One of the reasons why it has always been my favorite subject is that I used to obtain the highest marks in English and my English handwriting was considered the best. Much as English is said to be a global language, there are more Chinese speakers than English speakers. But the number of English speakers is growing gradually as it’s used in everyday life situations—in the market, schools, colleges, universities, office—everywhere. Moreover, in our country, teenagers prefer English to Nepali.
I often confront the conflicting ideas of my students germane to English. It’s on grounds of structures, intonations, accent, pronunciation, collocation, connotations and so on. Aside from these, the existing varieties of English such as UK English, US English, Australian English, Canadian English, New Zealand English and Indian English etc confuse the students. These varieties may pose threats to the universality of English.
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Another remarkable reason why pupils get confused in classes is that teachers pronounce a word in a number of ways. Some teachers and professors, who teach other subjects, stereotype that only English teachers are responsible for using the phonological, syntactic and semantic levels of English. Unlike others, I’ve been striving to hone proficiency in English.
Most students in Nepal are today accustomed to adding ‘na’ or ‘ta’ in each clause or sentence they speak. For instance, they say, ‘let me go na’, ‘he has ta gone’ or ‘do na’. Such practice of adding ‘na’ or ‘ta’ in spoken language is bound to corrode the quality of English and make speakers suffer the embarrassment of such habit. Students don’t seem to be receptive to teachers’ suggestions but develop insatiable appetite for gossip in class. A host of stray errors is traced and corrected, yet they take no heed of it. They never regard teachers as role models and emulate their traits. Teachers at times have to be suppliant for an incompetent student’s academic progress. It’s rare to see students work in pairs but caught in the maelstrom of conflicting emotions. If a student is punished for not speaking English, s/he is likely to hurl malediction at teachers.
To teachers’ dismay, students pass derogatory remarks when a teacher shares his/her Nepali schooling. Just a handful of students show a feeling of appreciation. When teachers have difficulty in living in accordance with difficult children, how will his class be engaging? Teachers are compelled to show a timid attitude in class. This must be a ubiquitous problem in teaching.
English medium school students hesitate to consult dictionaries, let alone Nepali medium school students. Students converse in English if teachers are around them. Talking in English has been a penalty for most students in recent days. Teachers have to enforce English speaking rule on students. They are yet to feel the increasing significance of English. This isn’t going to help in the long run. Using English in different contexts is far better than force-feeding. English speaking environment is an opportunity, not a penalty.
Sherma teaches English at Graded English Medium School (GEMS) in Dhapakhel, Lalitpur.
