Video: https://youtu.be/QLgkJOiQbFs
Hello, everyone. My name is Fei (Lori) Zhao, and I am a senior at the University of Houston Sugar Land campus. My major is teaching and learning with a EC-6 certification. I am doing my student teaching in 5th grade at Mission Bend Elementary School. The grade level I want to teach in the future is kindergarten. According to Ortega, students learn and practice syntax during kindergarten. The reason I want to be an educator is because I love children, and I want to make a difference and have a impact on their lives. I want to expand their knowledge about the world and influence them to become better individuals in the future.
I was born in China (inner Mongolia). My
first language is Mandarin Chinese, and I continue to communicate mostly in
Mandarin. When I was 10 years old, I moved to Houston, and that's when I first
started learning English as my second language. To me, learning English was the hardest and most
terrifying thing I had ever done. At the beginning of the school year, I barely
spoke any English, and my vocabulary was limited to very simple words. However,
the school provided me with a wonderful ESL class to help me with effectively
learn English. By the end of the school year, I was able to pick up on many
phrases. According to Ortega, “learners in which learn an additional language
through formal study in school or a university, through private lessons and so
on” (Ortega, 2013, pg. 6).
As time goes by, my English continues to
improve. I do often find myself still struggling with grammar. Ortega mentions
in the article, that "A Second language learner needs to learn the
grammar." (Ortega,2013). I still also have to constantly ask others to
help proofread my grammar in my writing assignments. Therefore, I definitely agree with Ortega on
how important grammar development is in the process of learning English.
In this class, I'm really looking
forward to learning another language. Ortega mentions that "Second
Language Acquisition, because of its complexity and its reliance on an import
for other disciplines, is not placed so easily" (Ortega, 2013). I
understand it is going to be challenging, but it will also be fun.
Refrences:
Ortega, L.(2013)Understanding Second Language Acquisition. Routledge
