Before I start with my speech, allow me to ask a very simple question. Have you guys ever complaint about your school, your teachers, or being a student? I think mostly 99. 99% of you guys may say yes. We actually complain when we face challenges or difficulties. And today, I am going to put forward three points of challenges I faced of being a student. Firstly, which I think it is also the most important, pressure of sitting examinations. Frankly speaking, the preparation is somehow a tough one if someone really wants to pass with flying colors.
We have to make sure that we always pay full attention in the class. I feel upset if I do not score well in any tests or exams. Also, I think the pressure actually comes from our education system. The Asian-style of learning is very rigid. We sit below the stage and are suppose to listen and absorb every single word the teachers have said. No space is allowed for us to think and to be creative. We memorize essays to score better. We study because of exams, because of scholarships, or even because to get a better job in the future.
However, at most of the time, western countries students learn with interest. They do a lot of outing when learning. They learn with their five senses. It makes them to think, to digest and to be more creative. And I really admire the way they learn. Let’s just imagine how nice it would be if there are no exams! Next, I think peer pressure is also making me mad sometimes. I found that teenagers nowadays like to compare. We compare about our results, activities involved, luxury goods, or even friendship sometimes.
I think school is somewhere we suppose to gain knowledge and to learn communicate with others. Friends indeed are people to whom we can always complain and to share the happiness with. However, it will not be perfect in that way. Problems always occur whenever something is linked to people. For an example, we are jealous when a friend has a brand new I-phone, we also feel unwilling if an unwelcomed friend sits near you or yet wants to borrow a pen from you. Moving on to my third point, which is the image of being a good student in front of the teachers or parents.
As a prefect in the school, I have to speak and act very politely especially with teachers even if I can be so friendly and playful with my friends. I am also not allowed to break any rules of the school. Sometimes I think it is quite tiring to be a prefect. Imagine that you have to stand or walk around the school for the whole recess time. Not allowed to do your own stuffs or to share the time together with your friends. When everyone has gone home, you have to stay back for extra activities!
Hence, I always think that it will be amazing if I am no longer a student in high school but a teacher! Imagine you are holding a cane and are scolding a student who didn’t hand in his homework. How fun and awesome it would be! Though, when I think deep down, I do found teachers actually have heavier burden and bigger responsibility. Image of being a teacher is much more important and causes a bigger effect. They are the examples for students. As a job, teacher is always being respected. They dedicate without any objection or complaint.
My school discipline teacher, who is also in charge of the prefectorial board, always tells us this: alcohol and smoking are legal in everywhere in the world, however, they cannot do these because they are teachers. I can feel greatly how important “image” is to teachers because image of a prefect do as well. Moreover, the work of teachers is far heavier from the students. In my school, the teachers not only have to mark books, they wake up so early in the morning everyday but to go home so late. The school held meetings during the holidays.
I feel pity to them because we are enjoying our holidays and they have to return to school attending the tiresome and uninteresting meeting. On the other hand, their salary is low if it’s compared to others who are working for same length of time. All in all, I think being a student is still the best. We don’t have to worry about a lot of things. All we have to do is just to study well and enjoy. As this will be the last year of my high school life, I really appreciate the time of being a high school student. And I hope that my classmates and I may have a super amazing graduation year!
