My name is Huang Yunyan I am a graduate student in Jiangxi normal university with a major of business English. My journey of study English starts from my university time, when I took the major and held the dream of becoming a business woman.
During classes they will practice giving their speeches, work on pronunciation, intonation and presentation, discuss ideas and topics of interest, respond to and talk about articles that have been read individually or together. Another part of the long class on Fridays is to eat dinner together, watch movies, discuss their meaning, and to talk about issues, life, love and other thoughts and concerns of the heart. These things also help my students to learn to “think” in the target language as they practice these “English Only” activities with me.
My students, including Blanche when she can make it (now that she is a Senior), are all required to give their prepared speeches off campus at another university or school, once every other month or two, as practice being in front of large audiences. This helps greatly in learning and experiencing what it is like to use the energy of “butterflies in the stomach” to excite and improve their speaking skills, practicing in public settings, relating to different audiences and doing it multiple times.
It is common knowledge that the only real way of learning and retaining true language skills is practice, practice, practice, and these speaking engagements provide that for my students, not only for their language skills but the practice of public speaking as well. All students present have the responsibility to closely listen to their fellow classmates’ speeches, take notes, and make suggestions and comments after it is all over. This helps their listening skills as well as being able to hear numerous others prepared speeches, allowing them greater critical thinking skills for what is good or excellent in the flow of speech. Blanche being one of the Key Speakers when she goes with them to different schools helps her to greatly improve her presentation and performance skills. Plus, the other students glean from her.
This last summer, 2005, our university, her department and her parents, helped to pay for Blanches’ tickets go to the United States so that she might join me there for further work on improving her English skills. Because I had to be in London with another of my speech students at the time, Huang Yunyan flew all alone from Beijing, through San Francisco, exchanging planes there and transferring on to Portland, Oregon. It was quite a growing experience for her since she had never done anything like that before. Traveling on her own and having to use her English skills in the entire time was quite a difficult task but she did it and she did it well. This too improved and added to her experience of the use of English.
She stayed with me there and met many wonderful people for another week until we both returned to Beijing and the CCTV Cup competition where she was able to be a participant in the contest.
Although she did not make it into the finals that time, she realized that it is the experience and the process that counts and not the immediate win or place. She is the only one of my students in six years who has joined me in America and got to meet my family.
Even though it was only two short weeks, Blanche has gleaned first hand experience into Western and American cultures by living in the homes of the average people, communicating with them and watching all that they do, even parents relating to their small children. It was a wonderful experience for all of them!
My family will never forget Huang Yunyan and I know that she will never forget them either. Her being there and sharing love and life’s experiences with them will also help my five year old grand-daughter to better relate to the little Chinese sister that my son and his wife are in the middle of adopting from China right now.
Huang Yunyan (Blanche) has been an amazing student and learner of English the entire time that I have known her. She is a beautiful young woman with creative intelligence that is displayed whenever she speaks openly or when participating in a speech class related activities. She practices her English diligently and regularly far more than most students’ even thinking of doing it. If you have any questions regarding Huang Yunyan or her excellence, please contact me via my email as I am currently out of the country and it would be very expensive for you to contact me by phone.
