Did I tell you that I'm tutoring an adult with her ESL skills? Yes, it's been a great experience so far. I'm doing it voluntarily and I highly recommend it.
What I'm discovering about the experience is that helping her hone her language skills is in turn, helping me stay encouraged about learning another language.
I've been attempting to learn a second language for as long as I can remember. So far in my life, the study waxes and wanes - but here I am - several years later...still at it.
I've accepted that I'll be learning this language my entire life.
Yes, I speak English clearly, but do I know every word or phrase in the English language? No. No I do not.
In fact, years ago I used to have one of those desktop calendars that shows you one new vocabulary word a day.
Although extremely interesting - unless you use those words in your everyday language...you tend to forget the words.
I'll go ahead and say that this happened to me approximately 365 times.
A new word for each day of the year! Ha!
As I'm working with the ESL learner though, I'm discovering that 1) there are some things about the English language that I never committed to memory years ago, and 2) no matter whether or not you think you're too old to learn something new - even a new language, there's someone out there just like you (or older than you) who's also starting at his or her day one.
With the things we know - we should be helping someone else learn. For the things we don't know - there are people willing to help us learn.
Tutoring has re-ignited the flame I have for learning a different language - especially because the student's native language is the one I'm trying to learn.
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