Dear Parents,

As a new semester approaches, I would take the opportunity to thank you for your trust in me as a teacher. Meanwhile, I would also like to present my ideas about learning English as a second language.

I have been a teacher for more than seven years. I know it is not easy to learn a second language. Learning a language requires not only a lot of effort from students and teachers but also from you as parents.

Most students do not learn a language in isolation, but acquire the language in an English speaking environment. Generally, students understand more English when listening or reading than they can produce themselves through speaking or writing. Therefore, I encourage my students to use English as much as possible. All students make mistakes when speaking, but emphasis on error-free English can inhibit growth. Mistakes are therefore used as a learning opportunity so that they will be avoided in the future. However, parents play an immense role in this learning experience.

Consequently, I wish that you as parents would show an interest in the progress of your child. As I have seen throughout my years as a teacher, students whose parents are actively involved in the learning process do the best and enjoy speaking and learning English the most. Especially, I would like to ask you as parents to stay away from excessive criticism as children learn at different rates. In addition, I think it should be avoided to compare your child s progress to a friend or sibling s. Instead, it would be healthier to look for things to praise.

I have seen my students successfully passing the General English Proficiency Test as well as high school entrance exams. Therefore, I am confident that together with your support, your child will be successful and reach a level of excellence with respect to his or her language abilities.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at J.R. American School or via e-mail at Teacher Peter