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.

【红霞译文】

        初中三年级第二学制行将结束，顶多不出三天就会彻底翻篇，眼下各科烦琐的期中考试正处在关键时刻，我坚信这是整个学年最为虚张声势的考试。自开学至今五花八门的考试络绎不绝，如若把“期中考试”改称“简短的单元考试”，恐怕无人介意，明白了吗？考试固然换汤不换药，但所占分量截然不同。

        不管怎样，第二学制快要告一段落，经过大考磨砺、小考锤炼、大考再磨砺，我蛮有把握取得及格成绩，尽管个把月后宾州学校评估统考在即，好事多磨！

        截至到目前为止，我承认初中三年级日子其实非常好混，毋庸悬头刺股照样可以拿下全优成绩。举个例子：只要基本把握课堂上发的练习词汇表，抓住午餐休息时间突击复习，足以叫我活学活用，在平常小考中立竿见影，这对本人来说十分正常。

        那么初中三年级第二学制亮点何在？以我个人之见，生活从这里变得有意思起来。正如大家所知，下一年级开启高中生涯，同伴们着手接触很多事情，甚至不惜从初中三年级暑假做起，忙得不亦乐乎。正因如此，本学年末了很可能成为我个人生活中最较劲的阶段，奇怪的是，我反倒期待挑战，别人或许抱怨课业繁冗，但我却感觉轻松自在。

        智优班布置的调研课题本身难度很大，再加上设有期限，一切严格按照时间表部署的进行，深感心理负荷；同时还要召集校长开会，做好文案工作，调动团队其他成员合作，内忧外虑让我丧失不少睡眠时间，幸亏呼吸点新鲜空气有助于放松心情。

        进入初中三年级第二学制，各种机会也相应增加，过去仅有两门课程可供选择，现在我能在四门不同科目之间挑来挑去，没有任何一门影响平均分数或作为必修课学习，因此从某种意义上说仍存有一定的局限性。明年我要去高中部上几门课，比如生物学和初级微积分。你也许有所不知，我们学区格局不同，高中一年级学生继续蹲在初中部学习，整个学区人口爆炸，只好实施缓兵之计。

        由此说来，下半学年课业进度势必像过山车般超速前进，基于本人学习成绩惯于后起直追以及跟各科老师建立起亲密关系这些特点，我尤其偏爱第二学期学校生活。显然，我不会瞬间萌生什么“热衷科目”，可总免不了侧重某些方面，但愿诸如英语之类的课程有所改进。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2009: 乐高生化战士(Bionicles)

Crosslink(相关博文)：

First Marking Period of Eighth Grade(初三第一学制)