Science and technology multiply around us. To an increasing extent they dictate the languages in which we speak and think. Either we use those languages, or we remain mute - J G Ballard
English is such a language.This post is about, how I & English for past 21 years!
KINDER GARDEN:
Yae-Bee-Cee-Dee-Eee-Yaf-G-Gach-Eye-Jay-Kay-...... when you cross the doors of pre-school, you can hear this! Sounds amazing. We start teach English to our brains there itself. Even my brother did the same. I didn't :( My mom said I cried a lot, to go pre-school and "I WON" finally, I skipped pre-school and entered into first standard.
I feel very bad for that now! Because I missed, kisses from my pre-school teachers :( :(
PRIMARY SCHOOL:
Well here comes my primary school English experience, I had good teachers, they taught me Maths and Tamil well. I have to thank my 3rd STD sir, Mr.Seenivasan, who taught my name in English after getting angry by seeing quarterly English paper, where I wrote my name in TAMIL, some slaps here and there before that was bonus.
He gave an assignment to write down my name 100 times in 4line note book. I had no idea. I can write one word exactly 100 times in a day, that wasn't a matter. I don't know spelling. I asked him; Next one minute I couldn't hear anything! Because he spanked my back! Then he taught me. That's how I spot my name in English! Well I hope I never forgot!
(Don't blame my 3rd STD sir and say how a small kid knows these things! In 2nd STD itself they taught this. But I forgot L L )
MIDDLE SCHOOL:
I was in 8th STD that time. For filling a young student scientist form (yes, of course, I am a young student scientist J). I was struggling to write down name of the school "Swami Vivekananda Middle school". Because always I used to write in short in all exams (as S.V.M.S),
The problem was worst like anything that time. I was filling the form in front of the School Correspondent and Head Master in HM's room, where my class teacher also standing near to me. I kept my head down and started filling the form with sounding as "vivekananda" using articles separatelyà
"VIVE-an-and-a " ( vee-----vey----yean----and---a)!!!.
Then what else, I got full day scolding. But the correspondent, who is head of the institution, couldn't hit or scold me!!! Because he is my father and the school is our own! School!! : J J J J But I knew he felt bad, like anything that day.
My mom started again the old story, that's why I cried to join them in English medium school!
He who is running a Tamil medium school joined his sons in English medium means! No need to tell….what the well-wishers of my father will do!!! I support my father's decision;
So, I realized that I have to develop it. This incident happened at the end of 8th STD. Sooner I forgot it in annual holiday as usual.
THE HINDU NEWSPAPER:
I hope everyone read "The Hindu" paper, which is meant for Standard English paper that time, I mean 10 years ago, (may be now too, but Arthy (junior) felt the standard is not up to the mark now a days in her blog; So I used like that). I had close times with Hindu paper. Yes, my father's part-time business is Hind Paper Agent. Even though, in my town, Sivagangai, there were no enough readers to run it! He refused to give up. Because my grand father handled it for nearly 10 years and followed by my father for more than 15 years.
My brother and I were used to go, morning to distribute and evening for collection from shops. Those periods, I used to see, at least 100 papers per day. But my interest was fully on weekend Saturday supplementary, which had "YOUNG WORLD" were I can found lot of color pictures and "SPORTS STAR" to collect the cricket star faces to create albums.
We did nothing other than business from it.
HIGH SCHOOL AND YOUNG STUDENT SCIENTIST PROGRAM:
In both the places, I didn't face any difficulty in reading/writing English lessons. Scored well. These places improved my confidence and positive thinking attitude.
HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL:
This is my first school, where there are two mediums in same school. I felt the low importance given by the staff's to Tamil medium. In their point of view, the English medium students scoring and going for Engg or Medicine, but we people were only for Arts and most of them stops their education after 12th.
My work had been neglected and I ranked nearly 15tt in 11th STD over the school. I underestimated my self. Thought I can't well.
Later, I get closed to Oxford Matriculation school students through my friend Jeeva and English Medium students through Srinath (both are my street friends), and found they are struggling in doing Maths, the subject which I am talented (After all my father and grandfather both are mathematician ).I started teaching maths to them, and saw they couldn't follow my speed. So first I teach to my friend Srikanth, later he taught to others.
Slowly, I found that they are just English medium students who are learning science and maths through English, that's all. Before that I imagined once they started speak, they will speak as HBO, START MOVIES, ENGLISH NEWS people.
Slowly I build the confidence, strengthen my attitude. I know two things well that time. "Whether BE or Medical, have to study in English only. But to get a seat, we need mark only for that medium is not a matter" and "I can score well". Well I did at last dude; I scored 1123 in public exam and which is school first too J
(The reason why English medium students, particularly the one who was expected to score well, failed was because of a girl, yes love, that too one side). So Its like I won Anna post.
NOTE: Whenever I say, I build my confidence, came to know one thing. Its not like I keep on thinking and working in that completely. Just like that, It all happened.
COLLEGE:
I came to college, will all dreams but one by one I forgot slowly. I enjoyed the college times. But I set free , Itake one note, write thing things to do, how to develop the skills!
Its like, after Symposium means things about Technical, Debate club means English, on higher education means planning to prepare for GRE, TOFEL like that. I improved
My knowledge set bit by bit.
Seeing movies, am I developed anything? I didn't find anything till now! But thanks to MRP
The highlight is college time, is during placement times, conducted so many GD's in class room and hostel rooms! And spoke for a week fully in English and reading again "THE HINDU" newspaper daily à but once placed!!!! That's it, Full stop for all.
TRAINING:
The place where I met other language people in one place. I have no option, right or wrong I have to use.
In colleges, like our lectures who first say some words in English than Tamil, they too did on two, but English and Hindi. I had a chance to speak with top management persons and HR people in mobiles and conference call. Where I found I have a base enough strong. Only thing this, I have to build it correctly.
Here it goes, after training, @Bangalore, again with a note for English and finding words, idioms and phrases daily!!! J and The Hindu paper (esp) J
