It was an ordinary Saturday morning. I grabbed my cup of raspberry leaf tea and rushed down the stairs to my basement office to get the computer started. As I waited for the screen to come alive, the butterflies in my stomach were surely alive and kicking.
Our first Let Loose session (my brand-new fluency development program, still in its pilot phase) was about to begin. "What is it going to be like? Is this worth it? Is this project truly going to help learners develop their fluency?”, I pondered.
A few minutes later, the Zoom room was filled with hope and aspirations, so I couldn’t miss the opportunity to ask the big question:
"What is your main goal in taking this course?"
One of the answers that stuck out to me, and others, was the following:
“I just want to be myself in English.”
That took me by surprise. To be oneself in English... What does that mean? Why did this question resonate so much with me and with other learners? Well, you know I love a good "research rabbit-hole", so what you're about to read is the product of my reflections on what I've been reading about language learning and identity.
