Online English as a Second Language: the journey's begun

English: it’s integral to today’s human communication puzzle. A language cobbled together from so many predecessor tongues, English has transformed into a conveyance for commerce, technology, and world culture. With so many peculiar rules about phonics and grammar, an enterprising student goes through a lot of memorization and practice before unlocking the ability for word play, humor, and nuances.

Our character Lelle and the elephant I drew for my student Sea inspired him to try one, along with his other vocabulary like 'waterfall' and 'birds' and 'river'!



I practiced the language rigorously, in a creative and journalistic career founded on listening- to say nothing of writing a couple million words! My journey included feature writing, stories, comic books, a cartoon, and several books- plus years of journal entries, too. A friend suggested, while battling the vicissitudes and isolation of creative life, I should be teaching. When I discovered online classes, my world changed and brightened! Why not combine my love of foreign cultures and ability in English, to open a world of experiences for children?

There’s a beauty to going back to the basics, picking up these building blocks with tiny hands, making new expressions from its simplest forms. Quickly, I’ve gained recurrent students; their warm-hearted reception has been humbling. Some need lots of practice listening, coaxing. Some respond gleefully to my stuffed cast – Lelle, Sam, Sunny, Jabbit and Anne model concepts and words while seemingly coming to life. More than one child has picked up their favorite toy to say hello, back! Things I learned so long ago become new questions: I love working out the problem of how to convey them. "How do we explain this?"  The process tests my ability to improvise.  My days learning foreign language come into play: it is healthy to re-discover how everything from hello to complex, abstract thoughts are spoken in a new tongue. It reminds me of the challenge my students face, new to the world of English. They have fun, gaining confidence. So long as they don’t give up, hey, neither will I.

English: it’s a tricky business. To be such a crazy patchwork of rules and word roots, it’s become ubiquitous in the global village. What a child needs is a kind friend to coach him or her through its seemingly arbitrary changes. Some student I teach will master making jokes, or tackle some pressing engineering problem, or negotiate trade, practice law. Perhaps they will feel more confident, traveling, or even living abroad! When these hard-working parents pay for our aid, they are asking us to remove fears and doubts, replacing them with knowledge, hope. How wonderful to reach across borders and increase understanding!

I waited all my life for this unique chance. Thank you, Dada & Say ABC: the wait is over.

(If anyone wants to write me for a referral, just comment and we'll get that working! I just thought of it, lol)