The Unforgettable Teacher
What is a teacher? The dictionary says teacher is a person who provides schooling for others. That is, providing knowledge to learners. In my opinion, however, a good or rather memorable teacher is more than an information transmitter. Here is one person who had the greatest influence on me and helped my life abroad in many ways. My Russian private tutor, Valentina was the better than any other teachers and instructors in schools or academies.
When I went to study abroad in Uzbekistan, I had to learn Russian apart from English. People there spoke in Uzbek and Russian and I did not know one single letter of either language. Because Russian is spoken more widely, it was wiser to learn Russian. All my relatives who lived there learned from one Russian tutor- Valentina. Until she retired, she had worked as a professor in the local university in Uzbekistan. She was an old single woman living with her 15-year-old dog. She was blonde. She was full, which reminded me of my grandmother. She always wore long skirt. We started the lesson with so much trouble. What I mean is that I basically did not know any Russian and she did not know any English or Korean. Back then I was 15 and did not know what to do with a stranger in an unfamiliar situation. Although she tried to be as friendly as possible and was eager to teach me, I was totally tensed and frozen during the whole lesson. She seemed strong with high self-esteem. Her voice tone was very low and hoarse. She was strict and sometimes made angry face saying "Why are you so distracted? Sit properly!" Three hours of daily studying with her was like a hell to me. As time passed, however, my Russian proficiency grew dramatically. She taught me very systematically; from letter to grammar and lexicon. I started to communicate with my friends in Russian little by little. One day, I realized that I liked her more than anybody else in the place where I stayed. As I got to the level of expressing my thoughts freely, my best friend became her, my respectful Russian tutor. She was such a great listener and I told her simply every single matter in my life out there, like problems and worries. For example, I told her the conflicts I had with my cousin sister; and I told her how much I missed my family members who were living in Korea, away from me. She was more than a teacher who gives me linguistic knowledge; she was my counselor, my friend and my mother. Since I enjoyed learning Russian with her, I quickly reached the level where I could understand newspapers or TV programs in Russian! How amazing that was. I was so grateful to her that I bought her many gifts from Korea like traditional snack, small souvenirs and cute accessories. Though she seemed rather strict at first, I realized how humane and understanding she was.
There is no doubt that every teacher does good to learners and plays a pivotal role in student's life. Yet, if I were to talk about the best teacher, I would definitely have to say it's my Russian private tutor, Valentina. With her efforts and dedication in developing my Russian skills, I became a fluent Russian speaker and though I am not perfect, I have great confidence and pride in speaking Russian. I would never ever forget about her for the rest of my life and will always appreciate for her teaching.
Your topic is unique because the place where you met your unforgettable teacher is Uzbekistan! I also like your intro, it is a kind of hook because it is started with the definition of the word 'teacher' I really enjoyed reading :)
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you add some details about your teachers emotional things that also had positive influences on you? Not just about giving lessons!
[Second Draft]
ReplyDeleteThe Unforgettable Teacher
What is a teacher? The dictionary defines that teacher is a person who provides schooling for others. That is, providing knowledge to learners. In my opinion, however, a good or rather memorable teacher is more than educating someone with knowledge. Here is one person who had the greatest influence on me and helped my life abroad in many ways as a teacher. My Russian private tutor, Valentina was the better than any other teachers and instructors in schools or academies I have ever been.
When I went to study abroad in Uzbekistan, I had to learn Russian apart from English. People there spoke in Uzbek and Russian and I did not know one single letter of either language. Because Russian was spoken more widely, it was wiser to learn Russian. All my relatives who had lived there learned from one Russian tutor- Valentina. Naturally she became my tutor as well. She was an old single woman living with her 15-year-old dog. She reminded me of my grandmother. She was blonde and she had a lot of wrinkles on face. She was big but not fat. She always wore long skirt. Having a lesson with her was never easy at the beginning. What I mean is that I basically did not know any Russian and she did not know any English or Korean. Back then I was 15 and was so confused and intimidated with the new environment. For me, she seemed too strict with her low and hoarse voice. Sometimes, she made angry face saying “Why are you so distracted? Sit properly!” Three hours of daily studying with her was like a hell to me. As time passed, however, my Russian proficiency grew dramatically. She taught me very systematically; from letter to grammar, lexicon, and communicative skills. I started to communicate with my friends in Russian little by little. However, the improvement in my Russian was not all. One day, I realized that I liked her more than anybody else in the place where I stayed. As I got to the level of expressing my thoughts freely, my best friend became her, my respectful Russian tutor. She was such a great listener and I told her simply every single matter in my life out there, like problems and worries. For example, I told her the conflicts I had with my cousin sister; and I told her how much I missed my family members who were living in Korea, away from me. She, as if she was a counselor, gave me good advice and warm hug. She often brought me Russian chocolates and cadies her children had sent from Moscow. She gave a big affection and care to me. I often felt psychological comfort or security and therefore relied very much on her. Even though she and I had a big generation gap, she understood me so well. Also, being a single did not make her look lonely at all. Though she was quite old, she was passionate with her work and was professional in her field, which was a great motivation and inspiration for me. I highly respected and admired her and truly loved her. She was more than a teacher who gives me linguistic knowledge; she was my counselor, my friend and my mother.
There is no doubt that every teacher does good to learners and plays a pivotal role in student’s life. Yet, if I were to talk about the best teacher, I would definitely say it’s my Russian private tutor, Valentina. Valentina did not only contribute to making me become a fluent Russian speaker but also gave me positive influence and emotional help in my abroad life in Uzbekistan. I would never ever forget about her for the rest of my life and will always appreciate for her teaching.