Speech On Metamorphosis

When I was first approached to give this speech, I asked Mrs Kumar for ideas on what to say today. She suggested the topic of good English. This must be because I help to write the weekly Sunday Times column for the Speak Good English Movement. I have also learnt that the theme for today is ‘Metamorphosis’ so, I shall try my best to weave the 2 strands together, and hopefully, be able to share with you something worth listening to.

Whether I do a good job today, I will soon know if my 1st attempt becomes my last too.

This big word Metamorphosis is originally from Latin (with Greek roots), and made up of 2 parts: Meta, and Morphosis. Meta means beyond or about and Morphosis refers to change in form to something very different. Metamorphosis

Just like a caterpillar undergoing a big change to become a butterfly, you pupils will grow & change physically and mentally, whether you like it or not. Not only will you experience such internal changes, you will also need to deal with change from the outside.

Some of the changes from outside are within your control and some not. You can choose what to do during your free time or what you want to become after you finish schooling. However, you will realize in time that there are many changes in the world that you can’t control. One big change is what we call globalization. It simply means that all the countries in the world are getting more and more connected to each other because of better communications, with tools like email and mobile phones. And somehow, every country, especially Singapore, wants to be connected to others to do business and grow rich.

Now, Singapore, being a small country, is one country that needs to do business with other countries to survive. We are so small that we have been called a little red dot. And this is certainly true if you look for Singapore on the world map. We are so small that when our planes take off from Changi Airport, we will be in Indonesian or Malaysian airspace within minutes. So, how can the little red dot compete with the big countries for business? We need to connect with many countries and then, to communicate & talk with

If right now, you don’t enjoy reading, it is probably because you haven’t found the right books yet. You might have picked books that were too easy or too hard to read. Or you could have picked books which had content you were not interested in. As long as you have something you are interested in, be it fighter jets, dinosaurs or even Barbie dolls, there will be books written about them. If you need help, your teachers or librarians are more than willing to help you get started.

Once you become a bookworm, your mastery of the language will grow and using good English will come naturally in speaking and writing. In summary, the learning of good English doesn’t end the day you stop schooling. Even for me, I am still learning to speak and write better English. The easy way out is to enjoy the process of learning by enjoying reading.

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the prize-winners who have done well. You have worked hard and deserve the recognition given to you today. Nonetheless, your performance would not have been possible without the quiet but tireless work of many whom I would also like to salute: the principal, the teachers, the parent volunteers and SAC