AEP - Advance English Program. When I transferred to Fountain International School, I was given two options to choose from, either AEP or ESL (English Second Language). I was told by the teacher who was responsible for my subject applications, if I wanted to be in an intermediate English class, just join AEP. That was the very first time, I was exposed to AEP class. I was baffled and kept asking this one question all over my mind "why the school provides a subject called Advance English Program? when they already provide English AS & A level". Of course, I need to give it a try to know and understand what exactly the purpose of AEP is.
I was very nervous when I joined the class because my English is not as good. I was talking in my own native language the whole time when I was in my own country. Even my textbook or other educational references is in my native language and at that time I thought English was just not important to me before, I was very arrogant and full of ego thinking that I can do anything or learn anything without English knowledge. But entering an International School really changed me, now I can talk and have a conversation with other people from other countries in full English. English to me is like a huge wall that prevents me from approaching other people, I can't even greet people by saying "good morning", "Hi, how are you?", "What's your name?". It's not that I can't ask or talk to people, I am insecure with society and really scared of my bad English. Imagine being judged or laughed at because I just said the wrong grammar, that is very embarrassing for me. But actually, I realized one important thing in life, people actually don't care about your mistakes, they are willing to help you if you ask them politely. I also believe that mistake and failure is not the end of the world for someone, it is a process for every one human being to take as a lesson and take a step forward for improvements.
After a year, I can say that my English improved drastically. As the environment forced and guided me slowly, at the same time I also pushed myself to talk with my classmates. I was so different from my old school. Maybe I was so loud before because I can joke around because I was very comfortable and confident with it. When it comes to English, all the confidence melts right away. But now, if I was appointed to do a class presentation, I can do it confidently now even though I stutter a lot. I am proud of myself because people can actually understand my pronunciation, what message I wanted to deliver and most important thing is everything that I said can make sense. Other than that, In AEP, I also learned about every type of wordle. It's really boring and takes a long time to solve the puzzle. It takes less time and effort if you do it together with your classmates because you can discuss it with each other face-to-face. Moreover, I also enhanced my scrabble skills by 0.0002 percent. I really dislike board games because it only requires mental. like real sports that involve physical contact, getting adrenaline rushing up your body by running, and being active.
Hehehe thanks for your honesty but word games are here to stay...I also love physical games.I hate watching a game on TV because watching isn't as exciting as playing. Physical games keep your body fit but a fit body needs a sharp mind ...the word games we play keep our minds sharp.They also provide a transition into the class that is very important, just like a warm up in sports or the koqu exercises we did every day before practice began in the dojo. The mind,body and spirt are all connected and you need to feed all of them . :)
ReplyDelete