Teach English in Weicun Zhen - Linfen Shi

Most people believe that to teach a child a second/new language, a parent should be able to speak the language as well. “But what if a parent is monolingual and still wants to give their child the best possible head start in this wonderfully global world?” (Benny, 2019). All the information says the same thing when people do research on raising bilingual children. It is definitely easier to teach a child a language if one parent can speak it. A French mother can marry a Spanish father. Both of these parents can, therefore, teach their child each of these individual languages. But what if the environment does not allow a chance to learn English? How can parents introduce a non-dominant language at home? (Christine, 2019). This essay will discuss a variety of ways in which a child can easily acquire a new language without the parents speaking the language for themselves. Although this is possible and in my opinion should be done, it is easier if the parent can speak or at least attempt to learn some of it. Christine (2019) mentions from her own experience that the first place to start to learn English or a new language for that matter is by herself. Language requires interaction and communication. If you want to help your child learn English and encourage the usage of it, you must be able (or attempt) to speak it yourself. It is a lot cheaper than attending classes and you yourself get the opportunity to learn a new, global language. Many people would ask the question, “Is there any benefit to learning a language that isn’t spoken in the country you live in?” In my opinion, yes, there is. But of course, it will depend on what language. In the case of this essay, English is a global language. English is used in all forms of business, industry, and commerce (Ebersohn, 2019). In a country such as China for example, with only one official language, it is a necessity. If any Chinese person strives to be successful in any field and communicate with the outside world, they will have to speak English. What better way than to start teaching your child from a young age and learning it yourself at the same time. More research indicates that listening to a language is a positive way of learning it. The more one hears it, the more one remembers it. Songs or TV shows is another great way to encourage learning a new language and it doesn’t take a lot of effort from a parent. However, the best way to still learn the language is to be in an English speaking environment. The best exposure you can give your child is by taking them to an English speaking country and letting them engage with the people and pick up the language as they go. The same counts for you as a parent. A parent may not pick up the language as quickly as the child, but it works the same way. Unfortunately, simply hearing the language and watching English movies is not going to be enough. There are other aspects such as muscle memory of the mouth that needs practice and that will only be acquired when speaking (I learned this from my own experience when teaching in China). The best way to still learn a new language is through exposure. The best way to give your child that exposure is by speaking the language yourself or by introducing native speakers into the child’s life. This can be done by the parent learning and speaking the language or by sending the child to a school/class that provides access to the language. Since the child is in his/her parents care most of the time, it should be up to you as a parent to be the main source of influence of the child. If the parent can learn the language and read books or sing songs to the child, he/she will improve dramatically when it comes to the learning of English (Christine, 2019). If any of these recommendations are not an option for the parent, due to finances or time constraints, then the answer is simple. Any parent can still learn the language first hand and then routinely use it with their child. Even if the parent’s English is not perfect, it won’t matter. The basics of the sentence structure and the different sounds will be picked up by the child and he/she will quickly be able to speak and understand it. To finish off, English is considered a global language. For that reason, any person should be able to speak it. The best time for a child to learn a new language is from a young age. As mentioned, any parent can learn a new language at any time. Even if the process is slower than that of the child’s, it is never too late. Since the parent is the main source of influence in the child’s life, I think it is vital that the parent should learn to speak English as well.