On Thursday, July 25th, the "20th Uruma City Youth Speech Contest" was held at the
Uruma City Arts Theater. Sama Goya from class 9B at AMICUS was one of the
participants, so I went to listen to her speech.
Goya spoke about her experiences living with her brother, who has a disability, and the
various inconveniences they faced. She passionately appealed for a society where people
from diverse backgrounds can live together. Goya was the last presenter, but the applause
after her speech was the loudest, and the atmosphere was warm and supportive. Then
came the announcement of the results: she won the top prize.
When I was a new middle school English teacher, I entered my students in speech contests
many times. However, none of them ever won the top prize. I later realized that I had been
choosing students with good English pronunciation and focusing solely on pronunciation
instruction.
English is merely a tool. I hope that AMICUS students will develop rich hearts, think deeply,
and be able to convey substantial content in English.