Humans logo

Learning To Listen

How tutoring in English is much more than words

By Alexandra ZellerPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
Like
Photo by Nothing Ahead from Pexels

I remember getting my first student, a woman in college whose fourth language was English. She needed help forming an APA citation paper, and also explanations on why certain sentences and words were incorrect. I was the fourth tutor she had been sent to. I could tell she was incredibly frustrated, angry, and upset.

I remember her questioning my skills and tutoring methods. She requested another transfer, I calmly explained that I could, but I would really like to work with her. She was extremely reluctant but trusted me and we spent the next hour putting together a reference page and fixing minor grammatical errors in her paper.

At the time, I was a new tutor.

It was horrifying to see how awful some students felt about their work. Particularly how critical they were of it. Not to mention, how blessed I had been to grow up in a household of English speakers.

The student and I got to talking then, about how difficult it was to learn and get help with English because most of the people who taught English grew up with that as their primary language. They learned the nuances of homonyms, homophones, and homographs. Whereas, she was stuck trying to keep up with the fluidity and ever change rules of the English language.

It wasn't until she asked me to "teach her like she was a child" that I realized how complex and frustrating the English language was- and how large the disconnect can be between students and their teachers.

We often take for granted the language we speak- especially when it comes from a place of privilege like it does in America. She was just frustrated because no one ever put in the time to learn her native language when they came to her country, rather, her country was expected to cater to learning English. She already knew three other languages including her native language, and English was the fourth one. It was obvious how other languages followed set rules and conjugations while English had a plethora of exceptions to rules. Not to mention, she had to learn English while the person teaching her also only spoke English.

I can't speak about the complexity of other languages, hell, I only learned four years of French when I was in high school. I could probably hold a small, basic conversation, but other than that I couldn't tell you anything about it. Yet, this woman made me feel angry that English was so complex. I almost felt guilty for being an English major with how frustrated she was.

So it goes without saying that English (and communication in general) is vitally important to the world. When we cannot understand one another we get angry, frustrated, and exhausted. It can feel like you're running around in circles endlessly.

That day made me rethink how I taught and helped with English. Teaching essay writing, communication, and language are way more complicated than just following rules.

It's about pursuing a deep understanding of the importance of each word you write, how you present those ideas, and what context they are presented in. We, as teachers, and as learners, must be patient and understand that everyone is on a different level. Our everyday interactions must be custom-tailored so that we have the ability to change our way of communicating at the drop of a hat.

All in all, it's just about being respectful and understanding of everyone around you. Everyone has differences, whether it be a social gap, educational gap, or even an economical gap we have to be ready to change the way we communicate so that we can understand one another.

The worst thing we can do is stick to learning and teaching one way. We must diversify and become more understanding if we want to help the world take a step in the right direction.

Whether it be English, mathematics, science, history, or art, there will be no advancements if we refuse to learn and adapt.

humanity
Like

About the Creator

Alexandra Zeller

A young adult still trying to find her place in this world.

You can follow me on all my socials!

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.