Last Friday September 26th. the students from Proficiency gave an Oral Presentation in groups about various topics of general interest. One of them talked about Xanophobia in Europe and America; another one about The Big Brother Era and the last one talked about Great Conspiracies of all time. These topics were selected by the students themselves, from a list of five or six which the teacher had given them.

The aim of this activity was to introduce the children to the world of university and work, in which they will surely have to speak in front of an audience and use technological aids. The Presentation was attended by most of the school authorities and a few teachers who had to assess the students in different aspects, and also by children of two other classes, who wanted to see what their peers could do. All in all, it was a wonderful experience and – according to what the people present expressed later – a successful event.

Personally, I have to say that I am proud of my students for what they achieved; first, because they showed immediate interest, secondly, because they did the research on their own and thirdly, because they suggested changes and clever ideas throughout the process.As regards the Presentation itself, the strongest point for me was the ability of seventeen-year-olds to stand in front of grown-ups and people their age showing self- confidence, even at times when technology seemed to fail. It is evident that when young people are given the chance to show what they can do, when they have the drive and the personal resources, extraordinary things occur. I hope this will be the first of many.

Alejandra B. González – English teacher – Proficiency class.