A HAPPY ENDING FOR THE FIRST SCHOOL YEAR
Lara and Maxi have now been at HuZ for a whole school year.
If you ask them the dfference beween an overseas German schol like HuZ and their previous school in Germany, they would say the class size is smaller at HuZ. Because of This, Lara and Maxi feel that the teachers are more attentive to each student and their progress. That was not what they expected at the begining of the school year. When they discussed this with other German children from BBA, their responses were things like "Sure, we have a small, close German community here" and "Yes, the school and teachers care about us. They want each student to be happy and learn and grow quickly."
Lara and Maxi documented many of their experiences from the first year. We have picked just a few milestone activities that are relevant to families.
June 25, Shenyang
We had to go to Shanghai to attend the MSA for written exam and oral test separately, and HuZ had to make all our travel and accommodation arrangements. Even though we only had 3 students from HuZ going, our teacher accompanied us on the trip to ensure everything went smoothly. It made me feel less anxious as well.
A month before the MSA written exam, my parents attended an information session on campus. They also received updates from the school twice a week. The teacher reassured them that the MSA is just an extension of our daily studies.
l have to admit that taking an exam in another city was a new experience for me. It wasn't bad; l just never thought about it. l was impressed by Shanghai's city and landscape. No wonder people call it the "Pearl of the Orient". The trip was definitely worthwhile.
My friends in Munich spent loads of time preparing for the MSA as it determines the next step in their education. l thought l would be nervous, but l wasn't really. That was probably because our teachers are very experienced and can help us individually. l was well prepared!
They understand it can be daunting and offered reviews each week for 3 months before the exam. We had mock exams bi-weekly for the written exam part. Our teachers kept a close eye on our progress to ensure we learned from our mistakes in the mocks. As the written and oral parts are separate, we focused on preparing the written exam first. For the oral test, we had a lot of discussions about the presentation, covering topic selection, flow and structure before the written exam. After the written exam, we put more effort into the details, such as wording, grammar, and even colors and pictures.
As well as doing a lot of preparation for the presentation, we put a great deal of effort into getting ready for the verbal foreign language test.
During our first trip to Shanghai, our teacher said a few times, "There's nothing to worry about, my dear, the only difference is in the course arrangement, right?" And that was true. However, I still thought about my friends in Munich and wished I could do the same as them.
For the second trip to Shanghai, I was more relaxed. But we still got teachers to accompany us, and planned a day after the test enjoy the modern metro city. After the test, my teacher told me that the exam officer gave pretty positive feedback on our oral language tests and presentation. So, I guess the final result should be ok?
The experience of taking the MSA was a milestone for me that went beyond the exam itself. I learned a lot from the experience. My teacher said this increases our ability as we enter the high school years and prepare for the external Abitur. I already heard this from my friend Laurence in Grade 12, who was on my project team at the beginning of the school year. He reckoned he developed so much during the external Abitur prep period. He is now in Germany and has just done his exam. I think he will get into university soon.
July 3, Shenyang
I cannot believe we have already reached the end of the school year. Time has flown! I have been really busy with all kinds of school activities and with my new friends in Shenyang.
Some friends were not around for the weekend football games because they were preparing for final exams. HuZ doesn't have a final exam for Grade 3, the same as Munich. For the whole school year, we had 2 or 3 tests or quizzes. Most important is teacher feedback after the test or quiz. My teacher gives us 1 to 1 feedback about what need to improve and adjust and made a plan with us to take action.
l love to learn new things. Learning is easy in our class because there are not many students and teachers have time to spend with us individually. This means the teachers have time to answer each student's questions and concerns. We also learn more than in our textbooks, which is a bonus!
Because our family believes studying is important, Mum said that her biggest challenge was ensuring that Lara and I get a good education. That was why Dad and Mum eventually chose HuZ over the other schools, as it is consistent with our other schooling.
l really did enjoy my first year at HuZ and in Shenyang. As well as having lots of nice teachers, I have explored a new city, met many local friends, and I'm still surrounded by a German community.