On the 12th of October, leaders of Shattuck St. Mary’s Mr. Nick Stoneman and Mr. Matt Ruby went to our school for a visit and delivered a speech for all of us. In their speech, they briefly described some introduction to this special program and replied to the questions asked by DDP students. After the speech, we felt great pleasure in having an interview with Mr. Ruby and Mr. Stoneman. In the interview, we talked about a variety of aspects of us DDP students, and they patiently gave us their opinions and suggestions.
In the beginning, we inquired about some tips for English learning because most of us had a difficult time learning English as a foreign language to get good grades in TOEFL and SAT exams. Mr. Ruby provided us with some suggestions.
Firstly, he encouraged us not to be frustrated about the difficulty of English. It is quite acceptable to have trouble in English, so students do not need to compare themselves to other students. What they should do is make sure they keep learning without giving up.
Secondly, he emphasized the importance of being brave to speak English. Students should not only use English without translators and speak English for exam preparation but also grasp every single opportunity to speak English, both in class and in daily life. Brains need practice, just like an athlete, to make perfect.
Thirdly, he highlighted the role of conversation in English learning. Although TOEFL practice is an effective way, conversation is another key to the improvement of English. Conversations can help students generate hooks in brains for new words and new grammar. Merely memorizing words and grammar is an ineffective way to learn, but speaking words and grammar out can create new space and hooks in brains which can enhance the memory of those words and grammar.
The second question we talked about was their opinions on our classes. Indeed, they highly praised our great work in classes. Our teachers are excellent at their curriculums, and engaging in their classes. Technology can provide great assistance in teaching and learning. Meanwhile, students in this school are productive and active in classes. He is confident that students will get amazing grades in AP exams.
The next question is about our study life. All DDP students will be gifted four periods of time every week for ScholarShift. ScholarShift means that students are not going to be forced to sit in the classroom where he or she should go, but he or she can choose to go to DDP classrooms instead to do what they are interested in. The idea of ScholarShift is actually from Mr. Ruby and Mr. Stoneman and was first implemented in Shattuck St. Mary’s School. According to Mr. Stoneman’s answers, ScholarShift was developed to allow students to acquire more time for subjects that they have a passion for. It is such a successful program in Minnesota that students feel they have more control over time to pursue what they like. As a result, the ScholarShift is also enforced in Tianyi High School to give students some time to find out their potential and develop their time management skills for the future.
Finally, we discussed how the summer session affected us to be a more EPIC (an acronym for Excellent, Persistence, Impact, and Creative) person. Summer session is an important experience for DDP students’ personal development in terms of full immersion without any pressure from schools. DDP students become more infectious to other students in the International Education Department, affecting them to be more creative and collaborative. Furthermore, Mr. Ruby and Mr. Stoneman also showed the expectational quality that the students will have. In one word to conclude, they use “DISCOVER”. They hope that their students can discover how important their works are and make an impact on the world. Especially in our countries, students need to have the ability to discover. China has plenty of smart people, but China lacks smart people who also know about Chinese culture, languages, history, and traditions. China needs students who can discover something creative in order to follow the steps of the world instead of those who only follow what their teachers say because the world is moving so fast.
Mr. Ruby and Mr. Stoneman’s visit to our school taught us a lot. We appreciate their patience and kindness for all students in Tianyi High School.
In the beginning, we inquired about some tips for English learning because most of us had a difficult time learning English as a foreign language to get good grades in TOEFL and SAT exams. Mr. Ruby provided us with some suggestions.
Firstly, he encouraged us not to be frustrated about the difficulty of English. It is quite acceptable to have trouble in English, so students do not need to compare themselves to other students. What they should do is make sure they keep learning without giving up.
Secondly, he emphasized the importance of being brave to speak English. Students should not only use English without translators and speak English for exam preparation but also grasp every single opportunity to speak English, both in class and in daily life. Brains need practice, just like an athlete, to make perfect.
Thirdly, he highlighted the role of conversation in English learning. Although TOEFL practice is an effective way, conversation is another key to the improvement of English. Conversations can help students generate hooks in brains for new words and new grammar. Merely memorizing words and grammar is an ineffective way to learn, but speaking words and grammar out can create new space and hooks in brains which can enhance the memory of those words and grammar.
The second question we talked about was their opinions on our classes. Indeed, they highly praised our great work in classes. Our teachers are excellent at their curriculums, and engaging in their classes. Technology can provide great assistance in teaching and learning. Meanwhile, students in this school are productive and active in classes. He is confident that students will get amazing grades in AP exams.
The next question is about our study life. All DDP students will be gifted four periods of time every week for ScholarShift. ScholarShift means that students are not going to be forced to sit in the classroom where he or she should go, but he or she can choose to go to DDP classrooms instead to do what they are interested in. The idea of ScholarShift is actually from Mr. Ruby and Mr. Stoneman and was first implemented in Shattuck St. Mary’s School. According to Mr. Stoneman’s answers, ScholarShift was developed to allow students to acquire more time for subjects that they have a passion for. It is such a successful program in Minnesota that students feel they have more control over time to pursue what they like. As a result, the ScholarShift is also enforced in Tianyi High School to give students some time to find out their potential and develop their time management skills for the future.
Finally, we discussed how the summer session affected us to be a more EPIC (an acronym for Excellent, Persistence, Impact, and Creative) person. Summer session is an important experience for DDP students’ personal development in terms of full immersion without any pressure from schools. DDP students become more infectious to other students in the International Education Department, affecting them to be more creative and collaborative. Furthermore, Mr. Ruby and Mr. Stoneman also showed the expectational quality that the students will have. In one word to conclude, they use “DISCOVER”. They hope that their students can discover how important their works are and make an impact on the world. Especially in our countries, students need to have the ability to discover. China has plenty of smart people, but China lacks smart people who also know about Chinese culture, languages, history, and traditions. China needs students who can discover something creative in order to follow the steps of the world instead of those who only follow what their teachers say because the world is moving so fast.
Mr. Ruby and Mr. Stoneman’s visit to our school taught us a lot. We appreciate their patience and kindness for all students in Tianyi High School.