中国学生在美国留学中学的经验分享

时间匆匆，做美国中学申请已经有数个年头，送出去的学生也不少。一些学生的联系方式没有变，李宁老师也一直同他们保持沟通。应咨询家长和学生的要求，李宁老师请在美国读高中的学生发邮件介绍了一下他的一天的生活，通过这样的现实说明，也解开在美国高中生活的面纱，从一个角度了解美国高中生活。
以为隐私的原因，在下面摘抄邮件中核心的一些内容：
I will portray to you the everyday life of an American middle school student in 2 sections.
我将从两个部分来描绘我的美国中学日常生活。


Section 1: Schedule
第一部分：日程安排
Depending on your source of transportation, your schedule may vary. I ride the school bus; therefore, I must wake up at 7:15 A.M., get ready and head out the door at about 7:26. The bus arrives at 7:32 to pick students up at the stop. When you arrive at school, 6th graders sit in the bleachers in the gym, while 7th and 8th graders sit at tables in the cafeteria. After waiting for about 15 minutes, you are dismissed to go to your classes. Your first class will be advisory, this isn’t much of a class, it’s an opportunity to finish homework or other unfinished work. Your advisory teacher will be your homeroom teacher, so chances are you will see them again throughout the day. Next you go to 1st period, each period will be approximately 45 minutes long, and you take every period until 4th period that is when most students eat lunch. Now depending on your lunch schedule, A lunch, B lunch, or C lunch, times will be different. A lunch students head to lunch right when 3rd period ends, so they come back to 4th period after lunch, B lunch students go to lunch in the middle of 4th period and come back to finish 4th period. C lunch students eat lunch after 4th period ends and after lunch, they go to 5th period. Then again, you will go through your classes, there are 7 total periods.
你的日程会根据你的交通方式而改变。 我乘坐学校的校车去上学，所以，每天早上的7点15分我必须起床， 7点26分必须在家门口准备好。 学校的校车会在7点32分接学生。 当你到达学校以后，6年级的学生将会聚集在体育馆的露台， 7年级和8年级的学生会聚集在咖啡馆内。 15分钟的等待之后，你就必须去上课了。 你的第一堂课将会是问答时间，这并非是真正意义上的课程，这是一个完成作业的机会。你的导师将会是这个问答时间的老师，因此在接下来的一整天你都会见到这些老师。接下来你会进入第一个时段，每一个时段大约是45分钟。每个时段结束后都有休息时间，4个时段以后，大部分的学生就进入了午餐时间。午餐时间根据你的午餐类型不同而不同，午餐A，午餐B和午餐C的时间都不一样。午餐A的学生将会在第三个时段结束后去就餐，所以学生在吃完午餐以后就回去上第4个时段的课程。午餐B的学生在第4个时段的中途去吃午餐，然后回来完成第4个时段的课程。午餐C的学生在完成第4个时段的课程后去午餐，就餐完了回去上第5个时段的课程。就餐结束以后，你将继续上你的课程，总共有7个时段的课程。


Section 2: Types of Classes
第二部分：课程类型
Regular Classes:
普通课程：
You will have 4 core classes in middle school, 6th graders have English/Reading, Social Studies (History), Math, and Science. 7th graders, depending on how they did last year on reading will decide if they will have to take it again. 7th graders have English/LA, TX History/Geography, Math and Science.
在中学你将会学到4门核心课程， 6年级的学生需要学的包括英文/阅读，社会研究（历史），数学和科学。 7年级的学生根据你上一年的成绩来决定你是否需要重修这些课程。7年级的学生需要修英文/文学，德州历史/地理，数学和科学。
Honors Classes:
荣誉课程：
Honors classes are harder versions of regular classes; they move faster and are more challenging, they earn you a higher GPA. Even if you get an 80 in an honors class, it would benefit you more than getting a 90 in a regular class. Students get into honors classes by teacher recommendations, if your core subject teachers last year think you did good and that you are ready for honors, they will recommend you to be in honors the next year.
荣誉课程比普通课程更难一些。课程学得更快并且更具有挑战性，但是荣誉课程会提高你的GPA。即使你在一门荣誉课程只拿到80分，也比你在普通课程中拿到90分要强很多。学生需要得到老师的推荐才能修荣誉课程，如果你的老师认为你去年的成绩还不错就会推荐你修下一年的荣誉课程。
AP Classes:
AP课程
There aren’t much AP classes offered in middle school, they earn you the highest GPA; making them the hardest to get into, an AP class is equivalent to classes 2 grades above, so an AP math class in 7th grade would equal to a 9th grade regular class.
中学没有太多的AP课程设置，修AP课程将于大大提高你的GPA。AP课程的难度将比普通课程高两个等级，因此7年级的数学AP课程相当于9年级的水平。
Elective Classes:
选修课：
Elective classes are chosen by the students the year before so they may take the course next year. Electives are the extra-curricular classes, including Theatre, Art (2D and 3D), PE, Life Management, Computer & Technology, etc.
学生在选修下一学年的课程时候会选择选修课。选修课程是附加课程，包括戏剧，艺术（2D和3D），体育，生活管理，计算机技术等。
Conclusion:
总结：
The life of a middle school student is much different from elementary school, it is much harder, more homework and things to worry about, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an enjoyable experience.
中学生的生活和小学生的生活很不一样，相比小学，中学难度更大，有很多的作业要做和更多的事情担心，但是这并不意味着中学的经历不愉快。
在美国读高中是一件辛苦但是有意思的事，不过同国内的高中生常年沉浸在“题海战术”中，美国多姿多彩的生活是不是更有吸引力？快进入6月份了，每年中高考之后，重复上演着相同故事内容的生活片，几家欢喜几家愁。何不在中考之前不给自己一份保障呢？一个决定可能就会改变你的一生。