A great weekend - Early language acquisition
I have some very exciting and meaningful
days to look back on. I had the opportunity to meet new people with whom I
share a common interest; this is "Early language acquisition".
As many of you know, we are bringing up our kids to be "bilingual".
We are both of Hungarian origin but use English most of the day. English is
part of our everyday life. I could write more about that, however, I would like
to share some positive thoughts about the recent course I attended.
Acquiring English at an early age: I find early language acquisition the most fascinating topic at the
moment. My children use English happily and effortlessly. It is not a ‘must’
for them as it was for us in school.
Course in Budapest: I was over the moon when heard about a
course organized in Hungary, focusing on teaching English to the most
challenging age group (3-10). First, I asked myself: Are people open to
exploring something new? Could I be part of a group who think the same way as I
do? Amazing! Yes, there are not many of us but we are enthusiastic and
committed in what we are doing. Many teachers, participated in this course. We shared ideas on the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’
Well done, teacher trainer! We had an excellent
teacher trainer who was there with and for us! She put her whole
heart into those 3 days. Every one of us felt comfortable and at ease. We
mainly used English but it was not compulsory. We enjoyed discussing good
teaching methods, writing a rap song on developing our teaching and many other
things that I am not able to share. I keep them
deep inside my heart. I felt very much encouraged by her thoughts and comments
and can only congratulate her on her
attitude and proficiency. A good teacher trainer shares his/her whole
"inside word" with his/her audience. That's what she did :).
And finally, some facts that I now understand about a being good teacher/good parent:
- the need to be confident and enthusiastic
- the need to love children a lot
- the ability to stay calm and patient even at hard times
- the confidence to follow your instincts
- the need to dream
- the desire to learn from others
- the willingness to be open to new discoveries
The list is not complete...
What would you add? Please
share your thoughts with us here!
