2017-06-08

【Aiden in English】

        The 2016-2017 school year is over. And to be quite honest, it probably was my least favorite so far. Not because of the teachers, but because of its craziness. From removing homeroom to joining NJHS, I can’t say I’ve ever had a year like this. Therefore, lots of things went wrong.

        Furthermore, there wasn’t much consistency in my grades either. The first marking period featured an Aiden who, for some reason, struggled in Physical Science. The second marking period was an Aiden who passed it with a ninety-nine percent. The third marking period was an Aiden who demonstrated a struggling Algebra II student, regardless of the Asian stereotypes. However, another rebound occurred in the fourth marking period with an A+ grade.

        This back and forth, the action and reaction scenario of my grade resulted in stressful and casual times. Adding on these shifting grades, I participated in many stressful events. For example, most of NJHS volunteers were pulling their hair out during the Basketball Classic, an enormous tradition of Pennbrook. The gifted seminar class sweated over multiple events, some turning out good and others not so good. 

        However, in the end, I will say the eighth grade was also my favorite year, simply because nothing was ordinary. The year was full of surprises and scary moments, from music to academic issues, I learned to adapt and accept anything thrown in my direction. And I must say, I did have a spectacular set of teachers, even if one did spoil the batch. Most of my classes were interesting, which either meant the teacher or the curriculum was good.

        Next year, I’ll be at the high school in the morning, as North Penn is bright enough to cram three enormous middle schools into one building. Yet I am looking forward to that, in which there would be so much more freedom. For now, the high school remains a mystery. A mystery that needs solving, that is.

        But in a sense, the eighth grade was all in preparation for the ninth grade. In the eighth grade, nothing mattered. Grades were only to measure effort, not how smart a student was. The eighth grade didn’t care for a ranking system, as it was unnecessary at the time. Yet the better students felt robbed because those taking easier classes received higher grades without breaking a sweat.

        Therefore, the ninth grade sounds good. It’ll be a new start with new teachers, in which rumors around my school say are really good. There will be a new grade system, GPA, and class ranks. And I understand that it’s probably going to be much more stressful, but I’m looking forward to it.

【紅霞譯文】

        2016—2017學年結束了，說句心裡話，也許它算不上我最喜歡的一年，倒不是因為老師不好，而是節奏太過瘋狂，從本班教室這頭瞬時趕到學校全美初中榮譽生會辦公室那頭，我敢說自己從來沒像初三這麼忙活，因而少不了掉鏈子。

        此外，我的考試成績也不穩定。第一學制的兒歌出於某種原因，對物理課一籌莫展；第二學制的兒歌重整旗鼓，一口氣拿下九十九分；第三學制的兒歌橫遭高級代數刁難, 甭管世俗偏見亞洲人擅長數學；第四學制的兒歌重新用A+殺個回馬槍。

        分數上下浮動讓人時緊時松，再加上組織學校活動本身心理負荷很大，這也加劇了成績跌宕起伏。舉例來說：一年一度的賓溪籃球比賽盛會讓絕大多數參與義工服務的榮譽生會員身心疲憊；還有智優班研討會學術活動很多，有的容易上手，有的做起來挺傷腦筋。

        不過最後我忍不住要說初三又是本人最喜歡的時光，只因每件事都非同尋常，從音樂教育到課業學習有驚喜也有憂慮，我必須學會接受現實。我承認，除了個例以外教我的老師都特別出色，大多數課程學起來非常來勁，一方面源於師資水平高，另一方面課堂內容不乏生動有趣。

        明年上午半天我將到高中讀書，也就是學區內三所龐大初中會師的地方，我指望在那裡更有自由度。眼下高中於我仍是一個未知數，也就是說有待我去揭開神秘面紗。

        不過從某種意義上說，初三皆為高一做準備。初三沒啥了不起的，成績只表示用心程度，並不證明是否幹練，況且初三並沒有排名系統，現階段尚無必要擺開陣勢，因此好學生反倒有種吃虧的感覺，畢竟上簡單課程容易拿高分。

        這樣高一聽起來蠻不錯的，全新的老師全新的開始，難怪同學之間瘋傳特別來勁，別樣的評分系統、平均成績點數計算、年級排名，這也許更加緊張，但令我嚮往。

Today in History(歷史上的今天):

2015: Poem─Haiku Skit Script(詩歌─俳句劇本)

2014: Hickory Run SP, PA(賓州山核桃樹州立公園)

Crosslink(相關博文):

2016： Overview of Seventh Grade(初二巡禮)

2014： Last Day of Fifth Grade(小學五年級最後一天)