The Ladybird Key Words Reading Scheme was the book series I hated the most. It was torturous and boring being forced to read them every night. As a 3 year old, I only wanted to play. Reading only took time off from the various things I could have done, such as building a bridge with my Lego set.
Ironically, my arduous book battle nights made me very interested in reading. Library visits became something that I constantly looked forward to. After each visit, I would come out from the library with at least 20 books in my bag.
With each book I read, I realised that I was subconsciously learning and absorbing new vocabulary.These new words would be translated into my essays or conversations. The new words I learnt made me feel smarter and increased my self-esteem.
In secondary school however, things changed. There were vocabulary tests, grammar tests, journal entries and daily readings each week. I felt so overwhelmed and unlike before, I had difficulty absorbing and was often frustrated. This was when I felt that I had reached a plateau in my English language journey.
Till now, one of my constant frustrations is the inability to translate my ideas into words. I am always amazed by those who are able to write well and structure their writing in such a coherent way. I hope that in ES1102, I am able to learn new things and be able to portray my thoughts and opinions better. Being a good writer is one of the things I hope to be able to achieve and eventually cross out from my personal bucket list.
