"Dear Teacher...!" Column

By Seungeun Seo and Yunhee Cho

Dear teacher,

I'm a three-year-old boy's mom. I'm afraid if I'm behind to teach my boy English. There are a lot of mothers sending their kids to private academies even though their kids can't say a word in Korean, mother tongue. They collect video programs and books to make their children accept the language faster than any others. Do I have to attend those competition between mothers? I don't want to bother my boy, he's only three years old! Please give me some advice. -From J's mama

Dear J's mama,

Hello, J's mama. You are worrying about your kid's English. I know there are numerous mothers who are crazy about their children's English education abnormally. They are asking me if early English education is effective or not. I usually tell them I'm not against of the early education of English, but I warn them too much work or learning could make kids exhausted and eliminate their interest. It is good idea to send your kid to private academies or preschools that specialized in English. But make sure not to give much stress to your kid. Make your boy have an interest in English naturally and gradually by playing or using video materials that can attract and stimulate his interest.

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Dear teacher,

Hi, I'm a very serious student. When I was studying English, I memorized 50,000 English words for a big test. Fifty Thousand! But, my problem is that now I can't use them, even though I could pass an English test. In addition, whenever I study English, it is really difficult to study grammar. I've spent much time to study grammar, but now I feel that it was a complete waste of time. I’ve never felt that I'm improving my English. What should I do? -A serious student

Dear Serious student,

Hi, Serious! You have some trouble with studying English. Although you memorized a lot of words, you learned those in a short time. That means that your learning dept is short and shallow. That attitude causes you to forget the words quickly and that could be a reason why you can't use them. I'll give some tips for your studying. What about learning every word and phrase deeply? It's not enough to memorize words for a big test. And it's not enough to know just a definition of a word. You must put the word deep into your brain. And you must repeat each of the words many times intensively. Moreover, to improve your English, in my opinion, learning phrases can help you much for studying grammar as well as your vocabulary. How about studying and reviewing phrases in your notebook, not individual words? When you find a new word, you ought to try to write down the complete phrase. And then, you have to review the entire phrase, not just the single word. Then you don't have to read difficult grammar books and feel stressed. Then, your vocabulary and grammar will improve much better than before. I hope that this will help you improve your English! Good luck!

By Min-jung, Baek and Byung-Keun, Son

Dear Teacher,

I'm writing this letter because I have two questions regarding studying English. As my major is English Education. I am probably going to be an English teacher within years. However, I am still not confident about my English skills, especially about my speaking skill.

To get rid of my fear for speaking, I decided to study abroad because I think it is the best way to improve my verbal skills. However, I don't have a clue about which country I should go to. I know there are many countries using English as their mother tongue so I narrowed them down to several countries which I thought to be the perfect place for my studies on English- the UK, the states, Australia, and Canada. Which country do you think is the best country for my study?

Also, I've heard that many people go to Philippines for a couple of months to learn Basic English skills in order to be effective on their further English studies. People also say that the cost is quite reasonable and they can give a much confidence in their own English skills. So could you please tell me your opinion about this? As I'm considering going to Philippines if it is necessary, your opinion on this matter will be very helpful.

Sincerely,

Min-jung, Baek

Dear Minjung,

Thank you for sharing your concern with me. Since I am an English teacher, I have met a lot of students who have similar questions. They were also seeking an effective way to improve their English speaking skills and in the end, each one of them came up with the idea of studying abroad in English speaking country.

Whenever they asked me about the best countries for their study, I have always answered them that the decision can be always different because each individual has different interests and situation. As you can see, you can recognize that choosing a country to study English is not only the matter of language but also the matter of learning its culture. Moreover, your decision should also be different, depending on how good your English is. Thus, I'd like to recommend you to two things before making a final decision. First, make a list of the countries that you want to live in. Moreover, thinking about the cultures you want to experience is desirable. After that, please take speaking tests such as TOEIC Speaking test and IBT TOEFL to check your English level. If you get a high score on your test, I think it is better for you to go directly to one of the western countries that you were originally interested in.

If not, studying in Philippines can be a better way to study English because the Philippines have a lot of language institutes for the beginners. As there, you can learn the basic which would help your further English studies. However, before going to the Philippines, there are a few things that you need to make sure. First, you should find a language institute with good qualified teachers. Second, you need to be aware of the danger of living in the Philippines. The crime rate in the Philippines has been increased steadily and crimes are actually targeted for foreign students. Therefore, it's good idea to find a highly secured place to stay.

