当一个17岁的男孩“情绪稳定”

人物 CHARACTERS

G12学生Tony Wang

#HDBJ

01

这两年的热词“情绪稳定”，仿佛一夜之间成了所有人向往的精神状态，在我们看来，用以形容Tony最合适不过了。

10年级确认了专业方向，Tony就开始专注、紧张地制作起他的音乐作品集。

24年8月，90%的进度条在同期学生中领先，然而申请季最怕发生的事情发生了：电脑故障导致作品几乎销毁。

距离提交申请所需材料只有不到3个月，怎么办？

“重做吧。”这是Tony给的解决方案。用轻描淡写的语气，表达势如破竹的能量。这背后，是无数次重复练习与突发应对后的从容。在赫德，大大小小的舞台太多了，发生“意外”的机会太多了。

每周一的级部集会，由学生主导；艺术节刚过，冬日演出又上新节目；慈善音乐会，从策划、编曲、宣传、彩排…“音乐”仿佛融入了整个学习、活动、成长过程中，获得锻炼。

就说这场名为“Heart by Heart 与心同行”的慈善音乐会，是Tony和同学Jason发起，为帮助欠发达地区的儿童筹款，打造阅读空间的项目。

Jason对商科非常感兴趣，也早已确定了自己的专业方向，于是主动负责起筹款、捐赠、采购等环节。Tony 则负责他擅长的音乐演奏部分。

然而演出当天，剧场设备失灵，Tony顶着压力，在大屏幕全黑的情况下完成演出，谁说这不是对“音乐的力量”最好的检验呢。

赫德从来不苛求“完美”，而是接纳和包容这些“意外”的发生，让学生在真实、变化、不尽如人意的情境里，接受锻炼与成长，就是我们正在提供的土壤。

如果说2024是AI申请元年，AI开始大规模参与美本申请，从“AI 生成文书”到“录取标准模糊化”，每一个关键词都足以让申请者焦虑不已。

好在名校录取不再仅仅看重学生的学术成绩，更关注学校与学生之间的匹配度，孩子本身的“真实性”，方向与努力的“一致性”，以及他们是否深度的思考，深入的探索。

正如大学的招生官在面试中向Tony的提问：“对于‘专业’这件事，你怎么看？”

“我只想深入地把这一件事做好。”

有明确的目标，主动地求学，不被诸如电脑、屏幕等意外因素“打扰”，这条在赫德延伸出来的“成长曲线”，或许才是AI元年的申请范例。

02

那么，明确的目标哪里来？

赫德高中的两位音乐老师，一位曾就读于伯克利音乐学院，熟谙音乐科技和音乐工程；一位毕业于新奥尔良这个爵士音乐发源地，擅长即兴演奏。Tony的专业选择，或多或少受到了两位的影响，但在进入赫德之初，事情的发展并不是如今的剧本。

从小被父亲“逼”着学吉他，初中被学业“压”着放弃了吉他。“幸好”因为父母与赫德理念相投，于是，他成了赫德中学部的创校生。

从小学习吉他的Tony

从初中阶段刷不完的题、拿不够的分，老师只在乎你的成绩排名能不能“上岸”…初二结束后选择进入赫德，没想到老师竟然会在意你的兴趣爱好，鼓励你发展特长，每天放学前给到一整节课的时间，上百门的课外课（VCA）让你选择…甚至你还可以申请“创造”一个全新的社团，跟一群“志同道合”的同学一起做喜欢的事情。

巨大的转变让Tony感到惊喜，于是在9年级正式入读赫德后，他决定重拾自己的热爱-吉他。在VCA时间、社团活动等时空条件的支持下，Tony选择了音乐作为选修，组建了自己的乐队，一次次、无数次地站上了享受的舞台。

除了学术成绩的点滴进步，“重拾热爱”也是我们非常希望看到的变化。我们无法想象有多少孩子因为学业压力放弃了自己的热爱，甚至自己原本的擅长与天赋，所以在赫德，能够帮助像Tony一样的12岁的少年，找到属于他们18岁的目标，是我们认为教育中最美好的事情之一。

而“找到”的下一步，是“坚持”。我们鼓励学生在热爱的道路上不断向前探索，发展为属于自己的赛道，并能成就一番事业。我们能做的，就是提供足够充分、优质的资源。

赫德为Tony开设的1V1音乐课，每周5节，已经上了一整年。

再看Tony的作品集，内容丰富多元，涵盖了流行、实验、氛围电子、编程等多个领域。他将自己对不同音乐风格的理解融入到作品中，通过编程实现音频的交互，在高中阶段就“练就”了强大的创新能力和技术实力。

赫德有一句slogan：“Passion aways wins！”我们始终相信“热爱至上”的力量，感谢Tony，在你身上的实践，让我们对教育的坚持更有信心了。

03

Tony的妈妈给我们讲了个故事：一天晚上Tony骑自行车回家，看见有位老爷爷在路边卖红薯，他就给妈妈打电话说：“我可以把摊位上剩余的红薯都买下来吗？”因为他想让老爷爷早点回家，因为这个总是希望大家觉得酷酷的孩子，内心柔软善良。

