Successive generations in this country have never been encouraged to speak English properly. Not only kids but also adults are stuck with fears when it comes to speaking English.
The thing is, English teachers hardly speak English in class. Kids spend so much time and money on English but with few chances to enunciate. Ironically, we complain about having no confidence.
For some, this language is a tool to look down on others. English indicates superiority. For many, those who can speak fluent English are considered ‘over the top’. Lots of grammarians aim at perfection when it comes to speaking and writing English, without realizing that they indirectly scare the wits out of our younger generation. There is a lot of confusion and many rotten attitudes in our society. And lots of enthusiastic kids find it hard to learn English under these circumstances.
If we want to move forward as a whole nation, it’s high time we worked as a team. Those who are in charge of teaching English must stand up and encourage their kids to have fun with English and other foreign languages. Tell them that it’s OK to make mistakes. After all, people make lots and lots of tiny mistakes in Thai, even though it’s our mother tongue. Tell them not to worry about stress, pronunciation and grammar when they speak but try to teach them the right things when practicing. Tell them that each mistake is yet another valuable piece of knowledge.
Once fears, confusion and silly mindsets are lessened, we will start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This will take years and years of perseverance and effort. But we have to start now.