Teaching languages is the matter of patience, persistence, and hard work. Only when you can see the result, one can enjoy the academic process. This is what my teacher has always told to me. “You never know when you realize the actual incentives for learning languages. But when you do, you will be pleasantly surprised”, my teacher once remarked. Indeed, learning languages is an ongoing process of constant scaffolding and repeating, and it is often hard to remain encouraged and motivated.
Nevertheless, what I know for sure is that there will be a moment when my efforts will be justified. While learning languages, I was extremely supported by my teacher for foreign languages, as she always said there was nothing impossible for a person who had a goal. Thus, the impact of a teacher on a learning process is obvious because this is person who has managed to provide a student with valuable knowledge and experience promoting my understanding of the importance of an academic process and professional growth.
Understanding theory is impossible without empirical knowledge. My teacher used to pronounce, “Imagination is more important than knowledge because the latter is limited whereas the former can embrace the entire world”. Once I heard this phrase, I never gave up practicing imaginative and creative thinking, which helped me much in exploring the boundaries of language. I was always surprised by the way my teacher explained various notions and phrases in language, as well as her unconventional techniques. Once, she came in the class, with no books and lecture notes in her hands, and started asking us about definition of the word “writing”.
She also added with a calm tone that we should put all scientific explanations aside and say what we actually thought about it. This was among the most interesting and exciting lessons because everyone in the class was engaged in discussion of the issue.
My teacher never appraised my achievements overtly. Nor did she single out students of others. Each lesson started with cross-examination, and she asked everyone how he or she felt today. Therefore, I feel equal and unique at one at the same time. During one of the lessons, asked everyone “Why do you think people are so different? Do you think they want different things?” At a glance, it seemed an easy question to me and I was about to answer it.
However, when other students started expressing controversial ideas, I realized that everyone in this class was unique, and this was the obvious answer to the question. While listening to our answers, she approached each student as if she felt concerned with their feelings and emotions. Once everybody answered the question, she proceeded with a new lesson, making no conclusion and rejecting neither of the ideas.
A learning process is effective as soon as a person starts making conclusions independently. This is the message our teacher always wanted to deliver. She never punished us for the home assignment we failed, which, in fact did make sense. She always looked calm, showing no embarrassment while explaining the importance of being independent. She never made connection between the learning process and our future goals, leaving space for students to think over it.
In conclusion, a learning process is more than just attending lessons. Rather, it is the process of developing individuality and identity. More importantly, my teacher played a crucial role in understanding my life goals, as well as why learning languages is my calling. Probably, my teacher was among the most influential people in my life because she managed to prove that knowledge is important only when you know how it can be implied for self-improvement.