I hope my suggestions would help you with making a final decision. Also, let me know if you have further questions as well. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Byung-Keun, Son

-minjungbaek

Good luck for your plan to go abroad to study English!

Hi, Yoonji. I am Sangwook.

What you wrote may not be the only one student's problem in this English education department. When I was a freshman, I also had the similar problem in understanding and using English. However, I have a good English teacher in my high school, and he gave me some advice and I was able to overcome my hard time. While reading this, I could think that if we have a good teacher or professor to ask some questions, we will easily escape from the problems we have. Don't you think so? :-)

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Dear Teacher

by YoonjiBae

Dear Teacher,Hi, my name is Amy. I'm a freshman majoring in English Education in KNU. I have a problem with my English class. The professor is a foreigner and the class is conducted in English. It is so difficult for me to follow the lecture. He talks really fast and speaks with an accent. However, other students seem to have no trouble understanding the lecture. That is what makes me feel more frustrated. I can't understand what the professor is saying and I don't know why other students are laughing. So, the only thing I can do in the class is just laughing when everybody else start laughing. I feel so dumb because I am the only person who is not able to understand what is going on during the class. Why is it so difficult for me to simply follow the lecture? I am doing just fine in other classes I’m taking in this semester. I'm sure that my professor regards me as a stupid and dull student. I am always nervous every time the professor looks at me because he might ask some questions I probably can’t answer. I am very stressed out and depressed during the class. What should I do?

Dear Amy,I want you to know that you are not the only one out there who is worrying about that problem. I saw many other students who have similar problems in classes with foreign professors. You are just one of them, so you don't have to feel lonely. You can meet your friends who have the similar problem on the Internet cafes or community sites. So, if you talk with them, you know how to overcome the problem and get confidence. Don't be shy! If you have confidence, you can make it. First of all, colleagues can be the best helpers for you. Your friends are the ones who can understand your feelings and situation. So, tell your problem and ask them for help. There is nothing to be ashamed of! Your classmates can probably help you with taking notes and fill you in on the parts that you missed in the class. Next, preparing your lessons ahead can help you get an idea of what’s going on in the class. I'm sure that it will help you understand what the main focus of the lecture is. Though you might not be able to understand everything discussed in the class, you can grasp the main focus of the lecture easier than before. And then, don't prejudge that the professor would regard you as a dull student. If you are sure you have tried hard in the class, the professor would know that, too. Tell the professor that you have some trouble following the lecture, and ask him to spare some time to go over things that you’ve missed in the class. Just do it in a polite manner and show him your willingness to do well on his class. I’m sure he would be more than happy to help you. Keep my advice in mind and try your best. Good luck to you!

-yoonjibae

Hi Gangbeum and Chulwook, I am Sangwook.
First of all, I would like to say what you did really impressed me.
I think that only spending much time studying English can not guarantee that we can improve our English. Thank you for giving me a good chance to think about the future students' concern.

By Chulwook Choi (question) & Kanbeum Kwon (answer)

Dear Teacher,

I have some problems with my English skills. I always study English for about 3 hours a day, and I think my reading, writing, and listening skills are not bad. However, I can speak in English well. My speaking skill has never been improved. I don’t know why. I’m very depressed with this problem these days. What should I do? If you have some suggestions or solutions to my problem, please tell me.

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Dear Chulwook,

Thanks for telling me your problems. I’m happy to give my advices for you. It gets colder and colder at the end of this fall. I see the beautiful kinds of fallen leaves on the street. I’m sure it is the best time to enjoy English in this wonderful season.

The problem you have is what most of the Korean students have. As you know, Korean students are usually good at reading skill, but they often complain about the reason why their English speaking ability is not good compared to the other parts. I think this problem mainly comes from two reasons; they don’t spend enough time to improve English-speaking ability, and they don’t know how to practice speaking in English.

Think about how much time do you spend in practicing speaking in English a day. In your school, you may not have an opportunity to speak even a sentence in English. Thanks to this circumstance, it’s been difficult for the students to practice speaking in English. Naturally, they have been focusedon reading and listening so that they could have been familiar with them. I think the more you spend time on something, the better your ability for it gets. So, I suggest you to have more time to practice speaking in English a day.

