Photo courtesy of YPLMy late parents didn't speak a word of English. When I was growing up, the only newspaper available at home was in Jawi. My entire schooling was in Bahasa Melayu.
I was lucky though. When I was growing up, my sisters listened to Bee Gees, Dionne Warwick, Abba and the Rolling Stones. I remember listening intently to my favourite songs and trying to write down the lyrics. Words I couldn't understand, I'd look up in the dictionary. And I'd tried to use them at any possible chance.
I remember embarassingly singing out loud ".....it's a fire downtown....." when the actual lyrics, as everyone know were, "......it's the final countdown.....".
My friends were mostly Chinese and Indians. The language of conversation was primarily broken English (and sometimes sign language, when the correct vocabulary evades us), but it was still English.
Being impressionable, I was fascinated by the adventures of the Hardy Boys. I didn't have money to buy the books, so I borrowed books from Wai Mun and Ganesh.
These were my formative years.....and this was how I learned my English.
Oh....and I was also best student for Bahasa Malaysia when I was in Form 5.
It does not matter in what language we mediate syllabus. It's not about schools or schooling. It's about learning and the desire to learn. That's what we need to teach our children.
I was lucky though. When I was growing up, my sisters listened to Bee Gees, Dionne Warwick, Abba and the Rolling Stones. I remember listening intently to my favourite songs and trying to write down the lyrics. Words I couldn't understand, I'd look up in the dictionary. And I'd tried to use them at any possible chance.
I remember embarassingly singing out loud ".....it's a fire downtown....." when the actual lyrics, as everyone know were, "......it's the final countdown.....".
My friends were mostly Chinese and Indians. The language of conversation was primarily broken English (and sometimes sign language, when the correct vocabulary evades us), but it was still English.
Being impressionable, I was fascinated by the adventures of the Hardy Boys. I didn't have money to buy the books, so I borrowed books from Wai Mun and Ganesh.
These were my formative years.....and this was how I learned my English.
Oh....and I was also best student for Bahasa Malaysia when I was in Form 5.
It does not matter in what language we mediate syllabus. It's not about schools or schooling. It's about learning and the desire to learn. That's what we need to teach our children.
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