Hospice and Mental Care: Grade 9 Speeches

On May 4, the 9th grade Chinese A class gave speeches in the theater about hospice and mental care. A total of 22 speeches were given, each with different speaking styles and perspectives.

These speeches taught the students many things. Anna K. said that “giving this speech taught me that there were people suffering in this world and that we must do all we can to help them.” The speeches brought awareness to both the speakers and the audience and many parents that came to watch the speeches were moved. Public speaking and Chinese skills were greatly improved. Jeff H. says that “Although giving this speech was hard, it greatly improved my understanding of the Chinese language and my skills in public speaking.”

Ciro W. gave an exceptionally moving and informative speech about hospice care, taking inspiration from his childhood memories. When he was just a kindergartener, his teacher brought his class to an “old person’s home” or hospice center. He saw many lonely elderly people and used his emotions to connect with many of the audience. Robbie H. said that Ciro “connected to me” by “using an example from his childhood memories.” Additionally, this experience also inspired Ciro to “have a clear view” of what to do with the elderly. When reflecting on his speech, he said that “[he] could’ve projected [his] voice and tone better.”

I, personally, also gave a speech on hospice care. I learned many things from this experience, mainly more on speech-giving skills than the content. Although I already knew many tricks and tips to giving speeches in English, I had to transfer those skills into Chinese, which turns out, is pretty hard. The tone is very important. In English, the phrase “would you mind opening the window” may have a slightly more aggressive meaning in Chinese. This meant that I needed to practice my tone and delivery of the speech.

These Chinese speeches were greatly beneficial to raising awareness towards hospice and mental care. Personally, it helped me learn many things about giving speeches in Chinese and taught others about the topic. It was truly a great experience for the Chinese 9A class.

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