The Reason Why I Go to School Everyday
Find here resources that you can use at home to keep improving your English language development.
I Know How You May Feel…
My Personal Story With Bilingualism
My love story with bilingualism started when I was a child. Back then, all I dreamt about was speaking English fluently. I’m not sure why this was the case, as I did not have any English influence in my life. As an only child, I remember playing pretend that I was a tourist that had to speak English to ask for directions and order food at restaurants. One of my favorite things to do with my friends was to pretend I was their English teacher and they were my students. I’m not sure they liked it as much as I did. They listened to me say words in English, and then would repeat them. I learned this from my own English teacher at school. I enjoyed school and learning quite a bit, but without a doubt, English was one of my favorite classes.
The first time I went to Disney World in Orlando, I was 12 years old. I was fascinated, not only with the characters and the spectacular attractions, but also by the English being uttered around me. It was music to my 12-year-old ears. I remember staring at the American tourists around me, wishing more than anything that one day I would be able to communicate like them.
I was 16 years old when I graduated from high school. My mother did not like the idea of me going off to college right away, since I was so young. Instead, she offered to send me to New York City to study English before going back to school. I still regret not taking her offer. Back then, the idea of coming to New York by myself was daunting, and I was afraid of feeling alone in such a big city.
In 1983, I was accepted at one of the best public universities in Venezuela, “Universidad Simon Bolivar”. I started my studies there right after my high school graduation. To my surprise, all the textbooks required for my courses were written in English, and had no Spanish translation. To help us get accustomed to the foreign textbooks in English language, we had to take an English course as part of the graduation requirements. I still remember having to watch a movie in English and then taking a comprehension test based on it. It was no easy feat, but I passed.
During my first year, I started taking private English courses to help me develop the academic language required to understand the textbooks. After some time, I was reading the textbooks and studying for my classes without any problem. My innate passion for the English language facilitated my ability to grasp the new language, and I soon became relatively fluent.
Time flew by, and next thing I knew, I was graduating with my bachelor’s degree in computer engineering. This was one of the happiest days of my life. I started working at PDVSA, Venezuela’s oil company. A few months later, I was assigned to take some training courses in the United States. I visited San Diego and Atlanta. These trips made me realize that I had a good understanding of academic English, but little ability to communicate using colloquial English.
In 1991 I got married and in 1997 I gave birth a beautiful girl. I was convinced of the importance of her bilingual development, so I registered her in a bilingual nursery and bought Baby Einstein and Barney videos. My goal was for my daughter to learn English right away!
In 2003, my husband and I decided to move to Miami, in search of a better future for our family. I took public and private English courses to keep developing my English skills. One day, I was invited to substitute at my daughter’s school, and that is how my teaching career started. I took the tests required by the district to obtain my certification as a teacher, and then started my first job at Eugenia B. Thomas K-8 Center. I was very lucky at the beginning, I started co-teaching. It was such a good learning experience for me, and I wish any new teacher could start her teaching career in this same way. I learned the “classroom English language” by listening to her.
Now, here I am, working as a Developmental Language Arts teacher and pursuing a master’s degree in TESOL. English has not stopped challenging me in all kinds of ways, and I deeply appreciate it. I have not stopped chasing it either, making my 12-year-old self very proud. My goal is to best pave the road for my students to learn English language, and make their journey doing so as special as mine has been.
My love story with bilingualism has only started…
Dictionaries
Dictionaries are better friends than translators
Links to Helpful Websites
Choose your favorite song, play it and get ready to learn the lyrics filling in the blanks. This exercise is very good to improve your reading, listening and writing skills. Also, you could improve your speaking skills if you sing too.
YouGlish is a very easy way to learn the correct pronunciation of words by hearing them spoken on YouTube videos. It also provides the user with a set of nearby words, phonetic details, and tips to improve pronunciation in the language the user has selected.
These general ESOL websites offer many types of activities (grammar, listening, pronunciation, vocabulary, reading, etc.) for language learners of all levels.
English Media Lab offers online English exercises, a TV section with videos, interactive grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation quizzes, interactive games, and much more.
Miami-Dade County Public Library System
Miami-Dade Public Library System offers a variety of resources and services for students of all ages and backgrounds. Visit the library system and start taking advantage of this wonderful source of information and knowledge.
International Children’s Digital Library
This library is an excellent source of books from all over the world. The ICDL Foundation’s goal is to build a collection of books that represents outstanding historical and contemporary books from throughout the world. Ultimately, the Foundation aspires to have every culture and language represented so that every child can know and appreciate the riches of children’s literature from the world community.
Growing Bilinguals 