OUR PROUD TEEN
Eunice is a Form 6 student and she currently attends the English Interactive Storytelling course. Eunice was initially enrolled for 3 months and then extended for a further 12 months. Here, she shares a glimpse of her life as a Secondary school student and how she has benefited from iSpeech Edu-Storytelling method.
Tell me, what is your favourite book genre and why?
I enjoy reading self help books. I feel that I may not have confidence in some areas and reading these books help me. I have many competitions and performances and learn how to control my emotions and improve on how I believe that I can do it.
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What is the most important aspect of school life?
Seeing my friends makes me happy. We support each other and always have fun at school. My school organises really good trips and camps. These activities make our class work as a team and we have a chance to make new friendships with other students. I think my school cares a lot about students’ happiness.
I like in class we have many discussions and at the moment, science is very interesting because we are talking about endangered animals. I enjoy talking, but know that my English vocabulary is limited and need more help here.
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How are your English classes at school?
This year’s teacher is one of the best because he would teach the class things that we may not follow in the books. We play many games and it helps me in remembering information this way.
I like that he is flexible with the class learning and gives us time to think.
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Do you attend many tuition classes?
I attend everyday as I need tuition to help review my subjects and work. Being at tuition makes me work much better as sometimes I find it hard to do it by myself. Classmates and friends are good too and will support me if I don’t understand a topic.
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How has iSpeech Edu-storytelling method helped you in learning English?
Before, I have tried apps to improve my English, but I find that the topics are limited and not very interesting to me. I like that I get to read different books and from what we discuss my teacher knows my interest. Usually, she will then choose books that have topics that I like to focus on. I learn more vocabulary like this because I am learning what I enjoy.
I told my teacher that I have a fear of talking to strangers and don’t know how to make conversation, so she used a few lessons to give me tips on how to start talking and which subjects can start a good conversation. My teacher will sometimes give me other inspiration through books and we use role play to give me more practise. My inference skills have improved – I understand more of the text and I don’t stop on the one word that I don’t know. My teacher encourages me to make guesses and when I am correct this gives me encouragement. I enjoy reading short stories and now my teacher says I should challenge myself to read chapter books for pleasure. I know that this is a habit that I must get used to and now I don’t find it difficult to want to pick up a book to read.
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What other languages would you like to see yourself fluent at?
I started to learn Korean when I was in Form 4. After a trip to South Korea, I was in love with the music and the culture. I was interested to learn more and to really get to know the music and TV stars. Now, I am focusing on my Secondary exams, I have to stop learning, but hopefully I will be able to resume again.
In which ways does iSpeech make learning relevant to you?
My teacher recommends to me the latest music to listen to and TV programmes to watch as she understands what makes me get excited about things. I understand that there are many ways to learn a language and I have to be used to listening so that I can speak well.
I told my teacher that I would like to study Child Psychology and maybe become a kindergarten teacher and so at the Achievement Ceremony, I was invited to give support to the kindergarten students. I enjoyed this opportunity a lot because it was fun to spend time with the children and see how the iSpeech teachers were helping the children to present and talk. It made me feel that this is the route that I would like to take. I was really happy that the teachers trusted me and were motivated by the children listening to me and we worked together.
I also got to visit the University of Hong Kong and it is not my first choice of University, however having a look at the grounds was good to see how University life will be like. This is an exciting part of my life that I am looking forward to.
Our PEOPLE
Writer's Notes
Eunice is one of our older students of iSpeech and I admire that she has self awareness on problem solving and a growth mindset when she reads self help books. She knows that these books are to guide and motivate her to become a better version of herself. With the right teacher, Eunice has benefited from holding herself accountable: she’s allowed to make mistakes, experiences consequences for her actions and she has the ability to self reflect. Eunice feels empowered to learn and this sets her up for future success when she furthers her studies.
The teenage years are one of the best and having a close knit social circle at school gives students a reason to show up, helps them enjoy their days and encourages a range of positive behaviours. Besides academic success, Eunice’s school has done a great job at making the students feel like they belong to a community where they feel welcomed and where they are safe.
December 2024
