What English Means To Me

by Jaime Weiler

Jaime Weiler is from Athens, Wisconsin, USA. She received her bachelors in social
studies education from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. Her first job was in
Miharu, Japan where she taught middle school children for four years. During that time,
she received her Masters of Arts in Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages
from the School for International Teaching in Vermont. She is currently teaching at the
Faculty of Philology in Belgrade - Essay and Conversation for third year students.

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What does English mean to me? It isn’t until you are asked a question like this that
you actually think about an answer. Being a native speaker, English is as natural as
breathing. It wasn’t until I became an ESL teacher that I started to struggle with it, actually
look at it and define it.
Its importance in my life is how it’s important in my students’ lives. Their English
language learning is what my professional life revolves around. If I want to succeed at my
job, first I need to know what English means to my students in order to know what it means
to me. Their reasons for studying English affect how I prepare and present lessons, how I
interact with them and how I take on the language.
My students study English with a feverish passion. It is a way to advance in
society, in the world and in their life. They can go to a better school, get a better job, and
achieve a higher salary. They can support their family, create a dowry for a sister, or
increase their social status. With a good English education, they can get their dream job as
a flight attendant, travel guide or software engineer. For many of my students, it is a visa to
escape.
My students study English with the interest of watching paint dry. It is an
annoyance. It is a subject mandated by their government, something they have to endure
during their young lives. They see no use for it, so their interest level is zero. They see it
as a push away from who they are or what their culture is. For many of my students, they
see it as a prison.
My students study English with slight enthusiasm. It is just another class in their
schedule, something they have to get through and with decent enough grades to help
them to get into a good college. They study it because it is the cool thing to do and
everyone is doing it. They like to find out more about other people and cultures, so they
study it to understand. For many of my students, it is just another part of the day.
In just one class, I could have all of these feelings about English because my
students have them. English is a joy, a burden, and a pastime. It took on meaning the first
time I left the US to teach in another country, and I will continue to question and analyze it
for the rest of my life. Everyday I anticipate the challenges that English, through my
students, will throw at me.
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