One of the beauties of teaching at a Chinese high school is that the students have already been exposed to English; they can both read and write. So I thought I should take advantage of that and host a Speech competition. The main objective was simply to get them talking, to find out what they love, what they dream about, where they want to go, who they are. And man, they came swinging. From December 3rd to the 7th I heard such amazing speeches. Though some were shy, I met different characters too (literally one girl always burst into laughter every time she got nervous, It was the most delightful thing to witness, she made my day.) With their permission, I decided to share some of my favorite pieces. Some of them felt more like letters than speeches, but they all gave me a little peak to these human beings I now call my students…
If I could go anywhere in the world…
Hi everyone! My name is Maud from grade 2 Class 16. Today I am very glad to come here and share my topic with you. If I could go anywhere in the world, I would go to Hokkaido.
There is a saying “travelling is one of life’s greatest joys.” I hope I can travel around the world before I am thirty years old. Hokkaido is the place I yearn for the most and it is the second largest island in Japan. I remember when I was in junior Middle school I saw a Japanese movie called ‘Diaries of the Street’. It showed the leisure and comfortable life of the Japan. The blue sky, white clouds and wide sea which are so charming and beautiful. In Hokkaido, the scenery is beautiful all year around. Snow is famous only in late October. The sky floating with snow is the first sign of a long winter. In spring, can you imagine taking a train full of cherry blossoms? I think that it is such a romantic thing! Meanwhile, I am also attracted by the local tradition of the April fireworks. Besides, Higashino Keigo who is a Japanese writer is one of my favorite writers. The title of his book called ‘Relief Grocery store’ is one which I like very much. My friend and I want to go to Japan to find such a grocery store one day. There are probably some historical reasons why Chinese people are biased against Japan, but I think the culture knows no boundaries. As long as it is what you love, please follow it!
Travelling enables us to know more about the culture. It’s a way to see the world and learn about the places that you have never been to before. I am looking forward to my dream being a success in the future. Ok, that’s all. Thank you for listening.
Racial Discrimination is bad
Racial discrimination is unfair. What is discrimination? That is looking down on others and feeling good about yourself. This is unfair, isn’t it? There is still so much discrimination against others. Among the different types of discrimination I think the most hated is racial discrimination. Why do some people suffer unequal treatment because of their skin colour? No matter what kind of skin colour, everyone should be treated equally!
Although today’s efforts have improved, absurdity is still taking place! Whenever I read the news and see other people suffering from such discrimination, I feel angry and helpless. Why do we not try to stop such from happening? Each of us has the ability to prevent others from such injustice!
Of course there are people who have been great examples in the world like Martin Luther King, a role model who devoted his life against racial discrimination. Former president of the United states, Lincoln who liberated the slaves. They all did a good job, didn’t they?
From now on try to do it! You can save them. Do not let others become victims of racial discrimination.
By Walter Grade 2 class 12
My Favorite person in the world.
Good morning everyone. My name is Benjamin from Grade 2 Class 13. My topic is called my favorite person in the world.
My favorite person is my sister, Marry. In my eyes she is not only a beautiful girl, she is also smart and bright. She has straight black hair. It is so long that I think she must spend a lot of time washing it. Her eyes are so pretty, they look like the stars in the sky. She is also a demanding teacher in our family. On summer vacations she usually helps me finish my English homework. She thinks English is the most beautiful language in the world and hopes I can improve my English grades.
She likes magic very much. She often imagines becoming a magician one day. Her favorite character is ‘Harry Potter’. She thinks he is brave and bright just like her. I often play jokes on her, then she’d refuse to have dinner with me. I would feel bad for doing so and I would have to swallow my pride and apologize.
All in all, my sister likes ‘Harry Potter’ very much and I love my sister. That’s all, Thank you.