Secondly, you may not know how to improve your speaking skill. There must have been tons of methods and approaches to practice English reading and listening parts. But, why many students are getting in trouble about speaking in English is because they are indifferent to it. I suggest you find what you’re interested in to improve your English speakingability. For example, it would be helpful to watch exciting American dramas and movies and try to follow and shadow the lines of them. It would make you study steadily. In short, find what you are interest in and relate it with English speaking skill.

Nowadays, using practical English is empathized, so it is natural that you have this kind of problem. My advice is that you spend more time speaking English and practice it with the materials related to your interest. I’m sure that you can speak in English well as well as foreigners do. Practice and practice and again practice. Practice makes perfect. In addition, it is important to be confident and never give it up. I hope these would be useful to you. If you want more advices, don’t hesitate to contact me again.

-kangbeumkwon

By Min-jung, Baek and Byung-Keun, Son

Dear Teacher,

I'm writing this letter because I have two questions regarding studying English. As my major is English Education. I am probably going to be an English teacher within years. However, I am still not confident about my English skills, especially about my speaking skill.

To get rid of my fear for speaking, I decided to study abroad because I think it is the best way to improve my verbal skills. However, I don't have a clue about which country I should go to. I know there are many countries using English as their mother tongue so I narrowed them down to several countries which I thought to be the perfect place for my studies on English- the UK, the states, Australia, and Canada. Which country do you think is the best country for my study?

Also, I've heard that many people go to Philippines for a couple of months to learn Basic English skills in order to be effective on their further English studies. People also say that the cost is quite reasonable and they can give a much confidence in their own English skills. So could you please tell me your opinion about this? As I'm considering going to Philippines if it is necessary, your opinion on this matter will be very helpful.

Sincerely,

Min-jung, Baek

Dear Minjung,

Thank you for sharing your concern with me. Since I am an English teacher, I have met a lot of students who have similar questions. They were also seeking an effective way to improve their English speaking skills and in the end, each one of them came up with the idea of studying abroad in English speaking country.

Whenever they asked me about the best countries for their study, I have always answered them that the decision can be always different because each individual has different interests and situation. As you can see, you can recognize that choosing a country to study English is not only the matter of language but also the matter of learning its culture. Moreover, your decision should also be different, depending on how good your English is. Thus, I'd like to recommend you to two things before making a final decision. First, make a list of the countries that you want to live in. Moreover, thinking about the cultures you want to experience is desirable. After that, please take speaking tests such as TOEIC Speaking test and IBT TOEFL to check your English level. If you get a high score on your test, I think it is better for you to go directly to one of the western countries that you were originally interested in.

If not, studying in Philippines can be a better way to study English because the Philippines have a lot of language institutes for the beginners. As there, you can learn the basic which would help your further English studies. However, before going to the Philippines, there are a few things that you need to make sure. First, you should find a language institute with good qualified teachers. Second, you need to be aware of the danger of living in the Philippines. The crime rate in the Philippines has been increased steadily and crimes are actually targeted for foreign students. Therefore, it's good idea to find a highly secured place to stay.

I hope my suggestions would help you with making a final decision. Also, let me know if you have further questions as well. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Byung-Keun, Son

-minjungbaek

This concern is our common problem. However, we don't know the solution. I agree with the fact that it is helpful to learn English in America, Canade, and or so. As you pointed out, to study abroad, we should adjust to their culture. If we can't adapt the different culture, we will be able to acuire proficiency English skills.
It makes me consider it seriously to study abroad.

Thanks for useful tips.

Hi, Min-jung and Byung-Keun!
I read your agony aunt letter. It was good to read and the problem you have decided to handle is practical enough for many students becaust there are a lot of students who seriously consider studying abroad!

I think you give the solution in very wise way. As the students' level and interest are various so it is best to regard them all.

I think all of you did a good job!!!

By Min-jung, Baek and Byung-Keun, Son

Dear Teacher,

I'm writing this letter because I have two questions regarding studying English. As my major is English Education. I am probably going to be an English teacher within years. However, I am still not confident about my English skills, especially about my speaking skill.

