[세종=먼데이타임스] 지난 6월 14일, 먼데이타임스와 한국영어어문교육학회 공동 주관으로 ‘2025 세종영어글쓰기대회’가 성황리에 개최되었다. 이번 대회는 전국의 초·중등 학생들이 참여해 영어로 자신의 생각을 논리적이고 창의적으로 표현하는 능력을 겨루는 자리였다.

이날 대회에 참가한 학생들은 제한된 시간 내에 주어진 지문을 읽고, 제시된 지시문에 따라 자신의 생각을 영어로 서술하는 과제를 수행했다. 초등부에게는 40분, 중등부에게는 50분의 시간이 각각 주어졌다.

심사위원단(위원장: 한국영어어문교육학회장 박성만 단국대교수)은 논리성, 창의성, 어휘 사용, 문법 정확성 등을 종합적으로 평가하였으며, 그 결과 각 부문에서 뛰어난 글쓰기를 선보인 학생들이 수상의 영광을 안았다.

이번 대회에서 영예의 대상을 수상한 두 학생의 작품을 소개한다. 아래에 실린 글은 학생이 대회 당일 제한된 시간 내에 직접 작성한 원문 그대로이며, 학생들의 순수한 사고와 표현력을 엿볼 수 있는 생생한 기록이다. (편집자 주)

• 초등부 대상 : 안채은(종촌초등학교, 5학년)

Q: Read the following and write your thoughts on how humans and robots can work together.

On April 19, 2025, Beijing hosted a half marathon where people and robots ran together for 21 kilometers. This race showed off cool new machines and let us see how far both people and robots can go.

Many robots could not finish the race. Some fell down at the very start, some bumped into fences, and others stopped working after only a few meters. Even so, this race was important because it taught us what can happen when people and robots help each other.

*host 개최하다   *machine 기계   *bump 부딪치다 

(This article was quoted from the Monday Times on May 4th and has been rewritten to suit elementary school students.)

관련기사: https://english.mondaytimes.net/952 (영문기사), https://korea.mondaytimes.net/454 (한글기사)

By An Chae-eun (Jongchon Elementary School, 5th grade)

▲ 안채은 (종촌초, 5학년)

This passage introduced an example of humans and robots working together. The example was a marathon in which both humans and robots competed. The humans won because unexpected events often occur in real-life situations.

For example, during a race, people can fall, there might be strong winds, or many other unexpected situations may arise. Humans, on one hand, are used to dealing with such situations and can easily adjust their plans to win. Robots, on the other hand, find it difficult to adapt quickly, as they tend to follow only one fixed plan.

Therefore, robots need further development. A well-known way to improve robots (or AI) is by inputting data into them. Robots learn from this data and continue to improve over time. For instance, in the running example, robots could be taught how to “get back up” or “adjust their plans when unexpected events occur.”

Of course, this data comes from humans who have learned through many mistakes and failures. That’s why it can be difficult for robots to understand such knowledge through data alone. They actually need to go out and experience things for themselves to truly learn.

I hope that robot and AI engineers will help make robots more powerful and intelligent. Advanced AIs can be used in many areas of our daily lives. I believe that AI can continue to evolve infinitely and that it is one of the greatest inventions in history. That’s why I want to pursue a career related to AI and robotics.

Overall, I discussed how to develop AI to handle unexpected situations, how to improve them effectively, and why such advancements are important. I hope AI will be developed in positive ways—such as helping humans—because both robots and AIs are created to assist people, not harm them. What about you? How do you feel about the rapid advancement of AI?

• 중등부 대상: 이서윤 (아름중학교, 2학년)

Q. Do you think failure can help you succeed? Describe your thoughts on failure.

KAIST’s Failure Research Institute began in June 2021. It studies failure not just as a personal problem but as something influenced by our society and culture. Their report, Society That Steals Failure, shares three years of research and experiments on learning from failure with everyone from students to working adults. In a survey, 73.5% of respondents said “failure helps lead to success,” but 77.2% felt “Korean society is not tolerant of failure,” and 58.2% believed “once you fail, you’re seen as a dropout.”

(This article was quoted from the Monday Times on June 3rd and has been rewritten to suit middle school students.)

관련기사: https://english.mondaytimes.net/972 (영문기사),

https://korea.mondaytimes.net/487 (한글기사)

By Lee Seo-yun (Areum Middle School, 2nd grade)

▲ 이서윤 (아름중, 2학년)

 First of all, yes, I believe that failure can help you succeed. Of course, it's natural to feel like giving up when you fail, and it may seem like you're not capable. But if you pause for a moment and reflect, you'll realize that failure is actually a form of self-learning. It means you've gained knowledge or experience that others may not have, and you can use that as an advantage to move forward next time.

On the other hand, if you're too afraid of failure to even try, you’ll never learn. Without failure, there’s no growth, no chance to flourish. When people see someone who has failed many times, they often think, "That person must be bad at everything." But in reality, that person may have learned the most, gained the most experience, and developed strong self-trust. They're the ones who won’t give up—and who succeed in the end.

Unfortunately, prejudice and judgment often hold back these capable people. I believe that if more people understood that failure is a step toward success—and if the world became more accepting of it—it would eventually make the world a better place.

Here's my own example of failure: I take skipping lessons three times a week. Sometimes I get stuck on a difficult move and fail miserably. My friend laughs and says I look like a mosquito tangled in a spider web. But I don’t mind. I don’t feel useless or incapable. I simply untangle myself and try again. I fail again and again—but I’m not doing nothing. I’m figuring out what went wrong. The progress feels slow, but clearly, by the tenth failure, I’m closer to success than I was at the first. Eventually, I managed to land the move neatly. I wouldn’t have improved so much if I’d been afraid to fail.

Even now, as I write this, I’m trying. I know I might fail, and there’s a high chance I won’t reach my goal. But even if I don’t, it doesn’t mean I’ve wasted my time or effort. Writing this has given me a chance to reflect on important lessons—lessons I never had time to consider before. It’s been meaningful. I’ve enjoyed the process, regardless of the result. And so, I want to say…

To everyone who has ever hesitated because of failure—keep going. Just give it a try! If you’ve learned something and grown, even just a little, that matters. Even an inch forward is progress. That means far more than you think. So no matter what happens, don’t give up. Let’s meet again someday under the bright sunshine.

P.S. I accidentally left out a part in the middle. Please read up to “–flourish,” then skip to the ✱ section, and after that continue from “when people–.” Also, skip the ✱ again and go straight from “–better place” to “Even right now–.” I’m very sorry—and thank you!