Willingly I Speak English (WISE) Program relaunched

 

To intensify the English speaking campaign, the English Department headed by Ms. Lurecel Babon, relaunched the Willingly I Speak English (WISE) Program last July 10 during the Monday assembly.

The department invited Chanelle Dawn Ureta, an alumna of St. Joseph School – La Salle, to share her experiences with the said program.

 

 

 

 

 

Speech:

Good Morning my fellow Lasallians. I know what you’re thinking. Oh crap. Here goes another person speaking in front of us encouraging everybody to speak in English. I know how it feels. For 4 years, I’ve also been in the same position as you are right now being convinced by a certain speaker to speak a language that

 may not be so important. Well, I hope you try to give me a few minutes of your time and allow me to change your mind about that. Let me begin by telling you a story.

Way back when I was a first year high school student in this institution, my teachers chose me to represent the year level for an Impromptu Speaking contest held annually during the Lasallian Breakthrough. I didn’t even know what impromptu speaking was and how it’s done. So when I received the news, I wanted to decline because I was thinking, “What if I won’t be able to utter any word during the contest proper and end up humiliating myself?” Answering a specific question in English for 1-3 minutes straight preferably without “Uhms” and pauses is no joke! Don’t forget the fact that everybody’s listening to every word you say and is waiting for you to mess up. I’m a perfectionist and I don’t like messing up. So, I made a decision and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my high school life.

We all have different perceptions when it comes to speaking in English. Other might say

that those who do are just trying to fit in, while others might see it as a way of preparing oneself for the real world. Let’s face it we’re going to need proficient English-speaking skills someday. We’re gonna have to need it for job interviews and all good jobs require such skills. Aside from the need to be able to speak it, learning English is also fun. By learning English, we will also learn about other cultures. Few experiences will make you grow as a person more than learning the values, habits, and way of life in a culture that is different from yours. You might say to yourself, “But I really suck at grammar.” Let me post a question, “Does grammar really matter?” The answer is, nothing great is created suddenly. Nothing can be done except little by little. At your first attempt in speaking in English, you’re not really expected to know the difference between your and you are or whose and who is. Grammar doesn’t matter at first. What matters is that you learn how to listen. There must have been some reason God made man’s ears to stay open and his mouth to be shut. Listen from others. Watch TV series and movies. Read books. Talk to people. Just practice. I remember what my English teacher once told our class, “If people criticize your English and call you ’trying hard’, you shouldn’t be offended.” Instead, keep trying harder. Don’t let people discourage you from learning. I was also advised that when you think, let your thoughts be in English, so that it would be easy for you to formulate what you’re going to say.

So you see, learning to speak the language won’t be so difficult if you actually help yourself and get help from others. I’ll tell you something weird about myself. Sometimes when I get bored and when I’m alone inside my room, I face the mirror and talk to myself in English. Trust me, it helps and it doesn’t mean that you’re insane. If your problem is being too shy to converse with your classmates using the language, then start first with yourself. Don’t be frustrated when you don’t like what you hear at first. Your diction, pronunciation or intonation will not be perfect.  You might cringe when you hear yourself but then again, nothing great is created suddenly. Just keep going and one day, you might just be surprised with how you improved. Here’s my final advise to all of you. Invest your time in learning English and you will never be short-changed. You will have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

So going back to my story, what made me say that joining the Impromptu Speaking contest was one of my best decisions I’ve ever made? It’s because when I said yes to it, I also said yes to success; and that success was not the fact that I won, but that I deserved that I can do something I once thought I couldn’t. My fellow Lasallians, if you think that speaking in English is something that you couldn’t possibly do, think again. Don’t close your doors on the opportunity to learn. Say yes when opportunity knocks.