Speak up!

Two days as MUET Speaking examiner for form 6 final year examination was certainly not a walk in the park. Although it was somewhat expected, but I did not think it would be until that extent. I was disappointed with many but a few did make me happy. At least they tried. The topics were very simple but unfortunately their limited vocabulary bank hindered their speech. What they intended to say was not conveyed. Some of them only had umm… and aaa… came out from their mouths. It’s so sad to even begin to imagine these students embarking their journey to the varsity but could not even hold a decent conversation in English. I tried to empathize with them, tried to put myself in their shoes in understanding why they find English simply impossible. Learning English is actually not that difficult. Like any other language, when you immerse yourself in the language, i.e. watch lots of TV, listen to English songs, READ, READ, READ, and speak in English with your friends, it will come naturally. I tried to get my students to be interested but the limited time was not sufficient to help them prepare for this test. Next year, I need to do better to help them. But I always feel frustrated because I feel like I can’t do much and there’s so much to do. Often times the responses I get from them discourage me from doing more. These kids have such negative attitude towards learning and this does not help at all. Their lack of discipline, laziness and extreme silence drive me up the wall at times. However, not all is bleak, not everything is bad. I see a few potentials, a few students that could be polished. So, looking at their level now what can be done? What can I do to help them? Please help me…