2011级高二刘亦珩同学访美归来
在美国上学
2011级高一（3）班 刘亦珩
年幼时，我就好奇美国学校与中国学校的不同之处。去年8月中旬，作为云大附中第13位赴美交流学生，我从昆明飞往美国阿拉斯加州Sitka市，在Mt. Edgecumbe高中开始了我在美国为期一学年的国外留学生活。
今年5月中旬，我回到昆明。直到今天，那份开始全新学习生活的激动心情仍旧记忆如新。在美国学校的第一天，我们并没有直接开始上课。老师把我们分成不同小组，进行学校介绍。这所名叫Mt. Edgecombe的高中，坐落在一个美丽的小岛，是一所寄宿制学校，学生来自阿拉斯加州各地，一学期都在学校学习生活。接着，我确定了我第一学期的课程——英语II、陶艺、戏剧，以及环太平洋地理。第二学期课程——阅读、化学、文学及三角函数。
在美国学习的这段时间，我发现了中美学校的不同。
第一点是学习。美国课堂非常的生动、活跃。无论你选修什么课，你都能看到每一个学生都融入课堂当中，积极讨论交流每一个问题。并且他们非常注重团体合作。比如说，我们的化学课有着非常多的化学实验，我们通常是以小组的形式来完成。我最喜欢的就是把玻璃用火烧制成正方形甚至是圆形。三个同学一组，一个负责控制火焰大小，一个负责烧制，一个负责随时测量，这才把一个实验完成。我很享受团队合作这样的学习方式。美国高中的学习并没有我想象当中的那样轻松。与中国最大不同的是：在美国，学期总成绩中，期末成绩仅占20%，换言之，平时的学习表现占到了80%。这样一来，每一天，每一次家庭作业，每一次测验，你都要竭尽所能做到最好。但是这样的教育方式确实能让我们注重平时的努力和积累，记住更多的知识。有趣的是，美国学校的期末测试也是花样百出。比如我选上的戏剧课，期末测验是每人选取一个戏剧题材，经过充分准备后在学校演出。而阅读课，我们则是以小组为单位进行生僻单词的竞赛，最后到咖啡店里交流本学期我们最喜爱的一本书。
第二点是学校生活。大概因为教育体制的不同，美国高中生们的学校生活更为丰富。每天放学后，我们一般会有划皮划艇，摘蓝莓，或是制作意大利面曲奇等活动。同时你还可以选择参加不同的社团或是加入学校的排球队、篮球队，到全州各地和其它州去参加比赛。每个周末是我喜爱的时光。我的舍友们会制作关于我们宿舍生活的短片放到视屏网站上。到了午后，我们会去教堂参加活动。有时制作美味的点心，有时则是学习不同州的舞蹈。美国学生们非常喜欢舞蹈派对，但是最受欢迎的还是舞会。在那一天，学校会请专业的造型师来到学校，帮我们挑选衣服，化妆等等。我还在Sitka与当地人家度过了我第一次真正的美国圣诞节。第二天，我们还出海与鲸鱼嬉戏呢。
第三点是人生价值，这是令我感触颇深的一点。几乎每一个美国学生都认为自己非常特别，非常棒，不会妄自菲薄。这是令人值得学习的地方。因为不论你做任何事，你都要明白自己的价值所在，你的目标所在，相信自己，这样才能完成你的所想。
在美国学习的一年，令我受益无穷，我非常庆幸自己能有这么一个机会到异国他乡，体验不同的教育、文化和生活方式。我会将这段珍贵的记忆永远藏在内心，它将激励我更加勇敢地向前走。
My School Days in the USA
2011级高一（3）班 刘亦珩
When I was young, I wonder what is the difference between Chinese and American schools. Last summer, as the 13th exchange student from YunnanUniversitySecondary School to out sister school in the USA, I flew from Kunming to Sitka, Alaska, the USA and began my school year there.
Even now, I can remember how exciting I was to start a new life in another country. On the first day in Mt.EdgecumbeHigh School, we did’t just begin class. Teachers put students in different groups and made them introduce their middle schools. The school that I visited is located in a beautiful place. After introducing ourselves, I selected classes of my first semester — English II, Ceramics, Drammar & Debate, Pac-Rim,. And second semester — contact reading, chemistry, Lit & comp and Trigonometry.
After studying there for eight months, I have discovered three major differences between American and Chinese schools.
First, it’s studies. Classes in America are very exciting and interesting. Whatever subjects you take, you can see every student who attends that class is keenly interested in every question. And they think group work is of great importantce. For example, The chemistry class has so many experiments in which we always work as a group. My favorite one is to use fire to make glass into a square or even a circle. We have three teammates in total. One controls the fire, one makes a square, and the other one will measure the square. In this way, we finally got it done. Studying in America is not as easy as I thought. The most unexpected for me is the American final exam. The final exam only accounts for 20%, which means 80% of my final score comes from my everyday work. So you should try your best to do good job every day in every homework assignment. In this way, we benefit a lot more from our routine studies. The American school also has many different forms of final exams. For example, in the Drammar & Debate class, we prepared a perfume type and then showed it in the school. I chose Humorous Interp. Performing Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham. And for contact reading class, we have competitions as a group for new words, and then we went to the coffee shop to talk about our favorite book in this semester.
Second, it’s the school life. Because of the different education conception, compared with their Chinese counterparts, American high school students have more activities. For example, after school, we usually have kayaking, berry trips, making spaghetti and cookies etc. And you can choose to join in different clubs or school volleyball and basketball team. Every weekend is my favorite time. My roommates will make a video about our room and then put on YouTube. Then in the afternoon, people working in church will pick us up, and we will make delicious food or learning different states’ dances. American schools have so many dance parties but most popular is prom. On that day the school will invite professional stylists to come to school to help us pick out dresses, do making up and so on. Over this Christmas, I spent my first snowing Christmas with a native American family. And the next day, we went to sea, playing with whales.
Third, it’s people’s values. This point gives me very powerful feelings. In American schools, almost every student thinks he or she is special. That is awesome. I think that thinking is very great and powerful, because whatever you do, if you trust yourself, you know your own value, and you know what you want, you will try you best to achieve it.
For me, the school year in the American school is very valuable. I’m very glad I have had this chance. I will cherish these fond memories deep in my heart.