Having A Mentor: My Experiences

As we have talked about before, learning English is not an easy thing to do. There is a lot of commitment and time that is needed in order to reach the proficiency level that you desire. That being said, I  want to stress the point that it is always better to seek help rather than go at it alone.

I am aware that asking for help is not the easiest thing to do, but the benefits outweigh the difficulties. I can personally attest to this from my own personal experiences of having a mentor throughout my journey of learning English.

Through this article, I intend to highlight significant experiences that I have had with several mentors that I have had throughout different stages of my life. All of these mentors range from teachers to authors with each of them serving their own function; each of them have taught me a lesson or two that have managed to stick with me through the rest of my life as a student and as a human being.

In addition, I also want to express once again that I am very well aware that all of you reading this article are a diverse range of human beings with different learning preferences and strengths. If you want to fully understand your potential and get a personalized learning strategy that fits you, please contact us at levelupproficiency@gmail.com

Without further ado, here are my experiences with different mentors:

I. Teachers: The Long Lasting Source of Learning Experiences

As the title mentions, teachers have been a constant figure in my life. Although the specific teachers have changed from one semester to the other, as a collective body, I have always been surrounded by teachers. Every teacher that I have had through my life as a student has contributed to my learning process of English. Some have contributed positively and some have done the opposite.

I remember one particular experience that I had with a history professor while I was a freshman at University. It was just a few months after I moved to the United States and I was just starting to get used to the idea of writing in English and I had just written one if my first essays in the language.

I vividly remember the comments that I received on my paper; one of them was “You are in the United States of America. It will do you good to keep that in mind and write using American English”. At first, I didn’t know how to digest this comment. I was starting to believe that this was an insinuation that I didn’t use the correct “English”. I was starting to feel hurt. At that moment, my young and naive self failed to realize that she was not on the wrong about her “English”, she was in the wrong about understanding her “audience”.

She thought that the same English that she had learned growing up would get her through her academic journey in the United States. However, she failed to realize that English has different dialects and a part of gaining “proficiency” is to understand these different dialects (if you want to think of it that way). These dialects include American English, the dialect which is familiar and expected by the history professor and British English, which is the dialect of English that is familiar by the younger (and present) me. The misunderstanding between me and the history teacher was not because of the fact that I didn’t know English; it was because I was familiar with the idea of there being different versions of “English”.

However, there was the exact opposite reaction that took place when the same mistake happened in my English Capstone class in my Junior year. I had taken the exact same missteps that I had taken in my history paper, but she just dismisses it with a comment that notes my language as “interesting”— how strange is that?

From this, these two very different teachers have taught me one thing: writing (and language in general) is all about the audience. I realized that everything that revolves around communication is very much dependent on how well you are perceived and accepted by your audience.

What is the point of this you ask? Well, I want to use this anecdote and this point to explain the fact that interactions and learning with a mentor can help provide an array of meaningful experiences that can shape your leaning in many significant ways. In fact, I am extremely grateful for these experiences as they have helped me develop myself as a person and as a learner of the English language.

In fact, I hope that you have similar experiences that allow you to reflect on your language the same way as I have. Maybe you can discover your strengths and weaknesses the more you interact and have these kinds of experiences with your mentor.

II. Authors: Those I look Up To

Ahh, authors. They have always been the type of people I look up to. They always seem to have so much creativity and courage to express themselves in any way they see fit. Also, they always seem to know the right word to use; they seem to be the masters of their language.

In fact, I have always wanted to read, write and speak like an author (hence, my decision to become an English major). I have taken my love and respect for these authors and turned it into motivation to learn English.

In consequence, I would always try to mimic their writing and try to insert their writing styles into my own. This has especially been the case in terms of my admiration for the author J.K Rowling! I have always loved the way her writing was simple but detailed enough to show the readers the depth of her thinking.

To be honest, I have always tried to write like her. I would always try to be simple and detailed. However, it is safe to say that no one can truly copy the voice of another. So, it is impossible for me to write exactly as she does. So, it is safe to say that I have not achieved the task of writing exactly as she does. However, that process was important for me to go though as it gives me an idea of what I want my language to look like.

Granted, my language has turned out to be completely different, but I can still see strains of my mimicking experiment in my writing. It has given me a pillar to fall back on. In fact, mimicking has helped greatly in the process of improving vocabulary and grammar.

Why don’t you try to find a literary figure who inspires you? What do you like about their writing? Do you see them as an inspiration? These questions can potentially lead you to find your own source of motivation.

III. Friends: Who Else Will Constantly Point Out Your Grammatical Mistakes?

Friends are the people who would travel to the other side of the world for you. They are the people who you can count on for absolute honesty and trust. If you want to, friends can also be of great help to helping you improve your language. To be frank, they can also be the people you look up to! If you have a friend who happens to have acquired the level of English proficiency that you desire, be sure to make full use of them!

They can be one of your greatest allies in terms of helping you learn your every mistake, as the title of this point suggests and discover your greatest strengths. If you can, I suggest that you make it a point that you involve them as closely as you can in your learning process. They can be the ticket for a very effective learning strategy.

Alternatively, you can join up with a friend who is also interested in acquiring English proficiency as well. Having a companion can be just as effective as having a professional mentor in the sense that they can motivate you in different ways. They can also be mentors in their work ethic or their support towards you!

In a nutshell, it is never a bad idea to have a friend by your side as a learning companion or as a mentor. They can provide you with an abundance of support, sources and more that can change your life! So, keep a look out for them!

As I have mentioned before, these are just based on my own experiences as a learner of the English language. Some of these tips may work for you and others may not! If you would like to discuss any of these tips or any suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We are more than happy to help you in your journey to Level-Up your own proficiency!

R.M, 2nd Year English Masters Student