There are hundreds or perhaps thousands of languages that people use to communicate in the world. Every country has at least one language and often several languages that their people speak. As much as I admire the beauty and sounds of other languages I am so thankful that I know English. I am grateful that I can read, write and communicate with others using this great language.

I probably love English so much because it is the first and only language I have ever been taught. Perhaps everyone in the world feels as proud of their language as I do of English. I hope everyone loves studying and learning new things about their native tongue like I do about English. My language has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. When I was young I loved hearing English spoken around me and to me by my parents and older siblings. As I grew, I loved learning new sounds and new words to speak. There was nothing quite like those early years of learning to read English, however. I would ask my parents to sit with me for hours on end while I poured over any book I could get my hands on. I would struggle through sounds and words until I could get them just right.

Knowing English has given me the great privilege of learning new things. Throughout my school years and into my adult years I have become a person who constantly has books checked out of my local library. I have a stack of books on my nightstand just waiting to be read. I even love to read the English dictionary to learn new words that I have never heard or spoken before. I guess the sky is the limit when it comes to what I can learn because I know English. I simply cannot imagine my life without the abilities I have to read, write, think and speak in English.

I have grown to become really appreciative of the education I received as a child. In many countries around the world education is not valued very highly. A lot of countries only teach boys to read or write their language. Can you imagine the United States if none of our women knew how to read or write English? I cannot. Everything about our culture would be different. Women would be kept from doing most professions or from establishing their identity apart from men. As a woman, I am so glad that I grew up with the ability to learn English just like the men.

I hope all of you reading this will learn to appreciate English like I have. Do not take your understanding for granted, but let your English skills lead you to learn about all there is to know in the world. And, if you're daring, you could even start learning another great language.

Plan Your English Lesson

By: George Williams

It is not easy to plan a fresh and new class for your English students every week. Even though your teacher book gives you some great ideas not all of them are practical enough for your classroom. You often have to come up with a few exercises and ideas of your own to fill in as needed.

You may try to get away and find some quite places that can help you focus and concentrate on your planning. Do not forget to take a notepad and some pens. That is about all you will need for now.

First, take a moment to clear your mind of all other distractions and prepare yourself mentally for the task at hand. Okay! Are you ready? Good! Now think about the first group of students you need to plan for. Think about their needs. What do they know? What do they need to know to become more fluent and proficient speakers of the English language? How can you teach them what they need to know?

Just brainstorm for a few minutes and write everything down. No idea is too crazy or unimportant. Once you have drained your brain...write out your best ideas on a separate sheet of paper. These are the ones that you will implement in your classes during the following week.

Remember that every idea that comes up are valuable and do not throw away the ideas that are left over though. Save them in a safe place for you to refer to during future planning sessions. This will keep you from having to think so hard the next time.

It is wise to do some research on the Internet. Take each of your ideas to the next level. Drill down into each one of them vertically. Go just as deep as you can. Then find other ideas that you can add on horizontally to broaden your lesson plans. These are all ideas that complement your original, brainstormed ideas.

If you have made it this far...then the rest is a piece of cake. Just pick out the best of the best of your ideas and add them to your lesson plans. Prepare the materials and resources you will need for each exercise. Make copies of any handouts you intend to pass out to your students.

Do this for each group of students you teach. Once you are done, organize everything in a handy place like a folder or filing cabinet. Do a quick check to make sure you did not forget anything.

With this plan, your class will be well organized and you can make everything turned into a system which will allow you have even more time.