the age of...17 (Form 5s, the highest school education level before tertiary kicks in), they are still unable to construct a proper sentence.

Those who had it good in the past would probably be sailing calmly at this level. But these children, these teenagers, these adults...they are still struggling. No, this is not the case of being stubborn about sticking to Malay and not speaking English. This, my fellow readers, is the case of inferiority, the loss of confidence, and fear of failure. After all, who in this world enjoys showing everyone their weakness?

And I find that it is my sole responsibility to teach them, to bring that friendly subject known as English back to them, to make them come out of their shells and stand up with confidence. True, I can never make the horse drink the water, but the least I could do is make them taste it and to tell its texture before completely denying it.

And I believe that I could do this by solely focusing on Linguistics, particularly English, in this matter. Nay, I shan't do TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language). I believe getting in the root of the problem and solving it from bottom to top would be the best way. Hence, Linguistics.

But.......

First and foremost, look out for...SOC MEDIA CARNIVAL '09!