The son of immigrants from Ukraine told how the New York Times helped him with English

17-year-old Matthew Tikhonovsky, the son of immigrants from Ukraine, used the New York Times to improve his English and understanding of American culture, which, he said, helped him begin to appreciate the native culture and traditions of his parents.

Фото: Depositphotos

About your experience using New York Times for learning the guy told the blog for this edition.

How it all began

I am the son of Ukrainian immigrants, and like many children raised by non-native English speakers, I often struggled with grammar and speech patterns.

Despite my questionable performance in English classes, I have always been an avid reader. My parents, whose first language is Russian, couldn't help me with English, but they encouraged me to read as much as possible. They took me and my siblings to the local library every week, allowing us to read whatever caught our interest. For some time I have been attracted to children's books full of fairy tales and adventures. But one day I ventured to read the newspapers, and that's when I came across The Times.

At first, I was fascinated by crosswords that improved my knowledge of history. But soon I began to delve into the newspaper and read articles. I leafed through the pages of the latest issues and read everything that came to my eyes; for a high school student, these were mostly articles with the most exciting titles or the most vivid photographs. This was my first acquaintance with high-quality texts that inspire reflection, and over time my requirements for syntactic and logical arguments in articles began to increase.

English was never easy for me, but sitting in the library for hours and reading both children's books and The Times, helped me significantly improve my English. Gradually, I even began to adopt the methods and styles of writing that I learned by reading The Times.

Now I read this newspaper daily, and I continue to learn more and more about writing, journalism and American culture. Besides, The Times helped me understand the many complex aspects of American culture.

What I read and how I find it

When I first started reading The Times, he immediately turned his attention to the “Opinion” section, admiring the eloquent suggestions of the authors, melodic prose, and ideas that prompted reflection.

Regardless of your interests, I strongly recommend that you read the “Opinions” section daily. He is always filled with insightful thoughts on countless questions, ranging from race relations to freedom of speech on campuses, it was his authors who helped me learn more about the diversity of opinions in America.

When I want to share my opinion about something, I turn to Learning network's Writing prompts, to publish your comment, which will be able to see other teenagers, who often enter into discussions on the topics of articles. Sometimes it is very interesting to discuss some aspects of American culture or political events with my parents, who have lived in Ukraine for more than 20 years before immigrating to the United States.

Often I appeal to The Timeswhen I have school assignments dedicated to a current event or a social movement. I'm looking for the right articles in the archive for keywords and always get a lot of valuable information, such as an article about the basic meaning of Beyonce’s music that I used for my research work. Once I used an article on holy wars for a history presentation. Whatever your topic, The Times Be sure to offer a variety of information about this.

In addition to school assignments, I also look through various sections. The Times just for fun. When I do this, I always study new aspects of American culture, from the manifestations of which I was shielded by my Ukrainian origin.

For example, from a young age I was mostly familiar with Ukrainian art, which includes richly decorated mosaics and realistic themes and, thus, I never understood all the hype around modern American art with minimalist themes and geometric shapes. Therefore, I turned to The Times and found articles about Picasso's style and the art presented at MoMA - and soon after that I understood and appreciated the intricacies and beauty of American art.

No matter which article or section you are reading, The Times - is limitless, and you are sure to find something new and interesting in every article.

Understand your own culture through the New York Times

The Times also allowed me to appreciate my parents' culture and use it to better understand the world and current events. When I read an article about the legacy of my parents, I often supplement it with my own experiences.

When I got involved in the immigration debate, which was one of the key topics during the 2016 election, I soon discovered that I was reading every article on immigration that I was able to find. And although I read a lot on this topic, the best source was right in my house: I asked my parents and learned about their invaluable experience in the immigration process.

And when the stories about refugees became the top theme in 2014, I turned to my grandmother, who, as a girl, was expelled from her house by the Nazis and expelled to Kazakhstan. Her experience has been confirmed by articles in The Times.

Keep reading

I know how difficult it is to have parents who speak a different language and have grown up in a different culture, but The Times allowed me to learn more about American culture, as well as delve into the culture of my parents.

Therefore, I advise all children of immigrants to read The Times. This is the best thing you can do to improve your English and knowledge of American culture.

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