New students say | Break out of the "total score first" evaluation system
The freshmen of New Oriental Bilingual School have been studying and living on the Nome campus for nearly a month with unlimited expectations. From being nervous before entering the school to being calm now, they have integrated well into the NOMI family through their own efforts and the help of NOMI teachers and classmates. In class, they study hard and complete academic challenges with excellence; in club activities, they actively participate and have the courage to break through themselves. Their joining has also added a strong touch to the Nome family.
In this issue, we invite Stephen Zong, a freshman at Shanghai Nome School in the 2023-2024 school year, to share with us his feelings about studying and living in Nome and his learning experience.
The mechanical learning method forced me to find a stage to show myself
I have always been studying in a school within the system. My academic level is above the average level, and my scores in Chinese and biology are outstanding. However, the mechanical learning method and the "total score first" evaluation system of the school within the system give me an advantage. There is no way to show it. I am eager to study in depth in the subjects that I love and am good at and maximize my strengths, so I am considering switching to an international school. When choosing a school, I saw that major authoritative media had given high praise to Nome School. When I visited the campus with my parents, I felt that the campus environment of Nome was particularly good. The classrooms were spacious and bright, and the atmosphere during the experience classes was very happy. , so I firmly chose Nome. Because I attended Nome’s summer school, I initially felt the learning pace of an international school, met many students from different cultural backgrounds, and also became familiar with the learning and living environment, so I quickly adapted to studying here after the start of school. and life.
The customized courses and active atmosphere opened up a new world for me
The study life in Nome is very different from the study life in a school within the system. First of all, teachers in schools within the system teach according to a fixed template, and students just follow the teacher step by step, so the level of activity is not very high. During classes in Nome, teachers do not teach students entirely through textbooks, but use various activities to help students remember knowledge more deeply. The teacher also gives students more opportunities to answer questions. Everyone has more space to think independently, and the class atmosphere is more active and joyful. I like the ELA teacher Baxter very much. He will use some particularly funny words and some exaggerated actions to attract our attention. In his class, the students are often made to laugh, and we master what we want to learn in joy. knowledge. Secondly, Nomi’s course selection is richer and the content is more diverse. You can also choose courses according to your own hobbies, so each of our students has a different class schedule. When selecting courses, my college counselor and course selection counselor conducted a comprehensive assessment and understanding of me through online tests and offline interviews, and combined with my personal situation and future plans, guided me to choose the most suitable course. Course content for future development. Finally, teachers at Nomei will get along with us equally like friends. They will play with us when we can have fun, play and sing together, and urge us to study when it is time to study. This is completely different from the teachers I have encountered before. .
The all-English environment and colorful activities helped me grow in all aspects
After entering Nome, I found it a bit difficult to teach in English, but by communicating with the teacher after class, asking the teacher questions in time when I didn’t understand something in class, and memorizing some TOEFL and IELTS words every day, I can already feel myself I am making progress in English, so I believe this problem will not be a hindrance to me soon. During my stay at Nome, in addition to focusing on academic performance, I want to make use of the rich resources provided by the school and actively participate in some extracurricular activities to improve myself in all aspects. I usually like to play the guitar. When the club started to recruit new students, I joined the folk guitar club. I would play guitar with everyone every week, exchange music knowledge, and meet a group of friends who also like guitar. In addition, I also joined the flag football school team because I have strong explosive power and fast sprinting speed. Flag football can develop these strengths of mine. If I have the opportunity later, I would also like to participate in some social practice activities to enrich my experience and make myself more competitive when applying for college in the future. In Nome, whether it is study, sports or life, you can explore your strengths little by little with the help of teachers, and you can also be aware of your shortcomings, so you can make up for your shortcomings and improve yourself in a targeted way. I think this is very important for you. The overall development of the individual is crucial.
A plan for life
Within one month of the admission of all new students, Shanghai Nome School uses professional and systematic assessments to understand students’ mental health, learning styles, personality and career tendencies, and deeply explores students’ growth points and interests. Based on tests and in-depth communication and understanding, Shanghai Nome School provides Each student designs a reasonable personal development plan - a "lifetime plan", which includes course and credit planning, further education planning and career planning. During the implementation of the plan, the College Guidance Center closely tracks students' specific implementation throughout the entire process, provides guidance and suggestions based on the actual situation, assists students in completing phased goals, and ultimately helps all students enter their ideal colleges and universities and become better versions of themselves. Realize the value of life.
