Susan King

On Saturday, I was a judge of the 2007 English speech contest for primary, middle and high school students. The title of the contest was “A Date with Universiade” to honor Shenzhen’s successful bid for the 26th Summer Universiade. This competition for the best English-speaking students was held at the Shenzhen Press Tower Auditorium.

I am a professor of English in the College of Foreign Languages at Shenzhen University and I have been a teacher of English and education for 30 years in Canada and the United States. The afternoon was both illuminating and delightful for me.

The competition started with 10 primary school students. They were very serious and eloquent, surprising in young students. They stood on stage with hundreds of eyes on them — students, family and friends — cool and confident. They spoke clearly on the topic of “My Universiade Dream,” and expressed their pride in Shenzhen and in China.

The 10 junior high school competitors were also excellent speakers with some experience in volunteering and an anticipation of their future participation in assisting foreign visitors at the Universiade. Their topic was “Give a Helping Hand as a Volunteer.”

The 10 senior high school students looked like students heading for university, ready to face the big world with clear and fluent English. Some were already experienced teachers and volunteers who found joy in helping other people communicate. Their topic was “Shenzhen Embraces the World” and they had their arms wide open.

I was impressed. All of the students had been taught well and had a good grasp of English. They spoke clearly and their speeches had a tight unity of theme. During the question period, some of them bravely approached the unfamiliar questions.

I have never seen students of a second language learned in school show such a love for the language and such fluency. Shenzhen should be as proud of them as they are of Shenzhen.