I had taken Spanish all throughout middle school and the higher-level courses in high school, but I was miserable throughout all of it. The classes were to build up my high school transcript for college, so it was never for personal interest. I merely saw language as an academic topic. In such that, after all those classes, I ended up getting a 1 on the AP Spanish exam because nothing retained. Trying to learn Spanish became a nuisance to me because in class it was just constant drill and repetitive homework to engrain the new grammar lesson or vocabulary we were learning at the time. That’s why I was quite disgruntled when I realized I had to take a language course to fulfill my COM 2 requirement when I came to University of Richmond.
I chose to take Spanish again, only because I thought it would be easier to manage after having several years of experience in learning the language. But that disdain that I previously had with the language completely changed last Spring semester in my Intensive Intermediate Spanish class. The professor was completely different from any previous language instructor I had experienced. Not only was he a great professor in giving thorough explanations, but he was also encouraging. I’ve noticed that’s what was so different in comparison from those in my past experiences with learning a language. He was always patient and encouraging, even when you gave a wrong answer. He provided a comfortable environment for those that were struggling in learning a foreign language. You would never feel embarrassed in attempting to answer a question or if you got it wrong. This allowed me to not feel confident to participate more in class, embrace my mistakes, and, to my surprise, enjoy learning Spanish. I started to want to learn the right words, the right way rather than learning for a grade. I started to look forward in being able to apply my newly refurbished Spanish speaking skills outside of the classroom, hoping for an opportunity to arise.
With my new-found interest in learning languages, I’m excited to have the opportunity to learn my own native language, Korean. After completing the surveys, I have discovered that I am a visual learner and my top three strengths are intrapersonal, interpersonal, and musical. I believe I do know and understand myself very well and I enjoy finding more ways to better myself and grow. I believe I’ll be able to successfully learn Korean, especially because it’s a personal one on one lesson, so I’ll be able to go at my own pace and utilize my strengths during my lessons. I could try implementing flashcards or color-coding my notes, but I also do best when I’m actually attempting to speak the language and truly understanding what I’m trying to say. I feel that if I were to incorporate these different learning activities, it will benefit my language learning journey and I’d be able to fulfill my aspiration in being able to become proficient in Korean.
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