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2/21(月)、22(火)の二日間にわたり英語科主催スピーチコンテストを実施しました。本校でのスピーチコンテストは、毎年3学期に1・2年生を対象に有志を募って行われます。

英語の成績や海外経験の有無に関係なく、英語が好きで、英語のスピーチにチャレンジしたいという意思を持った生徒が集まります。3/4(金)に結果発表がありました。今年はそれぞれの出場者が個性豊かなテーマを選んでいたのが印象的でした。コンテスト優勝者のエッセーをぜひともお読み下さい(一部個人情報の部分は？としています)。

THE STUDY JOURNEY

１年優勝者

Good afternoon everybody. I’m ????? from class 1?. Today, I’m going to talk about studying, and I’d like to share some of my personal thoughts on that subject. I’d like to begin with a question. “Why do you study?” Alright, if you found the answer, please keep it in your heart. Of course, we are not educators or tutors. But we are students who really face this question on the front line.

When I was 6, I became an elementary school student. I didn’t know why children had to go to school. I thought that studying was just a part of our lives. For me, studying was neither joyful nor painful then. When I was 12, I became a junior high school student. I liked to complete all of my tasks perfectly. I enjoyed every single class. But unfortunately, I was focusing more on the test scores and school grades.

And now, I’m a senior high school student. Test scores are becoming more important. In the first and second semester, I almost burned out after 15 tests and busy schedules. I believe you guys felt the same way. Maybe I didn’t really want to study, but something made me believe I had no choice. For the first time I recognized how passive my study journey had been. Because I always kept my focus on school grades, I didn’t know what I really wanted to study nor why I was studying that hard. We only live once, why don’t we do the things we love to do? Ever since then, I started to reconsider my study habits.

I’ve come to believe is not always right to follow the general study rules all the time. I regret focusing on grades so much. Maybe a good grade can take you to a better university. But if it can’t make you feel satisfied, is it really worth it? The final goal of studying should not always be admission to a good school or a high paying job. It’s to find interests while enjoying the journey, then pursue your dreams.

Now, I’m going to share a quote with you. These words were said by Oprah Winfrey. She said, “You want to be in the driver’s seat of your own life, because if you are not, life will drive you.” What I want to say is, we should not be forced to study, we need to create our own ways of studying. We need to discover our happiness in study.

Finally, back to the question. “Why do you study?” For me, it is because I want to find my own pleasure in study. I’d like to build my future life myself. My suggestion to you is, in the rest of your life, try to study about something you
enjoy. Not passively, but independently. It will absolutely brighten your life. I promise you.
Thank you and happy be lated Valentine’s Day.

My Dream

2年優勝者

This is the famous song by John Lennon’s “imagine”, However, have you thought about the world peace so seriously? I was also one of the people who didn’t pay much attention to the global situation. But, two years ago, I started to think about it deeply, and now, I want to work for world peace. When I was 15 years old, I visited Israel and faced a severe situation. Today, I’m going to tell you what I felt in Israel, and why I want to work for world peace.

First, Israel is a country in Western Asia, located next to Egypt. The ocean was clean, the cityscape was beautiful. My image of the country had totally changed before and after visiting that country. It changed from “A dangerous place” to “A beautiful place”. I also saw many tall buildings, gorgeous hotels and restaurants. I realized that this country was developing more than I had expected.

Have you ever heard the name of the city called “Jerusalem”; “Erusaremu” in Japanese? Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world, and is a sacred place for Jews, Muslims, and Christians. I visited their major holy sites such as the tomb of Jesus and Wailing wall. I saw people of different cultures and religions living in harmony. However, some people were not. The day before I visited Jerusalem, there was a murder. A Muslim stabbed a Jewish with a knife. There I raised the first question. “I wonder why people here don’t try to respect each other even though they founded their holy sites in the same place?”

Next, I can’t ignore another negative side of Israel, the huge wall. The 400-kilometer wall separates luxury houses with large gardens and pools from temporary homes without clean water or electricity as vital lifeline remains blocked by Israel Army. I was sad to see the gap between those towns, looking at the breathtaking view from the top of the hill. I also saw a few missiles flying over the Mediterranean. It was just shocking to me. How could it be possible for people to live in this inequal condition? As the gap between the rich and the poor widens in Israel, the effects of income inequality on education can also be huge for children. There I raised the second question “Is there anything I could do to help this unbelievable situation?”

Finally, about my dream. Those experiences made me think that I want to study more about those problems deeply; the conflict of religion and the wealth inequality. So I’d like to study them at university and enhance my understanding towards current issues in modern society. I would make the most of my knowledge after graduating and join a NGO project which enables me to be the bridge between Israel and Japan. I might not be able to do a big thing, but I can be one of the great supporters to make our world a better place. That is my dream. Thank you for listening.