For the majority of my life, I despised learning languages. I was convinced that some people are naturally gifted at languages and that I was simply not one of those people. So, how did I change from someone who loathed every second spent in a German classroom to living abroad and speaking it every day?
I didn’t have the chance to start learning a foreign language until seventh grade. Compared to my current students, who start English in first grade, this is quite late. According to what I've learned, language acquisition is easier the younger you start. Starting to learn a new language during adulthood, while it is incredibly beneficial for brain health, is tougher and takes longer to reach fluency.
Spanish felt completely unique to my brain and exercised it in new, unfamiliar ways. I did not grasp it as easily as other subjects; therefore, being the fickle student I was, I assumed there must be something wrong with either Spanish or myself. Most other subjects were relatively simple, so why couldn’t Spanish just click into place like everything else in school?
Over the next few years, I grew resistant to language learning entirely. Frankly, I felt embarrassed by my poor retention and slow progress. When I reached the end of my required time in Spanish, I wished it farewell and good riddance. Most knowledge was purged from my brain and, unfortunately, my memory of even basic words and sentences is severely lacking today.
Going into college, I knew my degree required at least two years of foreign language courses. At this point, I still hated Spanish and assumed any language would be a miserable struggle, so I decided to enroll in the furthest thing from a romance language I could find. Combined with my own ancestry and my interest in European politics and history, I landed on German.
For the first year, I was afraid to speak up or try at all because any errors were penalized. Many of my classmates took German in high school, so I immediately felt disheartened and behind. Since I never needed German in daily life, I questioned its usefulness and my motivation waned.
The turning point for me came in the form of an energetic, understanding Bavarian woman named Frau Steigerwald. In her classes, she showed a level of empathy and patience unparalleled by any of my previous language instructors. She showed me that language is more than just a grade or something you get right or wrong: language is a wonderful tool, a way to make connections and learn, a window to more of the world and its people. She opened my eyes and completely revolutionized my attitude about German. Her positive influence is why I chose Bavaria as my top preference for my Fulbright placement.
In my experience, I’ve also discovered that extracurricular opportunities are just as valuable and informative as, if not more than, experiences within the traditional classroom setting. I realized I spoke German much more freely while attending local Stammtisch events and connecting with people casually than in my formal courses. Communicating without fear of a bad grade or red marks through every error healed my relationship with languages.
Because I am still a language learner myself, I will never forget the position my students are in or how daunting a foreign language can be. Empathy is the most vital trait a teacher can have and I learned the value of it from Frau Steigerwald. She understood that I struggled with the language, despite trying my best, so she let me make mistakes and experiment, finding creative ways to communicate using the words I knew. Once I felt comfortable enough to try, fail, and try again, I found that not only am I decent at German, but I actually, dare I say, enjoy it! Now, I am trying to show my students that it’s okay to make mistakes—I make them every day in German—and create a space where they feel comfortable experimenting, failing, and trying again.
If you are learning a language, don't give up! Stick with it, I promise it gets easier.
I didn’t have the chance to start learning a foreign language until seventh grade. Compared to my current students, who start English in first grade, this is quite late. According to what I've learned, language acquisition is easier the younger you start. Starting to learn a new language during adulthood, while it is incredibly beneficial for brain health, is tougher and takes longer to reach fluency.
Spanish felt completely unique to my brain and exercised it in new, unfamiliar ways. I did not grasp it as easily as other subjects; therefore, being the fickle student I was, I assumed there must be something wrong with either Spanish or myself. Most other subjects were relatively simple, so why couldn’t Spanish just click into place like everything else in school?
Over the next few years, I grew resistant to language learning entirely. Frankly, I felt embarrassed by my poor retention and slow progress. When I reached the end of my required time in Spanish, I wished it farewell and good riddance. Most knowledge was purged from my brain and, unfortunately, my memory of even basic words and sentences is severely lacking today.
Going into college, I knew my degree required at least two years of foreign language courses. At this point, I still hated Spanish and assumed any language would be a miserable struggle, so I decided to enroll in the furthest thing from a romance language I could find. Combined with my own ancestry and my interest in European politics and history, I landed on German.
For the first year, I was afraid to speak up or try at all because any errors were penalized. Many of my classmates took German in high school, so I immediately felt disheartened and behind. Since I never needed German in daily life, I questioned its usefulness and my motivation waned.
The turning point for me came in the form of an energetic, understanding Bavarian woman named Frau Steigerwald. In her classes, she showed a level of empathy and patience unparalleled by any of my previous language instructors. She showed me that language is more than just a grade or something you get right or wrong: language is a wonderful tool, a way to make connections and learn, a window to more of the world and its people. She opened my eyes and completely revolutionized my attitude about German. Her positive influence is why I chose Bavaria as my top preference for my Fulbright placement.
In my experience, I’ve also discovered that extracurricular opportunities are just as valuable and informative as, if not more than, experiences within the traditional classroom setting. I realized I spoke German much more freely while attending local Stammtisch events and connecting with people casually than in my formal courses. Communicating without fear of a bad grade or red marks through every error healed my relationship with languages.
Because I am still a language learner myself, I will never forget the position my students are in or how daunting a foreign language can be. Empathy is the most vital trait a teacher can have and I learned the value of it from Frau Steigerwald. She understood that I struggled with the language, despite trying my best, so she let me make mistakes and experiment, finding creative ways to communicate using the words I knew. Once I felt comfortable enough to try, fail, and try again, I found that not only am I decent at German, but I actually, dare I say, enjoy it! Now, I am trying to show my students that it’s okay to make mistakes—I make them every day in German—and create a space where they feel comfortable experimenting, failing, and trying again.
If you are learning a language, don't give up! Stick with it, I promise it gets easier.