2017-01-20

【Aiden in English】

        So, the second marking period for the 8th grade has come to an end. Or, at least, it ends in three days. But the biggest moment of the second marking period would probably be the big bad mid-terms, which I believe was the largest overrated test of the year. Not that the year had many tests since it just started, but I just wanted to point out how no one would notice if someone changed “mid-term” to “very-short unit test”. See? Exactly the same test, but the effect is so different.

        Nevertheless, the second marking period has come to a close. Through grueling tests and nipping quizzes and grueling tests, I think that I have deserved to pass the halfway point, even if in a few months come the PSSA’s. Lovely.

        But up to this point, I think the eighth grade is pretty easy. All A’s, and still not much studying required. For example, I can basically memorize the vocabulary by the practice sheets given in class. When an occasional quiz appears, a quick flash through during lunch-study can get me whipped into test conditions in no time. Pretty normal, if you ask me.

        So what’s to come? Well, this is where I think life starts to get interesting. As all of you know, the 9th grade is technically high school, and a lot of things begin to heat up around that time. And the summer of the eighth grade becomes very busy. Therefore, the end of this year is going to be probably the most stressful year of my life. Oddly enough, I am sort of looking forward to the challenge. Others may complain about how the school is getting too hard, but it perhaps, for me, will pass faster this way.

        The gifted has started a project that is really tough and stressful, requiring solid dates and a hard schedule to work with. It is something that takes meetings with the principle, paperwork, and teamwork with others. Many hours of sleep were lost to worry and stress over this topic, and it feels good to slightly ventilate a little bit.

        The number of presented choices are increasing as well. Instead of the choice of TWO classes, I can now choose FOUR different classes. None of them really matter toward GPA or are mandatory, so the decisions are still quite limited in some sense. Next year, I’ll also be going to high school for certain classes, like Biology and Pre-Calculus. If you didn’t know, our school district is weird and has the ninth grade at the middle school, which, now that I really think about it, is kind of necessary due to the overpopulation at the high school.

        So, with all of that said, I think this second half of the school year is about to be a roller coaster. I truly enjoyed last year’s second half simply because I got better grades and a stronger connection with my teachers. Obviously, I won’t have suddenly new “favorite subjects”, but there’s always the possibility to have some subjects, like English, to change.

【紅霞譯文】

        初中三年級第二學制行將結束，頂多不出三天就會徹底翻篇，眼下各科煩瑣的期中考試正處在關鍵時刻，我堅信這是整個學年最為虛張聲勢的考試。自開學至今五花八門的考試絡繹不絕，如若把“期中考試”改稱“簡短的單元考試”，恐怕無人介意，明白了嗎？考試固然換湯不換藥，但所占分量截然不同。

        不管怎樣，第二學制快要告一段落，經過大考磨礪、小考錘鍊、大考再磨礪，我蠻有把握取得及格成績，儘管個把月後賓州學校評估統考在即，好事多磨！

        截至到目前為止，我承認初中三年級日子其實非常好混，毋庸懸頭刺股照樣可以拿下全優成績。舉個例子：只要基本把握課堂上發的練習詞彙表，抓住午餐休息時間突擊複習，足以叫我活學活用，在平常小考中立竿見影，這對本人來說十分正常。

        那麼初中三年級第二學制亮點何在？以我個人之見，生活從這裡變得有意思起來。正如大家所知，下一年級開啟高中生涯，同伴們着手接觸很多事情，甚至不惜從初中三年級暑假做起，忙得不亦樂乎。正因如此，本學年末了很可能成為我個人生活中最較勁的階段，奇怪的是，我反倒期待挑戰，別人或許抱怨課業繁冗，但我卻感覺輕鬆自在。

        智優班布置的調研課題本身難度很大，再加上設有期限，一切嚴格按照時間表部署的進行，深感心理負荷；同時還要召集校長開會，做好文案工作，調動團隊其他成員合作，內憂外慮讓我喪失不少睡眠時間，幸虧呼吸點新鮮空氣有助於放鬆心情。

        進入初中三年級第二學制，各種機會也相應增加，過去僅有兩門課程可供選擇，現在我能在四門不同科目之間挑來挑去，沒有任何一門影響平均分數或作為必修課學習，因此從某種意義上說仍存有一定的局限性。明年我要去高中部上幾門課，比如生物學和初級微積分。你也許有所不知，我們學區格局不同，高中一年級學生繼續蹲在初中部學習，整個學區人口爆炸，只好實施緩兵之計。

        由此說來，下半學年課業進度勢必像過山車般超速前進，基於本人學習成績慣於後起直追以及跟各科老師建立起親密關係這些特點，我尤其偏愛第二學期學校生活。顯然，我不會瞬間萌生什麼“熱衷科目”，可總免不了側重某些方面，但願諸如英語之類的課程有所改進。

Today in History(歷史上的今天):

2009: 樂高生化戰士(Bionicles)

Crosslink(相關博文)：

First Marking Period of Eighth Grade(初三第一學制)