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Humanising Language Teaching
Humanising Language Teaching
Humanising Language Teaching
STUDENT VOICES

The Quest of Learning English

Seyed Behrouz Behzadi, Iran

Seyed Behrouz Behzadi is a B.A student of English Literature and Language at Shiraz State University in Shiraz. He has taught English in a couple of institutes. He has studied English for 14 years experiencing Language institute classes and two universities; currently he is amongst the typical students in the department of foreign Languages. His main domain of interest is conversational skills and, in particular, British dialects and accents. E-mail: sbbehzadi86@gmail.com

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Introduction
High school
University experience

Introduction

Not long ago, about 15 years ago, when I commenced studying English, learning English was not reckoned to be an indispensible part of the blueprint that would be mapped out by parents for the success of their children. Today it is an integral part in almost anybody’s plan who is seeking a sure-fire recipe to materialize his/her hopes and ambitions in any given field of study, however. This has led influx of candidates to surge to the doors of language institutes. This trend, per se, is mostly regarded to be rewarding since it s a telling sign of the growing avidity amongst many to learn English, yet I’ve seen quite a few of people whose keenness has waned over the course of time depending on a host of factors. “I didn’t learn anything after a year, I couldn’t follow the movies or sons in English”, these are the most reiterated beefs I’ve heard and I’ve chosen the word “quest” advisedly to allude to the point that learning English does not happen overnight.

I presume it’d be arresting if I initially unfold the story behind what triggered or, better to say, compelled me into kicking off studying English. That dates back to approximately 14 years ago when I was first-grade-high school student. Back then, for a couple of times I was mortified in front of all other students since I couldn’t meet the exacting and arduous standards and expectations of my teacher. Amongst all and one which put the most excruciating pressure on me was when I was asked to give the definition of some English words in English. To put it in a nutshell, I got tired of being humiliated and the English class changed to be mere than an ordeal I’ d expected. Having mulled over what to do in order to surmount that formidable and intractable problem, my family decide to send me to English classes for it was the only recourse left. That decision, as I call it, was the beginning of my English Quest. This quest can be encapsulated into two major phases: English during the ILI (Iran Language Institute) classes and English during the university period. As I try to elaborate on these two phases, I will refer to those who have played n pivotal role in my learning and have got overriding importance in what I m now in terms of English.

High school

Thanks to the good offices of one of my father s friends and my urgent situation, I didn’t t need to go through the normal procedure of registration, that if not, I had to cool my heels in the waiting queue of candidates for roughly a year. I, therefore, was soon a student of ILI and, needless to say, due to my inchoate knowledge of English had to start from level B.A which was a level before level 1.

Nothing special happened until the time I reached level 9. During those 8 levels, I was not unrivalled by no means, no surprise, rather I was the one who always stood in the middle of the class ranking. Still, things deteriorated when I reached level 9. The man who was in charge of that class was Mr Panahi who always singled me out for his wonderful pointed and scathing remarks accompanied by his withering looks. The reason he cited for his behavior towards me, which I never felt to be slighted or affronted by, was that I was not trying as hard as I had to. Besides, what compounded the situation more was that he was quite serious about pronunciation; if somebody failed to pronounce a word correctly he/she would be reproached and upbraided. Once, in a rare occasion, I took an audacious act to volunteer to read a passage and what actually had embolden me to was his once-and-ever approbation I had received the session before. Anyway, I, unhappily, didn’t pronounce “ə” correctly in the word “Important” and in order to correct me, he wrote an idiom on the whiteboard reading: “Don’t take anything for granted”

Afterwards, he opined that I deserved to be a student of level 5 not 9. This and scores of other similar incidents took place till the time I reached Advanced 4, the last level at that time. To your utter astonishment, all those incisive and trenchant sticks goaded me into working harder and harder. Even when I was a TOEFL student and I was lucky to have classes with him, there was no cessation in his already-enlarged-upon blunt way of behavior towards me and other students as well as once he addressed me this way: “Behrouz, if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well”. To recapitulate, he inculcated me with a sense of responsibility and discipline through his measured comments. He taught me not to be afraid of facing reprimand head-on and to have the intrepidness to rectify myself when needed since without this self-correction attitude, my English, he reasserted, would soon change to be like stagnant water and I have paid tribute to him when there’s been a chance to.

University experience

Having passed my national service and after a 3-year hiatus, I matriculated in 2009 studying English Translation. I didn’t choose English as my major grudgingly or because of lack of options, yet I did so due to my massive enthusiasm and zeal for English. In fact, I wanted to immerse myself into studying English. From here on, I set to harvest the seeds I had planted earlier and to taste the fruits of my endeavour into the bargain. The only worthwhile incident that transpired during my studies there was my fortuitous acquaintance with Mr Badiee, who was one of our professors, which marked a watershed in my English life. He brought substantial changes into my English and introduced a new world to me in terms of pronunciation and verbal communication. He was a jovial and amicable bloke whose conviviality led me to develop a cordial and indissoluble relationship with him. His impact was so significant that caused the tectonic shift in my accent from American to lovely British accent. To put it in crude terms, his way of talking and his unerring native-like pronunciation gave my English a new lease of life.

Having studied for two years in that university, I, once more, took part in entrance exam and got the admission to be a student in Shiraz State University, but this time I chose English literature and Language as my major. Last but not least, I’d like to talk about my presence in this university. Dr Rashidi, one of my professors here, and Mr Khodabakhshi, a professor from the previous university, have been so obliging to me during the past three years. The former’s expert knowledge in Grammar, Linguistics and Contrastive Analysis has introduced me a new perspective to look at English. His auspicious words of encouragement has sparked me to use English in all aspects of my life from asking my mother to pour me a cup of tea in English to speaking to my classmates even if we are in taxi or bus heading home that’s made many to be flabbergasted and interested. Consequently, I can safely say that he has brought English to my daily life and I can see the ineffable satisfaction in his expression whenever he has spotted me talking English to others. This satisfaction, in turn, has bolstered my morale and animation. The latter, Mr Khodabakhshi, is mostly noticeable to me for his vast knowledge and deftness over vocabulary and translation. His legacy for me is the selfless heed he has paid to encourage me to expand and ratchet up my vocabulary level to an academic level. He’s made an indelible impression on me.

To sum up, now that I’ m noticed for my posh and tender British accent amongst all students and professors and being proverbial for my language skills (a bit of self-assurance is needed now and then!), I’d like to give myself a standing ovation and above that to extol all those whose attention have paved the way to my present condition.

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