The Best Way To Learn English

Haewon Helen Whang (formerly Chung), the founder and CEO of English Hound, is a litigation attorney living in New York with her husband and two sons. She graduated from Cornell University and Boston University School of Law. We asked her why she started English Hound and what her views are on English learning in Asia.

Jane: Thank you for joining us today. What exactly is English Hound?

Helen: Glad to be here Jane. English Hound is an English learning and educational community website from the United States. We give students access to English classes in the U.S. taught by top teachers. We also offer free English learning resources like audio ebooks and captioned videos so that students can practice by themselves. We provide American camp and school information as well as a chat community for kids, teenagers and adults to discuss education-related topics. We also cover educational and cultural news and give career advice from successful professionals in the U.S.

Jane: Please share with us why you started English Hound.

Helen: We wanted to offer a different way of learning English. I heard that students in Asia are stressed and depressed about studying English. There is excessive emphasis on grammar and tests and not enough emphasis on communication skills. It sounds boring, stressful and ineffective. We want children to be inspired to learn by engaging them in lively discussions about literature and current events. We want to teach them to write their thoughts and feelings. We want to make learning English meaningful to them.

Jane: How is English Hound different from other English learning programs?

Helen: English Hound is special in five ways:

• First, we offer online classes with well-credentialed teachers. We only hire caring teachers who are passionate about inspiring children to learn. We want teachers who stimulate children’s sense of curiosity, creativity and critical thinking, not treat them as some fact-processing robots. English Hound was started by a group of well-credentialed, successful Asian-Americans who received quality education from top schools. We want to make the same quality education accessible to the next generation.
• Second, we offer a digital library so that students can practice English for free. We provide hundreds of audio ebooks so that students can read along with a native speaker narrator. This way, they can practice reading, listening, and speaking for free. I find that Asians obsess over learning grammatical minutiae when they can absorb grammar naturally by reading extensively.
• Third, we want to offer an immersive experience so we provide U.S. summer camp information for free for those who want to visit. We highly encourage parents to enroll their children in camps where there aren’t many kids from Asia so that the children can converse in English with American children. We also offer free information about the best private and public schools as well as admissions statistics from top universities and colleges for those interested in studying abroad here. Generally, for open enrollment public schools, districts with good high schools have good elementary and junior high schools as well.
• Fourth, we want to build a community of parents and students who can work together to help our children achieve their goals. There is a rat race to get into the best schools so people become secretive and overly competitive about educational resources. And while competition is healthy to a certain extent, I believe collaboration is also important to enable our Asian and Asian-American community to thrive in this increasingly global society. A good network and collaboration are especially important in helping people become successful after college.
• Fifth, we offer a forum where we can exchange ideas concerning education and each other’s cultures. I think it’s important for parents and students to have a global perspective. It makes us more empathetic, open-minded and wise. I don’t want my children growing up thinking that the world ends on the shores of the U.S. There is so much to learn and experience outside of our national boundaries, and I want my children to start with the place where their mommy was born – Korea.

Jane: What is the best way to learn English?

Helen: Memorize, practice, memorize, practice, memorize, practice. But I don’t think memorizing is the problem in Asia since students are very diligent about it. The problem is lack of practice. Studying is only half the battle of learning a new language. The other half is practicing. And children need to be inspired to practice. This is why we are focusing on English literacy. Reading is fun. Students can practice reading along to our audio ebooks and discussing literature with our teachers. I am also a fan of watching movies and TV shows in English. There are so many educational programs now for young children. My sons’ favorite is Bubble Guppies. Closed-captioning is also a wonderful way to learn English. That is one of the reasons the Finns are so good at English. The English programs there are closed-captioned. And if you have a native speaker friend, try to converse with them as much as possible.

Jane: What one advice would you give to people learning English?

Helen: I think an English teacher would be more qualified to answer this question. But my 2 cents as an 8 year old immigrant who had to learn English is — don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I think culturally, we Asians are concerned about chaemyun – keeping our face. And sometimes, that gets in the way of language learners being afraid to make mistakes in front of others. But everyone makes mistakes when they’re learning a new language. I noticed that the ones who aren’t too bothered by making mistakes are the ones who end up speaking English very well in the end.

Interviewer Jane Whang is an attorney living in San Francisco.