As an early school student, English was a bogeyman to me. It scared me but eventually lured me too. I grew up in a Hindu society where English was often nicknamed as – a language of people who consume cow meat (गाई खाने भाषा). I knew soon that people were admiring it when they were giving such derogatory nicknames. They were relating English to its wide range of use and scholarship coverage. So, directly or indirectly, its power, influence, and grandeur were always acclaimed.
I started learning English quite late and with too little exposure. I was a student from a Nepali medium community school where English was not taught in early grades as they do nowadays. I started learning complete sentences like: "Bina, touch your arm." from 4th grade. The classes used to be Nepali medium English classes where the main approach of teaching would be GT method, or code-switching between English and Nepali. Even today, the situation is almost the same in many community schools across Nepal, though there are some obvious exceptions. Moreover, I was not a language enthusiast either. Frankly sharing the fact, up to my 8th grade, I was an average performing student, if not a struggling one. Main reason behind this could be the environment provided to me in my family. As both of my elder brothers were studying science stream in their higher studies, my family expectations and environment were pushing me too towards the same line. I also had shown my silent acceptance. I used to be closer and more interactive with the science teacher. I used to carry my science related tasks more sincerely than that of other subjects.
In due course, I met a turning point: a letter from my teacher. My journey with English began one day when I received a letter from an English teacher who had run private tuition. The letter was with an invitation to me for a tuition class he was running. It happened when I was in my eighth grade. It was the time of our summer (rainy season) vacation. During the days, school children used to join extra-classes popularly known as tuition classes during such vacations; it had been fashion-like. I also enrolled myself for English class. In Nepali-medium government schools, English was taken as the toughest subject. So, we would focus on learning English in extra hours. Friends and teacher did all the arrangements and decided to begin the class from the first Sunday after the commencement of the vacation. On the first day, only seven students came, though 32 of my friends had enrolled their names previously. Despite all the efforts for four days the number of students could not go more than nine. Eventually, I also started to get longingness to quit. The number of students was obviously not the main reason. For a shy boy (then) like me to be the only male student in the crowd of eight other girls became a big deal. Finally, I quitted.
After four days of quitting the tuition, a friend of mine from the neighbouring village (Harimaya) came to my home. She produced a letter from her pocket and handed it to me saying- “letter from Bishnu sir”. A letter from my English teacher! – it was beyond my imagination. A feeling of fear, curiosity, and anxiety made me tremble. I did not know what to say. It was a moment of confusion. I still remember how feebly I bid goodbye to my friend and ran to my room. Things had been dream-like. I opened the letter hastily. The letter had a sweet salutation, a brief single-paragraph body part, and appealing closing remarks. All in well-wrought beautiful handwriting, he had admired my performance of four days in the tuition class and had insisted me to rejoin. The letter brought a powerful tremor in my family, giving me the only option I could take: continuing the class right from the next day. So, I rejoined.
I had never supposed that I would enjoy learning English grammar but I did. The tuition classes of forty days obviously gave me some impression on basic rules, and structures related to major grammar items and some vocabulary that elevated my level of English far ahead. My new attention to the English language and subject brought differences in my grades too. In due course, I felt a shift in my interest from science to English. Eventually, I turned to be an enthusiast of English language and literature in my college life. By all these, I ventured into the avenue that led me to be an ELT practitioner.
In the context of Nepal, beginning as a teacher is considered almost the easiest of all and probably I did the same. But, as transforming myself into a career oriented teacher, living in it, living with it and living for it makes a vast difference, I am still working on it. My journey as an ELT practitioner, though, has already measured a long distance, there are several horizons that I have not seen yet. I have realized that decades long experience doesn’t necessarily indicate that I must be a good teacher. Many other things matter here. What impression has one made on the students (the teacher who changed my life- type of impression), how updated am I with the high pace of time and flood of advancement in the field and whether passion to continue and flourish in the profession lies in the inner heart or is it superficial? Answers to these questions always remain worthy to consider. In deep observation, I find myself still hopeful because I have keen interest in my profession and professional growth.
I still remember Bishnu sir and his letter that brought me to the field of English and this professional journey of an ELT practitioner. Behind hundreds of stories from my work-set, mindset and heart-set, deep in lies the same moment of ignition, that letter from my teacher, the motivation and meaningful learning print in that young mind. So, with this I realize how important a teacher's response can be to an individual student.
Bharat Sigdel
HOD , English Department
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