于是Ciara老师也分享了Tony在慈善音乐会的番外篇，他用表演酬到的钱买了防撞贴和防蚊网，默默地“守护着”这群需要帮助，更需要关注的孩子们。把善意传递，是赫德价值观中“仁”的理念，很高兴看到赫德的孩子走出校园，从知道到践行。

我们也默默地观察着，SAST（Student as teachers）社团的“教育工作者”们去到河北省阳原二中，给百名学生现场上了一堂经济学课；翩翩少女社团在全校发起女性互助盒计划，沐者咖啡社团每周五准时营业，势将云南咖啡豆带向世界…

《纽约时报》中文儿童版在2024年的9月刊专门报道了北京赫德的学生社团，同学们从0到1开始创办，迸发灵感、落地想法、建立连接、解决问题，自发生长出行动的智慧和勇气，向真实而广阔的社会生活迈近一步。

教育中美好的事情太多了，让我们感到无比欣慰的是，从赫德“长出来”的孩子，有对他人需求的敏锐洞察，以及在做真正对他人有价值的事情。

1月9日是Jimmy Page的生日，那天Tony在自己的朋友圈中祝偶像生日快乐。

“情绪稳定”的Tony还没有结束他在赫德的学习，刚刚过去的周末，也还在校内外的舞台上带着乐队演奏。赫德三年，或许他和他的父母都不曾想，一把吉他会成为他通往世界顶尖学府的钥匙，而转动这把钥匙的，是心底的“热爱”，以及这片滋生热爱的土壤。

无论如何，祝福Tony，在热爱这条赛道上，永远，能为自己演奏。

CHARACTERS

Tony，G12  student

#HDBJ

The term "emotional stability," which has been trending over the past couple of years, appears to have swiftly turned into a sought - after mental state for all. In our estimation, it perfectly encapsulates Tony.

Once he settled on his academic path in Grade 10, Tony commenced working on his music portfolio with unwavering focus and intensity.

In August 2024, he was well ahead of his classmates with a 90% completion rate. However, the application season's most dreaded event transpired: a computer glitch nearly wiped out his entire project.

Faced with a deadline of less than three months to submit his application materials, what was the plan?

"Start over," Tony proposed. His casual demeanor belied a resolute determination. This confidence stemmed from the countless hours of practice and the ability to handle unexpected situations with ease. At HDBJ, the abundance of stages, both large and small, provided ample opportunities for such "mishaps" to occur.

The weekly departmental gatherings are student - driven; following the art festival, the winter show debuts fresh acts; for the charity concert, encompassing planning, composing, marketing, and rehearsing... "music" appears to permeate the entire journey of learning, activities, and personal development, offering valuable experience.

Consider the charity concert titled "Heart by Heart," which was spearheaded by Tony and his classmate Jason. It aimed to fundraise for children in less - developed regions to establish reading spaces.

Given Jason's keen interest in business and his clear major direction, he proactively assumed responsibility for fundraising, donations, and purchasing. Tony, on the other hand, focused on his forte, the musical performance.

Yet, on the day of the show, the theater's equipment failed. Undeterred and under pressure, Tony delivered his performance with the large screen pitch - black. Isn't this a prime demonstration of "the power of music"?

HDBJ doesn't insist on "perfection." Instead, it welcomes and tolerates these "surprises," enabling students to undergo training and development amidst genuine, dynamic, and imperfect circumstances – this is the nurturing ground we offer.

Should 2024 mark the dawn of the AI - driven application era, where AI starts to significantly impact the admissions process for US colleges, from "AI - crafted essays" to the "ambiguity of admission standards," each term is sufficient to induce anxiety in applicants.

Thankfully, top - tier institutions now place less emphasis on mere academic records and more on the fit between the school and the student, the student's "genuineness," the "alignment" of their goals and endeavors, and their capacity for profound contemplation and in - depth exploration.

As the university admissions officer inquired of Tony during the interview, "What are your thoughts on 'your major'?"

"My sole aim is to delve deeply into and excel at this particular pursuit."

With a defined objective, proactively engaging in learning, and remaining undisturbed by unforeseen issues like computer malfunctions or screen failures, this "growth trajectory" fostered at HDBJ could well serve as a model application for the AI - driven admissions era.

02

So, where does a clear - cut goal originate from?

At HDBJ High School, there are two music instructors. One is an alumnus of Berklee College of Music, well - acquainted with music technology and engineering. The other hails from New Orleans, the cradle of jazz, and excels at improvisational performance. Tony's choice of major was somewhat influenced by these two teachers, but initially upon joining HDBJ, the narrative didn't unfold as it does today.

