Nibong Tebal English educators

Nibong Tebal youngsters do not want to be left out in the universal quest to master the English language. This is evident from the ever-increasing participation in English tuition, both commercial and home, though other factors may claim credit as well.

A host of factors contribute to the dire state of the mastery of English as a second language in this country, and by relation, Nibong Tebal. These factors - the flip-flop approach of the nation's policy the most obvious example one has to offer - however, are less dire than the daily teaching and honing of minds, a noble task to be sure, but catastrophic if gone awry.

I refer specifically to the trend in my hometown, a trend that has not slowed since I left school almost 4 years ago, but has seen an escalation that I do not consider healthy for the improvement of the mastery by students of the English language.

One of the many unhealthy symptoms one this particular trend is the emphasis on exams. Being a Chinese-majority town parents attach great importance to their children's English language skills, thus the mushroom of English educators all around, some barely a few years my senior. Because of that almost obsessive emphasis, educators and students alike have been relegated to English machines learning English not by appreciation, but by utilisation of sheer memory power obtained by the grinding process privy to Chinese medium primary school.

During my days in school it seemed like everyone was doing it. Nobody goes into the exam hall without being armed to the teeth by essays well memorised on topics they thought most likely to come out. The situation escalated when we entered Form 4 and 5, when the demand for a larger vocabulary began knocking on our doors. Being the conscientious students they were, especially the girls, many subscribed to what they regarded as the Bible for the English language - the Reader Digest - and began picking words from the magazine within.

Truth be told, it is a wonderful practice. I do it myself today, though not during high school; I was too busy with video games. The only problem was that vocabulary is but only one facet of a language, a concept even grown-ups may find difficult to grasp. These good and hardworking students were vaunting multiple newly learnt big words and they would attempt to use them in their school essays. Unfortunately for them, these attempts were disastrous as they simply did not have the grammar and basic English writing skills to go with it.

I offer an example:
       
   "Mary go to school everyday in her new bicycle. It is a gift from her birthday by her father. Her brother now rides her erstwhile bike. Mary is very proud of this."

'Erstwhile' could be a big word for Form 4 and 5 students. Herein lies the problem: big words do not make good language, but this was thought to be so by students dutifully remembering these vocabs by heart. Their logic is that since a big word had been thrown in there ought to be some marks for it, but this was found to be faulty by exasperated school teachers bewildered by the increase in such habits. My class teacher went cuckoo trying to comprehend these essays by students she knew to be diligent, so much that she threw their essays to the ground. Needless to say, the discovery that such habits came from their tutors outside of school did not help abate her temper who ordered a complete rewrite.

This anecdote is entertaining, but it is a harbinger of some sorts, especially for future employers. Imagine coming across a top-notch candidate with a dazzling CV but writes and speaks the most bizarre English.

The sad thing is students fall for tutors who advocate this approach. They love the big words and the mouthfuls required. Yet only a few of them could only recall fewer words they spent hours devoted to learning. The outrageous thing is these tutors have continued this practice and given the years they have had, still they fail to see the consequences of their dysfunctional pedagogical methods. It is either this or the gold has blinded them.

Until students truly understand the delicate and aesthetic nature of language and the pains to undertake to master one, their attempts to embrace the language as a second language will continue to be futile and thwarted. Those vocabs they so painstakingly memorised is ephemeral and fades into oblivion the moment high school is over. This is, however, not the worst. What is worst is that they have yet to master conversing in English despite having an arsenal of larger-than-life words.