One winter afternoon,my mother wrtote an "E" on the window.
"Is that letter 'E'?" she asked.
I had no sooner seen it than I smiled.It just looked like the chinese character"飞"(flying) which lost one of his wings.
My mother knows only a few English letters.When at the age of 4,I began to learn to play electronic keyboard with my mother's accompany.Now she can still remembers those letters.In her mind,however,they are arranged like this:CDEFGAB,just as they are arranged on the keys from left to right.
I showed her the right"E" on the window.
"Last year I taught you the 26 letters and that song," I said.
"But I can just remenber CDEFGAB,"she answered with a smile."I am 50--too old to learn!"
"One is never too old to learn.You told me,didn't you? And by the way,lady,you are just 49."
"If you were 50..."
"49," I interrupted.
"Okay 49,"she continued."If you were 49,you would realize how hard it is for me to remember something or learn new skills."
Perhaps what my mother said is true.In her childhood,her family lived in a small village, where education is quite poor,let alone teaching foreign language.After a few years' school education,she started to work at a clothing factory.Then she married my father,had me in her 30,and became a housewife from then on. Several years ago,she started working again--for my father.She has always been complaining about the lack of knowledge.But I know the real problem is that she doesn't know how to study.
I have not yet given up teaching my mother.This week I teach her A,next week B ,and then C,D,E,F...