2023-06-03

The value of learning English

    Hello everybody, my name is 张悦芊 and I’m from Oliver tree class.Today my topic is:the value of learning English.

    Back when I was a little girl,I’ve spent a lot of time learning English , and have been in many programs , competitions and tests, so my English grades are not bad.But if you ask me what English has brought me , I don’t really know how to answer that.It seems that English is just a subject to me, it has brought me pride and fame, but I never did try to find the value of learning English..

    I remember one time, my mother’s friend was having dinner together, there were a lot of people, and they were all praising my English ability, and one friend got drunk and pulls me to the table.He asked me if I like English, and I answered of course.He laughed out loud, and told me that if it wasn’t for my mother’s passion of teaching me English, my English ability would be nothing, and I wouldn’t be half praised by now.I was so shocked and hurt when he said that.

    Even after one year,I still remember that sentence.But I have grown.I realized that if I didn’t have the parents I have, my English ability will never compare to so many other kids at my age.I got lucky.I am lucky because even though I didn’t have the self awareness and audtorhythmicity to learn English on purpose,I have an environment to help me do so.So after I got older,I don’t really have to hard work on English.My classmates have worked so hard to get good English grades, while I almost don’t need to do anything to be the number one, be the main character, get good grades, attention and respect.

    But if I don’t the value of learning English, why should I learn it?So,I started to try finding the meaning.I thought learning English is a better future for me.But English is just a language ,it is just a way for humans to communicate with each other and remember things, it stands for letters, words and grammar.If you spent most of your time learning this, English will lost all of it’s value.the value of learning English is learning the stories it tells.that is the meaningful thing English brought to the world:one of the carrier of mankind’s history, knowledge, stories and wisdom.

    So, I started using English to understand the world by different ways.I started learning science by English, such as reading⟪A short history of nearly everything⟫.This book’s style of language is humorous and easy to understand, it is an overview of the history of the universe and the scientific discoveries that have shaped our understanding of the world, how the universe starts, how humans develop, and the stories of scientists discovering their findings.I didn’t realize the fun of history and science until then.

    Also, we acted a musical this term:in the heights. it is about a group of people living in Washington heights.they were poor, and they were immigrants, but they all have a dream.a lot of them want to make it out of this little town.but at last they realized the importance of having a dream, and this place will always be home.it is a story of little people, but their dreams made them different .I acted a girl called Nina.she worked so hard to make it out, she is the first to go to college.but she suffers from too many school work, too little time and money, and racism.so she came back.she don’t know who she is and where will she go.friendship, parent relationships and love gave her courage to move on.This character really moved me, because we will all experience fighting with our parents, losing ourselves, and start all over again.Nina taught me to be strong, and bravely face problems.

    So, we learn English to understand the world, to understand ourselves, and  understand what the language brought mankind, and that is the value of learning English.Thanks for your listening.