FINAL SOUND, PLEASE!

“It takes passionate ‘ESL’ teachers to break bad habits.”

This isn’t someone else’s philosophy some might think has evolved for thousand years. It’s mine. But then it takes separate explanations to grasp this two-sided coin.

Passionate educators whose intention isn’t purely money drawn by selfishness and the lack of concern for the learners.

Bad habit or mental constitutions stuck for centuries caused by erroneous teaching and colonization itself.

Don’t be alarmed for it’s no between life and death case to worry about-just a piece of care only ESL experts can relate; language issues so to speak. So let me take you in to this small world quickly wherein every story unveiled is probably familiar to many, or not.

Once I wrote a short story, Bringing Mr. FC Back, portraying the same situation I intended today–it’s about an old issue among learners (insiders) not pronouncing almost every final sound of the word. The worst, they always tend to devalue and forget the consonant “s” at all times which is very destructing in a conversation.

“Hope it’s not mild amnesia” I said, annoyed. And no matter how constant my reminder each day, there they are doing classic mistakes while I, like a clanging cymbal.   

It was in T.E.S.O.L. training I learned about this old brain thing. An old brain, in this context, refers to obsolete or phased out or out-of-date knowledge kept for many years. It also has a tendency blocking new ideas to come in.  

“So one must learn to let it go to thrive” our mentor encouraged.

The human brain is compared to a filter, which, blocks wastes and rusts for clean waters to flow. But we must wash the filter itself every now and then to get cleaned water.

And so I applied this theory to my students with a single intention-if anyone is resistant to give up bad habits (e.g. speaking English without final sound or keeps forgetting the sound “s”) and mental constitutions (influenced by French language), then he or she isn’t going anywhere conforming a comprehensible conversation.

Then they remain still in the old, bad habits again and again and again.

True enough-the resistant ones speak the same way but the receptive ones (so few) flourished. It’s my everyday challenge or headache. But not when any educators have less concern for student’s development. I don’t know their hearts.

Got a lot of polite students here a teacher would hope for. They always made me happy, but not when they speak this way “Goodnai, teacher!” or “Plea, eat rai wid me” or “Haw a nai day!” amidst countless corrections.

“This is not how we should say it then?” I asked back while demonstrating one last time.

“Goodnight, teacher or Please, eat rice with me or Have a nice day!” saying them in a loud voice.

They just laughed, reminded.

One day, I realized was saying the other way around. “Oh, don’t pronounce the final sound or that little ‘s’ thing, they aren’t important anyway.” So tired of telling them over and over- a reversed psychology might do I thought. Who knows?

It did.

Now, I can see more of a breakthrough. I can hear final sounds clearly in our daily communication whether it is said in a long sentence or a short phrase or simply a word.

It’s so rewarding.

I’ve been waiting for this all these years.

“What can I say?” Well, it’s a major accomplishment; a life-long legacy been dreaming to happen.

Yesterday was our Speech Day at the center–to build up confidence in communication skill basically. We had reading contest, speech delivery, case presentation, and more. I was so impressed and overjoyed with the outcome. They did an excellent job.

It was the first time in a long while that I didn’t have to open the scripts in my hand to follow what they read or said or presented. They did it well, clear, and so comprehensibly. Wow! It was culminated with simple awarding rewarding their efforts.      

I’ll still do the reversed strategy while I’m still here in case one curious mind asks. It’s funny, but you just have to do it nicely though-it works, for me at least.

“Final sound, please!” We have a lot of them here to get reminded. Maybe they exist, too, in your own ESL world. But as I said, it takes passionate teachers to break bad habits.

It’s up to you!