From a young age, he was "urged" by his father to take up the guitar, only to "abandon" it in junior high due to the weight of academic demands. "Thankfully," his parents' alignment with HDBJ's educational philosophy led to him becoming an inaugural student in the middle school division at HDBJ.

Tony, who began learning guitar at a young age.

Emerging from the seemingly bottomless pit of homework and the perennially unsatisfactory grades in junior high, where teachers seemed to focus solely on whether one's rank could "cross the threshold"... After finishing the second year of junior high, Tony opted to join HDBJ, only to be pleasantly surprised that the teachers genuinely cared about his interests and encouraged the development of his talents, allocating an entire class period each day before school ended for students to explore from a vast array of extracurricular activities (VCA)... Students were even empowered to "initiate" brand - new clubs, allowing them to engage in shared passions with a cohort of "like - minded" peers.

This significant shift was a delightful revelation for Tony. Consequently, upon officially enrolling at HDBJ in Grade 9, he resolved to rekindle his love for the guitar. Bolstered by the temporal and spatial opportunities provided by VCA sessions and club engagements, Tony elected music as his elective, formed his own band, and found himself repeatedly, innumerable times, on stages where he could truly savor the experience.

Tony engages in performances and exchanges with his bandmates.

Beyond the incremental gains in academic achievement, "rekindling passion" represents a transformation we are particularly eager to witness. It's hard to fathom the number of children who forsake their passions, and with them, their innate strengths and talents, succumbing to the pressures of schoolwork. Thus, at HDBJ, assisting adolescents like Tony, on the cusp of twelve, in identifying their aspirations for when they turn eighteen, stands as one of the most rewarding aspects of education, as we perceive it.

Subsequent to "discovery" comes "perseverance." We motivate our students to relentlessly venture forth on the path of their passions, carving out a unique trajectory that can lead to significant accomplishments. Our role is to furnish an abundance of top - notch resources.

The one - on - one music lessons tailored for Tony at HDBJ, consisting of five sessions per week, have been ongoing for a span of one years.

1V1 music course

Upon revisiting Tony's portfolio, one is struck by its rich and varied content, spanning genres like pop, experimental, ambient electronic, and even programming. He weaves his comprehension of diverse musical styles into his creations, leveraging programming to facilitate audio interactivity, thereby "cultivating" robust innovative and technical prowess during his high school years.

HDBJ espouses a mantra: "Passion always wins!" Our unwavering belief in the primacy of passion has been reinforced by Tony's endeavors, bolstering our conviction in our educational pursuits.

03

Tony's mother shared a touching anecdote: On an evening ride home, Tony noticed an elderly gentleman vending sweet potatoes by the road. He promptly called his mother, inquiring, "May I purchase all the sweet potatoes left on his cart?" His intent was to enable the old man to return home sooner. This youngster, ever keen on projecting an image of coolness, conceals a tender and compassionate soul.

Ciara, his teacher, also recounted an addendum to Tony's charity concert narrative. With the earnings from his performance, he procured anti - collision strips and mosquito nets, quietly "guarding" the children in need of both assistance and attention. The act of propagating goodwill reflects the value of "benevolence" inherent in HDBJ's ethos. It's truly gratifying to witness HDBJ's students transition from the campus environment, moving from awareness to active engagement in such values.

We've been quietly observing as well; the "pedagogues" from the SAST (Student as Teachers) club ventured to Yangyuan No. 2 Middle School in Hebei Province, delivering a live economics lesson to a hundred students. The Fluttering Girls club launched a school - wide initiative for a women's mutual aid box. The Mu Zhe Coffee club punctually opens for business every Friday, resolute in their mission to introduce Yunnan coffee beans to the global stage.

The Chinese children's edition of The New York Times dedicated a special report to the student clubs of HDBJ in its September 2024 issue. The students began with nothing, igniting creativity, actualizing concepts, forging connections, and overcoming obstacles, organically cultivating the wisdom and courage to act, edging closer to the genuine and expansive realm of social life.

There's an abundance of wonderful aspects in education. What brings us immense solace is witnessing the children "nurtured" by HDBJ develop a keen perception of others' needs and engage in endeavors that hold genuine value for their peers.

January 9 marks Jimmy Page's birthday, and on this day, Tony extended birthday wishes to his idol within his social media circle.

Tony, known for his "emotional stability," is still immersed in his academic journey at HDBJ. Even over the recent weekend, he could be found performing with his band across various stages, both on and off campus. Throughout his three - year tenure at HDBJ, it's likely that neither he nor his parents envisioned a guitar as the key to unlocking the doors of a world - class institution. The catalyst for turning this key has been the "passion" residing within him, fostered by the nurturing environment that HDBJ provides.

Regardless, we extend our best wishes to Tony, hoping that on the path of passion, he will always have the opportunity to play for his own sake.

声明：本文内容为国际教育号作者发布，不代表国际教育网的观点和立场，本平台仅提供信息存储服务。