Good morning Principal, teachers and fellow students,
On behalf of the Students’ Union, I’d like to welcome all of you to our school. I’m sure we all want to achieve success and have an enjoyable school life, so this morning I’d like to give you some advice.
Before I get to the ‘advice’ part, I’d like you all to ponder on a question while I speak today. What will you do to ensure that you achieve both success and happiness in your new school life? When I first heard this question in Form 1, I thought it was rather ambiguous and didn’t have a clear answer. However, now, after 4 years, I’d say that I have personally set 2 clear rules to help me achieve success and happiness.
My first rule is that I must put forth the effort to maintain my interpersonal relationships. This includes my relationships with my family, friends and teachers, both in-school and out-of-school. From Form 1 to Form 2, I was constantly swept up in my studies in hopes to become the top student. I gradually started shining people from my life and created a safe place where only my books were allowed in. Of course, yes, I got fantastic grades, but even so, being the top student didn’t bring me joy. For some reason, the sense of satisfaction that I got didn’t equate or transform into joy. The void that existed within me never vanished, even with all my academic success. Until, one day, my current ‘bestie’, Natasha, came up to me and asked if we could become study partners. Although I was in shun mode, Natasha was somehow able to unlock the door to my safe space, squirm through and change my mind. I realized that interpersonal relationships and interaction were an imperative prerequisite to joy. Though I wouldn’t say that my desire to be the top student has dissolved, what I can say with complete confidence is that I will never let myself be socially alienated again. So, to sum up my first rule, I would say that maintaining and establishing interpersonal relationships is pivotal to your joy and sustaining a suitable work-life balance.
My second rule is that I must follow all of the school rules. Funny, isn’t it? My rule is to follow another rule. Now, this may sound like a simple rule that can go without saying, but I guarantee you all that this rule is necessary for 3 reasons. Well, I’m sure that a lot of you are probably looking forward to stretching out your own wings and taking charge of the steering wheel when you grow up. It’s only natural to want to live with more independence after leaving the protective arms of your parents. However, the first point to keep in mind is that rules will follow you everywhere. Even if you choose to travel across the world, you will find that rules are always tagging along as if there were your own shadow. By following school rules, you will find yourself in an environment that closely mirrors society and find it easier to adapt later on in life.
Another element to keep in mind is that you have other peers studying alongside you attempting to obtain an education. If one person is constantly breaking school rules, for example by showing up late, the entire flow of the ongoing class will be disrupted and shows disrespect to the teachers and classmates. This is obviously not a desirable situation. So, to ensure that you maintain the pre-existent order in class and show respect to teachers and classmates, all school rules must be followed. Last but not least, you can become a role model for everyone around you, even people from other forms. By strictly adhering to school rules, you can positively influence your classmates and motivate them to follow school rules as well. Sometimes, you can even end up providing a friendly reminder to higher-form students when they see you following school rules. All in all, school rules are established for a reason and can ensure that a high-quality learning environment is supplied to all students.
After listening to my speech today, I sincerely hope that all of you will continue to think about methods that can help you achieve both success and happiness in your new school life. You can even set up rules for yourself like I did and constantly remind yourself to stick to them closely. I hope that all of you had significant takeaways from my sharing today and I appreciate you all for sticking with me till the end of my speech. I wish you all the best in your secondary school life. Once again, I’d like to give you all a warm welcome to our school. Thank you.