F2F Class Notes (Ally)

Vocabulary

Grammar

“thingiemajig” – thing that I forgot/can’t describe

“pulled some strings”

“friend of mine” – amicable relationship

“101” – entry level

I’m the busiest …
I’m the most difficult …

I was born in a small county in HB province. I grew up in the same way as my other friends, but I think my mom did much more than their parents because she paid a lot more attention to my education. When I was in g. 3, she sent me to study English. Most of my friends studies later than I did, perhaps in middle school. I think that’s an advantage of me. Not only in ..but also in my interest in learning English, I have been very interested in learning Eng and it’s always been the best subject. So after high school, I chose Eng as my major in college. While in college, I decided to be an Eng teacher… I know that was very hard. So I studied for the post-grad test, but unluckily I failed..actually I passed during the written part, but in the interview part, I was naive and said something I shouldn’t have. I missed less than one point.

I was born in a small county in HB province. I grew up in the same way as my other friends, but I think my mom was much more invested/dedicated than their parents because she poured her heart and soul into my education./She sacrificed a lot – all her time and energy – to give me the best education. When I was in g. 3, she sent me to study English. Most of my friends started later than I did, perhaps in middle school. I think that’s one of my advantages. This early-on English exp gave me the upper hand both in my future academic performance and in genuine learning interest. I have been very interested in learning Eng since and it’s always been my best subject./ Genuine interest/passion motivated me to pursue English in further learning, and even after school. So after high school, I chose Eng as my major in college. While in college, I decided to be a university Eng teacher, which was very competitive, and requires many qualifications. So I studied for the post-grad test, but unluckily I failed..actually I passed during the written part, but in the interview part, I was naive and said something I shouldn’t have. I missed by less than one point. 

At first, I thought it was a pity and I was grieved by the experience. But later, I thought every challenge offers another opportunity and makes us to be stronger people. That’s why after this exam, I was determined to study harder to enter another normal university, because I want to be a teacher. Since I failed that test, I started to enter the work force and found my first job as an Eng teacher, from then on, I gradually found life-long goal is to be the Eng teacher to teach the teenage students. I find that teaching teenagers is a meaningful job because usually teachers in middle school would influence their students for a life-long time. It is even more important than university teachers. So that’s why I chose this major; to be better equipped with academic knowledge and put that knowledge into active use in my work.

At first, I thought it was a pity and I grieved (v) for a while. But later, I decided every challenge offers/is just another opportunity in the making and makes us stronger. Also, failures offers clarity/helps us find out who we are even more than success can. That’s why after this exam, I was even more determined to study harder to enter another normal university, because I was clear that being a teacher would be my aspiration in life. Also, since I failed that test, I entered the work force and found my first job as an Eng teacher, from then on, with actual experience, I discovered that to me, teaching teenagers is a more meaningful job than teaching in a university because the influence/impact of middle school teachers on the children is much stronger and lasts for a life time. I suddenly found that it is an even more important job than university teachers. So that’s why I chose this major; to be better equipped with academic knowledge and put that knowledge into active use in my work. 

One roommate of mine, she failed …
One of my roommates ..

It’s hard to say. Each professor has the area he excels at. But I think the best one, is he who can combine the academic with the practical. There was my college teacher, she was also a professor. Academically, she taught her class well and we learnt so much knowledge from her, in her class. But after class, she would give us translation work…Not like other teachers who just gave their students the exercise on their books to translate that literally, she would ask you to practice in real time. And there was once an interpretation teacher, she would give us some materials for us to interpret. That’s how we can keep pace with the news. I think especially if you’re an Eng major, there’s a high chance it’s an Eng teacher. Sometimes, what you learn in school would be outdated after your graduation, so it’s up to us to update our knowledge. How do we do that? To practice – to put what we learn to actual use. I think the best professor would help his students to do that.