English

After learning English for decades since Grade 6, I still felt I was at the starting point when I came to Canada. I needed to improve in all four skills in English: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. I started studying all four skills with LINC Home Study. Like you could guess, that was frustrating at the beginning. I encountered many different difficulties, and I have to admit that sometimes I lost my focus and faith in improving my skills. Looking at all that process made me proud of myself even though I did not feel it at that time.

First of all, it sounded like reading was a piece of cake but, believe me, it wasn't. I found many e-books on the library website and I started reading. However, checking definitions in almost every sentence or paragraph and reading sentences over and over again to understand everything was a big obstacle to moving forward. The best option to continue reading was picking e-books only for my interest or those that made me enthusiastic. Day by day, my using of a dictionary for definitions and repeating the same sentences has decreased, and that has helped a lot with having fun reading in English.

Secondly, listening skills were challenging for me, especially after getting a phone in Canada and having some conversations on the phone. It was very embarrassing, but I have to confess that I ignored any phone call if I didn't know the number. This continued for a few months after having my first phone in Canada. In the meantime, understanding almost nothing in the news on TV, or even advertisements, made me feel like I had learned a different language instead of English before coming to Canada. Even though it was boring for a few months, insisting on listening and trying to understand at least one sentence more than the previous day, has improved my self-confidence. I started to answer phone calls and follow the news almost every day.

Next, reading and listening are the passive-receptive parts of learning English, but you have to prove what you learned in speaking and writing. It is like performing in a show; after reading and listening to the story, you need to write the transcript on your own and perform on the stage. Living in an English-speaking country and having kids, you have to speak English in your daily life; at the kids' school, in supermarkets, grocery shopping, or in a bank. You couldn't run away from all of that, just like me, but I couldn't say that I haven't tried. I have asked my husband to talk on my behalf so many times. However, at the end of the performance on the real-life stage, I had to speak in English everywhere, and I have figured out that my speaking skill has progressed somehow by practicing repeatedly.

Lastly, writing is another skill that I need to improve. I am still working on it. All the time, when studying in English or doing homework, I used to skip the writing exercises. I know that was my way of escaping from the writing practice. When I focused on just that skill, I have seen it is not as challenging as I thought. On the contrary, it is entertaining and it makes me feel better to express my thoughts on paper.

In conclusion, even though each skill seems to be a different chapter of the learning process in my story, they are connected and complement each other. Studying one has not only improved that skill but also developed others. Nevertheless, there is a long way ahead of me on this journey, and I believe that I will become more confident with every step, and all fears and concerns will be left behind.