Breaking the barriers of language : by Mariah

Breaking the barriers of language : by Mariah - June 2016 Scholarship Essay

I faced what felt like a tremendous difficulty in an accelerated Spanish course. Entering grade 8, I was offered a seat in the magnet program at Chapel Hill Middle School. Excited to attend a middle school that promised a better-structured learning environment, I graciously accepted the offer. I soon learned that I would be placed in level 2 Spanish, an accelerated course. It would prove to be my most difficult subject yet.
Several factors contributed to my struggles. One of the main contributing factors was my lack of previous exposure to the subject matter. I was placed in the level 2 class despite the fact of not having taken a level 1 class. My lack of preparedness was painfully obvious. The teacher moved swiftly through a review of sentence structure and conjugation of different verb tenses as I struggled to keep up with the class on simple worksheets. By the third week of class, I was clinging to a borderline B average in the class.
In addition to having minimal prior exposure to the subject, I had ineffective study habits. I was studying Spanish in the same manner that I studied my other courses; this consisted of me spending most of my time reading the text book. Although I made some progress in understanding the grammar rules, I didn't feel a connection with the text as I had with my other courses.
Overcoming the negative factors took commitment on my part. I knew I needed to acquaint myself with the culture in order to appreciate the language. Therefore, I immersed myself in the language by watching Spanish television shows and listening to Spanish radio. I also found other resources. When I had the opportunity, I spoke with native speakers. To this day, I hold conversations with my grandmother's friend whose first language is Spanish. When I purchase something that has both English and Spanish instructions, I tend to test my skills by first reading the Spanish version. I learned that the best way for me to learn a foreign language, or anything unfamiliar, is to incorporate it into the rest of my daily life.
I made great improvements in my Spanish writing and speaking abilities once I became engaged in the culture itself. I am able to communicate in Spanish more confidently because my competency and fluency has improved. Toward the end of my level 2 Spanish course, I had a full Spanish conversation with my Spanish teacher. That was a milestone for me. I attribute my improvement in writing Spanish to the fact that I practiced what I learned about basic Spanish sentence structure. I chatted with friends online in Spanish, wrote an essay in Spanish and used free online Spanish lessons to practice my writing skills.
Am I fluent in Spanish? Not yet. I still have to overcome my feelings of embarrassment about making a mistake when I practice speaking the language. As a Spanish language learner, I get lost in fast moving conversations with fluent or native Spanish speakers. Certainly, I need to immerse myself in the language on a daily basis. Still, I have grown to love the idea of understanding different cultures. In fact, I pursued French in my ninth grade year of high school. I thoroughly enjoyed the class. My struggles with eighth grade Spanish helped to prepare me on what methods to use to learn a foreign language. I advanced to French 4 and was inducted into and became Secretary of the National French Honor Society. Because I excelled in the subject, I was asked to take AP French but it conflicted with my schedule for a required class. In short, I have a great deal to improve upon in learning a foreign language but I continue to work toward greater improvement.