The Alien | Rahee Park | TEDxChadwick International School
Rahee Park, an 8th grader, shares her journey of learning English after starting international school in second grade with no English knowledge. Through determination and self-belief despite others' doubts, she overcame the fear and language barriers to find her voice and confidence.
Summary
Rahee Park begins her talk by describing the disorienting experience of being in an environment where everything feels out of reach - her situation six years ago when she started international school in second grade knowing only the alphabet and basic English words like 'hi' and 'hello.' She describes the intense anxiety of classroom situations, particularly a pivotal moment when she had to introduce herself after rehearsing obsessively, managing only to say 'Hi, my name is Rahee and I am um eight' before sitting down in silence. This experience taught her that speaking in a new language requires both knowledge and courage. The challenges intensified as lessons felt double-speed and group work became particularly difficult, as she couldn't participate in the rapid idea-sharing and bonding that occurred naturally among her English-speaking classmates. The most painful aspect wasn't the academic struggles but feeling unable to express her true personality - while she was talkative and confident in Korean, her identity felt trapped behind a language barrier in English. Despite others lowering their expectations and doubting her ability to catch up, Rahee made a crucial decision to believe in herself. She implemented a systematic approach to learning: carrying a notebook for new vocabulary, asking teachers for repetition, practicing in mirrors, reading simple books, and watching English cartoons. She embraced mistakes as practice rather than failures. Gradually, she began understanding lessons, following conversations, and raising her hand more often, with her first unrehearsed answer feeling like a major victory. Over the years, English transformed from a foreign language to a natural mode of thinking, allowing her to express ideas clearly and participate fully in discussions. The experience taught her resilience, discipline, and most importantly, that others' doubts don't control one's future.
Key Insights
- Speaking even one sentence in a new language requires not only knowledge but also courage
- The hardest part of language barriers wasn't academic struggles but feeling unable to show her true personality, as her identity felt trapped behind a wall in English while she was confident and talkative in Korean
- Some people lowered their expectations and didn't believe she would catch up, but among everyone, she was the one person who had faith in herself
- She treated constant mistakes in grammar and pronunciation as practice rather than letting them stop her progress
- English eventually stopped feeling foreign when she stopped translating everything in her head and began thinking directly in English
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] Picture stepping into a place where everything just feels slightly out of reach. Where conversations move too fast, instructions blurred together, and even introducing yourself feels like climbing a mountain. That was me six years ago. Hello, my [0:31] name is Rahi Park and I'm in grade 8. I'm here to talk about how I beat the odds of speaking English. I first went to an international school when I was in the second grade. But there was a catch. I didn't know how to speak English. The only thing I knew were the alphabet and basic words like hi or hello. I didn't struggle a little. I understood nothing. [1:02] Every class felt like I was trying to…
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