Narrativas coletadas por Liliane Sade

Aprendiz 10:

(sexo feminino – 7o período de Letras)

 

            I started studying English at CCAA in Oliveira when I was eleven years old and from that time on I never stopped. My parents decided to enroll me at a private English school because I have been showing my interest in learning English since I was five years old, when I started reading in my native language. I used to get my cousin’s English book and try to read and understand what was on it. My mother knew a little about English, so she used to teach me the meaning and the pronunciation of some words. When she didn’t know a word, I used to get angry and frustrated, but this was not an obstacle that kept me from reading, I mean, trying to read that kind of book.

            I loved my English classes at CCAA. The stories and the dialogues really drew my attention. I grew up at the same time with the characters and the lesson’s themes and situations were interesting and according to my age.

            At the same time I started studying at CCAA, English was introduced to me at school. I studied at a public school and I hated my English classes there. Fortunately, I could afford a private English course because, otherwise, all my interest in English would go way with the classes I had in that school.

            I was always a good student and all my grades were very good, specially in English, the subject I liked most. It would take me six years and a half to graduate at CCAA and I set my mind that I would not stop until I achieved this goal.

            Some years before getting my certificate, the CCAA’s principal invited me to teach English for beginners. I accept and my wage would be used to pay my English course. This experience as an English teacher helped me a lot to develop my English skills, specially speaking. I was, I mean, I am very shy and during the classes I attended, I didn’t use to speak a lot. Being an English teacher obliged me to speak and this helped me to overcome my shyness, at least during the classes I am teaching.

            Besides teaching at CCAA, I taught children at a public school using CCAA’s material. When I moved to São João del-Rei to take the Letras course, I continued to teach English as a monitor at UFSJ. I also taught at Number One and I, in my opinion, these experiences not only allowed me to teach, but also learn a lot.

            Taking the Letras course made me find out another area of my interest: Literatures in English Language. To tell the truth, I had never tried to read literary books in English because, actually, I dind’t used to like reading. The first contact I had with English Literature was scary. I had to read a short story and as soon as I started reading, I noticed that there were many words that I didn’t know. I got a little frustrated and asked myself: “How come seven years studying English and I am not able to read a mere short story?” 

             Fortunately, I had Magda as a Literature teacher,  that explained me that I didn’t have to know the meaning of every word to read a text and that I could guess the meaning of  the words I dind’t know through the context they were being used. Magda not only improved my reading in English, but also awakened my interest in Literature. The classes taught completely in English at the university and the works I was supposed to hand in in English also helped me a lot to develop my listening and writing skills.

            CCAA was very important during my first stage of learning and the classes at the University were also very relevant becaused they helped me to develop my autonomy in learning English. Nowadays, I’m able to improve my knowledge in English without necessarily  attend a class.