English
has always been an important aspect of my life and its journey has been filled
with memories that I mostly recall upon quite fondly. I picked up reading at a
tender age of five to authors such as Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl, as well as to
the occasional fairytales of Hans Christian Anderson. I loved how their stories
swept me up into this whimsical world of fantasies where I would dream and
yearn for a world that allowed me to have tea with fairies, gnomes, and talking
dolls. Such fantasies formed many wonderful experiences as a child growing up
and from there, I developed my intense love for reading and for the
English language.
As
a primary school student, my love for reading and good results from my English
examinations did not go unnoticed by my parents. They helped hone my English writing
skills by sending me for enrichment classes and purchasing educational videos
as well as assessment books to learn from and practice on. I recall vividly of
a memory when I received results that I had gotten for my composition writing
of which I scored a 35/40. I showed it to my father and he told me I could do
better before sending me off to watch an essay writing video that he had just
recently purchased for me. Walking back to my room, I remember feeling that
crushing disappointment that came with the lack of positive feedback and
affirmation received from him. Most of all, I believed him. I believed I
could do even better. From there, I started working harder to improve on my
English writing. I read the encyclopedia, and I completed many practice papers.
At primary 6, I was practicing on GCE O Level English assessment books. Teachers,
friends and relatives started to recognize and praise this "language ability" of mine, and I relished in that sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
Then in my secondary school journey, I developed a reputation in class for being the “English girl”. That stuck with me throughout my secondary school life and was even further emphasized on after I received a highly commended award for my written entry to the Commonwealth Essay Writing Competition back in 2008. While that was another positive affirmation of my writing abilities, I was also greatly embarrassed since receiving an award for essay writing then was not exactly the “coolest” award amongst my peers. Also, it was from there that I got my first glimpse of what it meant to be a skilled writer as I read the top entries written by other students nation-wide across the secondary and Junior College level.
I
studied in a polytechnic thereafter and the course I was enrolled in allowed me
to further hone my writing skills as its assessments were mainly focused on
academic writing. Exposure to different writing styles was revealed slowly in
due course to me as I would request to read my friends’ essays to improve
on my writing ability, as well as gain new perspectives. I also started keeping
tabs on popular bloggers known for their writing and deep insights as I have
always been in awe of great writers. However, such awe also created this
inferiority complex within me as I started to place comparison between myself
and them.
In
this present environment where writing plays a major factor in determining one’s
grades in school, I do feel threatened occasionally when I read well written forum posts
from other students. However at the
same time, I acknowledge this fear of mine, and wish to reconcile with it. If
there is anything I have learnt from uncovering memories of my English language
journey, it is that learning is never stagnant. I have always sought and
believed in the pursuit of improving one’s self, and I believe I will continue doing so as I move towards the future endeavors in my life. Likewise, it is a realization I have now come to recognize that I only have my parents to thank for imparting such an important lesson of "You can do better" to me.
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