The 11th English Oratorical Contest for the University of Tokyo ESS Trophy

Have you ever sat during class as a student, waiting impatiently for the class to end, pondering that you would be doing ANYTHING else during that time? I have. A few times. Sometimes. All the time.

I wondered what the problem was, since this did not happen back at the international school I used to go to. I strongly believe that changes must be made to improve this current situation. Thus, I thought of how we might achieve this. I hope my speech will influence you all in some kind of way, to take action.

Script

The bell rings. The teacher talks. Students doze off to his monotonous drone, while others glance surreptitiously at the ticking clock, as they sigh in sad realization that class will not be ending for a long, long time. From time to time, the teacher scans the room for a random target to answer a question, and the students freeze in their seats like camouflaged toads.

 

I bet you’ve been there many times. The teacher lectures on and on about the -- you can’t even remember what. And the students search hopelessly for ideas of how to escape from this tedious humdrum.

 

This did not happen when I used to go to an international elementary school in Japan. Classes did not consist of lectures or talks, but rather of kinesthetic and communicative learning.

 

For example, when we studied Egyptian history -- so much potential for excitement there, eh? -- instead of only listening to the teacher explain how mummies were made, we actually mummified grapefruits. When learning about the plight of children in developing countries in social studies, we went outside, filled two buckets with water, and ran around the school, in an attempt to experience what some children did every day for clean water.

 

During these classes, none of us felt bored or tired, and were disappointed when class ended. But when I transferred to a public school later, I did not experience this type of engaging, outgoing class. Oddly, I remember more of what I learnt in the international school than in the more recent public school.

 

So, what did my teachers want me to do when I felt bored? What was their solution to the problem? As I’m sitting there, trying not to daydream, trying not to sleep, trying not to slip down through my chair into the silent realms below whence no one wakes, my teacher wants me to just keep doing that. Ignore the boredom. Ignore all the impulses to escape. Just plow through.

 

Today I am here to tell you to do the opposite: be bored. Acknowledge your feeling of boredom. Embrace it, even.

 

What are you thinking? Do I sound like an irresponsible teenager? But let me explain.

 

Boredom is not a nuisance to be ignored. It is a symptom -- a sign of a deeper crisis. A crisis of purpose or of creativity. Your boredom is trying to tell you, something is wrong.

 

Let’s say you have a headache. It’s been bothering you for quite a while and just won’t go away. What are you going to do about it? Keep ignoring it? Or listen to it. Maybe you need more sleep. Maybe you need less stress. Or maybe you just need to loosen the strap on your cap. <gesture> Whatever the case, the headache is telling you to do something to fix a problem in your life.

 

Boredom is your mind telling you that what you’re doing is pointless. Maybe there is a point to it, but you don’t get it. Your class lacks purpose -- you don’t understand why you are there. And it lacks creativity -- it doesn’t build anything.

 

Math. I know some strange people who enjoy it. But how is trigonometry supposed to help me build anything in the future? I don’t remember any math teacher even trying to answer that question.

 

But what if we listened to the boredom and decided something needs to change? How could we make math interesting and relevant?

 

Here’s one idea. We could have a combined math and architecture class where our assignment would be to create, say, a bridge across Tokyo Bay. In this class, you would not only have to apply math to calculate weight distribution, wind speed, or the impact of earthquakes, but also study building materials, artistic design, traffic patterns, and such. Doesn’t that sound fun? I most definitely wouldn’t feel bored in this class. Especially on the field trips where we would visit and examine real bridges before completing our models.

 

Boredom may come from not working hard enough at something you care about. Sometimes, it’s your fault and you just have to try to actively participate in class. Perhaps then it will become enjoyable, or at least meaningful. But more often in school, the boredom comes from the huge gap between what you’re doing now and what you hope to be doing later in life.

 

If your class is uncreative, un-interactive, and uninspiring, what can you do about it? Tell your teacher how bored you are. This is, in fact, a crucial symptom she needs to accurately diagnose her class. It tells her she needs to make important changes or else her students will labor long and learn little.

 

If that doesn’t work out, you can always learn from the teacher’s mistakes. I have sworn to myself that if I ever have the chance to deliver a speech before an audience, I would try my best to be educational and fun. Like this!

 

We need meaning in our lives like we need oxygen. Without it, we suffocate. We need a constant stream of meaning, every class, and every day. But it’s the same after you graduate, too. You need it at home and at work, in every task and relationship. Boredom is the sign that it’s missing.

 

So, be bored. Listen to your boredom. Listen to what it is saying to you. And let it guide you to the meaning you need in your life.