To get rid of my fear for speaking, I decided to study abroad because I think it is the best way to improve my verbal skills. However, I don't have a clue about which country I should go to. I know there are many countries using English as their mother tongue so I narrowed them down to several countries which I thought to be the perfect place for my studies on English- the UK, the states, Australia, and Canada. Which country do you think is the best country for my study?

Also, I've heard that many people go to Philippines for a couple of months to learn Basic English skills in order to be effective on their further English studies. People also say that the cost is quite reasonable and they can give a much confidence in their own English skills. So could you please tell me your opinion about this? As I'm considering going to Philippines if it is necessary, your opinion on this matter will be very helpful.

Sincerely,

Min-jung, Baek

Dear Minjung,

Thank you for sharing your concern with me. Since I am an English teacher, I have met a lot of students who have similar questions. They were also seeking an effective way to improve their English speaking skills and in the end, each one of them came up with the idea of studying abroad in English speaking country.

Whenever they asked me about the best countries for their study, I have always answered them that the decision can be always different because each individual has different interests and situation. As you can see, you can recognize that choosing a country to study English is not only the matter of language but also the matter of learning its culture. Moreover, your decision should also be different, depending on how good your English is. Thus, I'd like to recommend you to two things before making a final decision. First, make a list of the countries that you want to live in. Moreover, thinking about the cultures you want to experience is desirable. After that, please take speaking tests such as TOEIC Speaking test and IBT TOEFL to check your English level. If you get a high score on your test, I think it is better for you to go directly to one of the western countries that you were originally interested in.

If not, studying in Philippines can be a better way to study English because the Philippines have a lot of language institutes for the beginners. As there, you can learn the basic which would help your further English studies. However, before going to the Philippines, there are a few things that you need to make sure. First, you should find a language institute with good qualified teachers. Second, you need to be aware of the danger of living in the Philippines. The crime rate in the Philippines has been increased steadily and crimes are actually targeted for foreign students. Therefore, it's good idea to find a highly secured place to stay.

I hope my suggestions would help you with making a final decision. Also, let me know if you have further questions as well. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Byung-Keun, Son

-minjungbaek

Hello again! Sangwook! Thank you for giving me two feedbacks!!:)
Oh, I think you might notice that Amy's agony was my own agony.
And I am glad to hear that you went through this problem when you were freshman. Really? If you were frank with it, I think you already overcome your problem. I envy you.:) You are good at writing in English, I think. And thank you for your idea that we can improve our English skill with competent teachers. I agree with you.
Thanks Sangwook.
And good luck!

Hi, Yoonji. I am Sangwook.

What you wrote may not be the only one student's problem in this English education department. When I was a freshman, I also had the similar problem in understanding and using English. However, I have a good English teacher in my high school, and he gave me some advice and I was able to overcome my hard time. While reading this, I could think that if we have a good teacher or professor to ask some questions, we will easily escape from the problems we have. Don't you think so? :-)

-sangwookpark

Hello Seungeun and Yunhee!
Oh, it's the same part of work for Gazette with me. Dear teacher!!
And I am surprised at your creative thinking because you thought a mother with agony for this. I just thought about a student who had agony with English learning. However, you wrote this current and vital problem that all Korean mothers have. So it makes me intereting while I reading yours.
By the way, if you are a mother who has a three years old kid, will you accept teacher's advice? If I, maybe, I can't. I can't give him any stress because I wish my kid to grow up clever student. ㅜㅜThat's the dillema.
Anyway, thank you for your effort.
Good luck to you.

By Seungeun Seo and Yunhee Cho

Dear teacher,

I'm a three-year-old boy's mom. I'm afraid if I'm behind to teach my boy English. There are a lot of mothers sending their kids to private academies even though their kids can't say a word in Korean, mother tongue. They collect video programs and books to make their children accept the language faster than any others. Do I have to attend those competition between mothers? I don't want to bother my boy, he's only three years old! Please give me some advice. -From J's mama

Dear J's mama,

Hello, J's mama. You are worrying about your kid's English. I know there are numerous mothers who are crazy about their children's English education abnormally. They are asking me if early English education is effective or not. I usually tell them I'm not against of the early education of English, but I warn them too much work or learning could make kids exhausted and eliminate their interest. It is good idea to send your kid to private academies or preschools that specialized in English. But make sure not to give much stress to your kid. Make your boy have an interest in English naturally and gradually by playing or using video materials that can attract and stimulate his interest.

-yunheecho