English was my first language, as it was for many people. My parents knew early on that English would play an important role in the future and proceeded to place me in an English speaking kindergarten. It was there where I learnt about the basics of grammar, sentence structures and the rules of the language.
I soon found out that being fluent in English gave me an advantage in school. Since I was enrolled at a Chinese primary school in Malaysia, it was natural that most of the students spoke only Chinese. As a result, what others struggled with for ages, such as grammar exercises – I was able to finish within minutes. I also vividly remember leading a pair of lost English speaking parents to the office because I was the only one around who could converse with them well enough.
However, I also secretly knew that my grasp of the language was flawed. Oral skills often do not translate well on to paper and I found my writing to be repetitive and boring. This was not how good writers write. Still, I did nothing. I believed that while my writing was not good, it was not that bad either.
My breaking point came when I was writing for one of my academic papers in the first semester. Not used to writing after a long break, I found myself stuck in front of the keyboard. The words just did not flow well. Ultimately, I realized that I had to put in conscious effort in order for my writing to improve and started by giving myself random subjects to write on. It might not be a lot, but it sure is one step towards improving my writing.
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Last edited on Feb 3
randomdesignsbyme 
Thank you, Lye Yee, for this detailed reflection. I appreciate learning about your early learning experience. I’m curious though if your school was in an urban environment or a rural one. Also, was English then explicitly taught in your schools? How?
There are a few minor problems here language-wise:
1) I soon found out that being fluent in English gave me an advantage in school. Since I was enrolled at a Chinese primary school in Malaysia, it was natural that most of them spoke only Chinese. >>>
I soon found out that being fluent in English gave me an advantage in school. Since I was enrolled at a Chinese primary school in Malaysia, it was natural that most of THE STUDENTS spoke only Chinese.
2) a pair of lost English speaking parent >>>
a pair of lost English speaking parentS
Still, this is a clear, concise and very fluent piece of writing.
I look forward to learning more from you this term.
Hi, I think that you write quite well and your language is clear. However, there are some minor grammatical errors in the entry. For example, “I also vividly remember(ed) leading a pair of lost English speaking parent(s) to the office…” and “My breaking point came when I was writing for one of my academic paper(s) in the first semester.”
– Shu Kai
Hi Lye Yee,
From my point of view, I feel that you write quite well. As compare to my writing, I feel that your writing really much more better than mine. In terms of content, I feel u had covered all the key elements in Gibb’s Model. Overall is a good job for me! 🙂
-Keng Hwa
Hi,
Apart from the mistakes pointed out by Shu Kai, there were a few more errors. Oral skills often did(do) not translate well…., I found my writing… There should be consistency in your sentence. Use past tense for both verbs. Another error: Might not be a lot, but it sure was(is) one step…
Best regards,
Alvin