参加亚特兰大现代中文学校SAT夏令营有感

Ezekiel

June 11, 2011

    As I look back to the first weeks of my summer, I realize that one of the highlights was ACCA’s Intensive SAT Camp. Don’t be fooled by the prosaic title; this four-day excursion was both didactic and entertaining.
    When Mom signed me up for it, I had second thoughts too. Did I really need an entire week dedicated to the cracking of the SAT? Was studying for some future exam worth disrupting my first week of unadulterated summer? Now, I had done my fair share of work for the SAT, beginning with poring over the DirectHits vocabulary series and ending with arduous timed practice tests every few weeks. But the prospect of a whole two months unrelated to academic work was marvelous. So I argued with my mother and pestered her with inane questions.
    Then Memorial Day arrived. In many other places, teens like me were waking up late and going to family or social gatherings. But not I. Instead, I was off to the first day of SAT camp.
    Things started off on the wrong foot. I misread Mr. Dong’s email and thought the class started at 2. So I arrived an hour early and waited in the car under a blistering sun. Then I walked into the building.
    The new ACCA headquarters is not finished. There is equipment strewn over the carpet, and the doors are left ajar. The smell of construction is in the air and a trip through the halls reminds me of visiting a house that’s being built. However, this environment gave me a nostalgic feeling. It brought me back to an age where school was taught in such buildings. There would be old-fashioned desks, a stringent curriculum, and a used chalkboard.
    There were actually normal desks that could be seen in a typical high school, a liberal agenda (as I would discover), and a whiteboard complete with one black marker. It was too simple. Mr. Davis gave us packets, introduced himself, and asked the students to say something about themselves. Then we launched into the lessons.
    Michael Davis is a different breed of teacher. He rarely structures rigid schedules, but is quite flexible with time. He attempts to run the lesson through, but if a peripheral question arises, he will answer it and perhaps tell some insane trivia. When we students ask him something, he is sure to reply to the best of his knowledge and make sure we know why something is that way. This pragmatic approach is superior to the method of some teachers: strictly following a set lesson plan, working out each problem regardless of its difficulty, and being averse to marginal questions. Therefore, we raced through the packets and had lots of free time to discuss subtler attributes of the SAT.
    My classmates were also great. There were six students total, and I formed a tightly-knit group with three other talented teenagers. Each day, we dined at Subway and/or Burger King. Since the pressure in the classroom was low, we had outgoing dinner conversations involving some outlandish topics. At times, we even teamed up to barter with Burger King’s manager! There are a few things you cannot share without becoming friends, and a four-day Intensive SAT Camp is one of them.
    The ACCA is thinking about implementing another SAT program soon. Here is a word of caution: the deliberate usage of the term “intensive” is not a joke. This course is not for the fainthearted or the neophytes. This should not be your first SAT class. Rather, it should be your last. In fact, the course I took was advertised as a final push to maximize your score the Saturday after. Although I did not take the June 4th SAT, I do plan to take the October test. It would be great to have a weeklong class in September to give us October test takers a last-minute boost.
    But I did glean some important things from the camp. Since our group delved into the nuances of the SAT, I’ve learned how to think like the test maker. All the finer points presented by Mr. Davis, including etymology and somehow philosophy, have enriched my life a little. If you attend this program, you will obtain not only more than your fair share of SAT knowledge, but also random, interesting facts that add humor to normally insipid exam discussions. Take a chance like I did, and you will not regret it.

Well written article. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

This week's "Intensive" SAT Camp has 12 students. The other aspects of the physical environment is much much better.

Ezekiel

Thanks for the encouragement!

Ezekiel

That's great! It's just that Mr. Davis has to spend more time getting to know them. And by the last day, I thought the physical environment was excellent.

Thank you for sharing your experience!

Ezekiel

No problem! Hope you continue going to the program. I might see you sometime.

I find it strange to see that something gave a young person a nostalgic feeling.

Ezekiel

I once attended school in a rural area, so I reminisced about a time when education was simple and straightforward.

引用第8楼Ezekiel于2011-06-23 17:23发表的 回 7楼(游客) 的帖子 :
I once attended school in a rural area, so I reminisced about a time when education was simple and straightforward.

Now that makes sense.  But you need to let people know that in your original writing.  You have other parts that are similarly confusing to the readers.  For example, one is where you said "in other states" kids would be doing bluh bluh.  I dont understand why it has anything to do with other states.  Isn't it the result of your attending the camp instead of being in Georgia?  You need to let the readers know why you think that way when it is not obvious to the readers. Sure, you have the explanation in your mind.  But that's not good enough.  You need to let the readers know. Otherwise the readers will find it abrupt and hard to follow.

Overall a good essay - much better than mine when I was at your age.  Good luck with your study.