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제 15 호 Interview of Alumni of Sangmyung University, Na-young Kwon

  • 작성일 2022-08-31
  • 좋아요 Like 1
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Kicker: SM NEWS(INTERVIEW)


Interview of Alumni of Sangmyung University, Na-young Kwon



By Sol-Hyang Park, Editor-in-chief

cookie7152@naver.com  


  Na-young Kwon, a graduate of Sangmyung University's Department of English Education and also a former editor of the HERALD has published an English study book! Let’s learn more about her story and how to study English!



1. Hello! It is an honor to have an interview with you. Please introduce yourself.

Hi. I am Nayoung Kwon, a graduate of the Department of English Education entering in 2008. While in school, I worked as a reporter and editor for the HERALD. Now I work in a middle school and teach students.


2. After graduating from the Department of English Education, you have built up a variety of careers as an English educator including teaching at schools, English camps, and giving English lectures. How did you come to dream of becoming an English educator?

First of all, I entered the Department of English Education because I had a good influence from my teacher in middle school. I wanted to follow a path of the teacher, experiencing that the lives of students can be changed in the right direction with the guidance of the teacher. Then I entered the Department of English Education, but I wanted to convince myself of my career path through my experience. As a result, I gained a lot of experience from English camps, academies, and school teachers - my heart for the profession of an English teacher became clear. The reason I chose English out of several subjects was that English pronunciation sounded very beautiful when I was in middle school, and I found it so attractive that it became a medium to encounter a new world.


3. I heard that in May of this year, you published a book called 'One Line English from Today (Easy and Quick Introductory Guide for Beginners in English)'. What does it contain? How did you come to publish your book? Do you have any wishes for your readers?

The book she published

I wrote this due to a recommendation of an acquaintance who works in the field of English education. I was hesitant at first because it was my first time writing a book and also I thought it was not enough to dare to publish an English conversation book. At that time, I remembered what a senior editor-in-chief told me before I took over as editor-in-chief of the HERALD. She said "Place makes a person." I thought it was overkill, but I also wanted to challenge myself, so I started to write a book with courage.


The book became a book for beginners at the time of the final writing of this book, but it was initially decided to be made for the basic study of English for the baby boom generation. So, I wrote from the basics of the alphabet, phonics, to expressions that we often encounter in our daily life for each situation. Since there are expressions that can easily convey the same meaning, I chose the shortest and easiest expressions as much as possible. Also, as a tip, I added that the expressions that we used to know in fragments through textbooks are different for each situation in practice. I hope that the readers will learn the expressions by making them into chunks, imagining the situation when they study.



4. Based on your experience of studying English for a long time, what do you think is the most important thing in overall English study?


Appropriate inputs and outputs. Also, it should be accompanied by a process of receiving feedbacks through dialogue with others. As I wrote in the foreword of the book, I was also a learner who went through general Korean English education focusing on reading and listening - ‘input’ learning. However, the period that my English skills grew the most was when I found a conversation partner based on ‘input’ and tried to ‘output’ it or when I received feedback on what I wrote through group studying.

What this process requires is letting go of your fear of being wrong and using what you've learned confidently. There is something I always say all the time while teaching middle school students – “English is a foreign language to us.” Therefore, it is natural to be wrong, and it is something to learn and correct.


5. Many students are afraid of speaking English more than reading and writing it, and also they want to be good at speaking. In preparing for a job, English conversation scores, such as ‘Opic’ score, are also very important. Since this book is for English beginners, what is the most basic and effective way to study conversation? 

The time when I improved my English conversation the most was when I talked and interacted with foreign friends through English. At that time, I selected one basic conversation book and continued practicing expressions used frequently in different situations for 2-3 months so that I could stick to them. Based on this, I actively participated in activities where I could interact with others in English such as volunteer work, local tour gatherings, small parties, and religious activities. After that, my lips started to open in English as I kept talking on the phone about what happened that day in the evening with friends who I had become close through activities. When there is social exchange and motivation to continue friendship, English conversational learning gains momentum. Therefore, I would like to suggest that you increase your chances of using English through practical interactions.


6. Lastly, if there is anything you would like to say to the students of Sangmyung University, please.

Looking back now, the most passionate time in my life was attending Sangmyung University. As a college student, I had many opportunities. When I was in school, I was able to grow by working at the HERALD, interacting with newspaper colleagues and interviewing outsiders. In addition, I gained overseas experience by participating in overseas tour groups and international volunteer groups, and participated in various university student activities hosted by corporations and the government. Looking back after graduating, I realized that the period of attending college was very precious. I wish you will use your precious time meaningfully. Any experience will be helpful in your lives.



  Once again, I am very grateful to Na-young Kwon for her sincere reply in her busy time. I hope that the content will be of great help for you, and that her book 'One Line English from Today (Easy and Quick Introductory Guide for Beginners in English)’ will also be of great interest!!