Ronak:
We arrived in school and got a warm welcome by the teacher there and she showed us around for a while and took us to their pong which was to be the center of their campus and told us a story of one of the trees there. There used to be this old couple living high in the mountains and could not find water anywhere. Then one day the old woman got a dream of a spirit telling them to pull out the plant to find water and she told her husband but he thought she was crazy. The next day the man also got the same dream and thus they tried pulling out the plant with much effort working day and night and its roots are very strong and when they pulled it out finally, they was wet soil and water there.
After that, we waited for our buddies that we had to roam around with that day. The buddies were all from different grades and classes so it might have been an open application for them to observe and be with them. I then met my buddy who was older than me but really nice and sweet. We then went to spanish class in which I understood a little but it was very fun as we got to talk to all groups of people and they were all very engaging and fun to chat with. After that we went to the library and she introduced some of her friends to me and we all got along well. We also played a game in which we threw a ball on the wall and catch it so they kept explaining it but I did not need it as that game is also very popular in India and I am very good at it. Through that, I made good connections and social interactions with the students there. And all of them were older than me. After that we attended a European History class in which we watched a film to show the war story they were learning about.
The American culture in class is very diverse and different as they all, even the teacher, open-minded and just say their own opinion and thoughts about things and they do not seem to mind it at all. There are also classrooms where three of the walls have the projector, black board and white board so for different things, the students just have to turn their chairs around to face the teacher which is quick and efficient. They also have different classrooms for each subjects so after each subject ends they have to walk to their next class. One of the idea which is not bad because they get a break from the 1 hour lesson and enjoy the beautiful weather in Hawaii.
Shakti:
At Punahou School we realised that there were many differences between SST and Punahou. Firstly, the class timetable system for SST and Punahou are much different. In SST we are bonded as one class and have different classes together, so movement is less and unity between classmates are very strong. Also, we do not waste time moving between classes. However, in Punahou depending on their classes they split up and move to different locations so every class has different people. This has its disadvantage such as they waste some time moving between classes and they also do not have unity as a class. However, by this method they can make many friends over all the different classes and teachers have time to prepare their learning materials as the students start to move.
Another difference is that at Punahou they have a very carefree attitude which makes teaching very fun and learning very fun. Some instances are like how students can eat wherever they want, where whatever they want (with some minor rules), decide how they want to learn and what they want to learn in certain classes and are very close with their teachers. This promotes a very lively and happy school environment which I think our school should adopt. Obviously, not wearing uniform is not possible, however we can let loose a little bit and have fun with our teachers so there is no distinct segregation between teachers and students such that students can not effectively bond with teachers.
Brendon:
We arrived in school and got a warm welcome by the teacher there and she showed us around for a while and took us to their pong which was to be the center of their campus and told us a story of one of the trees there. There used to be this old couple living high in the mountains and could not find water anywhere. Then one day the old woman got a dream of a spirit telling them to pull out the plant to find water and she told her husband but he thought she was crazy. The next day the man also got the same dream and thus they tried pulling out the plant with much effort working day and night and its roots are very strong and when they pulled it out finally, they was wet soil and water there.
After that, we waited for our buddies that we had to roam around with that day. The buddies were all from different grades and classes so it might have been an open application for them to observe and be with them. I then met my buddy who was older than me but really nice and sweet. We then went to spanish class in which I understood a little but it was very fun as we got to talk to all groups of people and they were all very engaging and fun to chat with. After that we went to the library and she introduced some of her friends to me and we all got along well. We also played a game in which we threw a ball on the wall and catch it so they kept explaining it but I did not need it as that game is also very popular in India and I am very good at it. Through that, I made good connections and social interactions with the students there. And all of them were older than me. After that we attended a European History class in which we watched a film to show the war story they were learning about.
The American culture in class is very diverse and different as they all, even the teacher, open-minded and just say their own opinion and thoughts about things and they do not seem to mind it at all. There are also classrooms where three of the walls have the projector, black board and white board so for different things, the students just have to turn their chairs around to face the teacher which is quick and efficient. They also have different classrooms for each subjects so after each subject ends they have to walk to their next class. One of the idea which is not bad because they get a break from the 1 hour lesson and enjoy the beautiful weather in Hawaii.
Shakti:
At Punahou School we realised that there were many differences between SST and Punahou. Firstly, the class timetable system for SST and Punahou are much different. In SST we are bonded as one class and have different classes together, so movement is less and unity between classmates are very strong. Also, we do not waste time moving between classes. However, in Punahou depending on their classes they split up and move to different locations so every class has different people. This has its disadvantage such as they waste some time moving between classes and they also do not have unity as a class. However, by this method they can make many friends over all the different classes and teachers have time to prepare their learning materials as the students start to move.
Another difference is that at Punahou they have a very carefree attitude which makes teaching very fun and learning very fun. Some instances are like how students can eat wherever they want, where whatever they want (with some minor rules), decide how they want to learn and what they want to learn in certain classes and are very close with their teachers. This promotes a very lively and happy school environment which I think our school should adopt. Obviously, not wearing uniform is not possible, however we can let loose a little bit and have fun with our teachers so there is no distinct segregation between teachers and students such that students can not effectively bond with teachers.
Brendon:
There were many differences between my school, the School of Science and Technology, Singapore(SST), and the Punahou School in Hawaii.
Punahou School is so much bigger than SST. Every student has like a different schedule, and they get to choose which subject modules to take, unlike SST, which most of which we have no choice. In Punahou school, every subject is in a different classroom, so the students move about between every class, and have many different classmates for different subjects. In SST, we are in the same class most of the time, and the classmates are the same, and it is the teachers that move to different classes.
The classroom environment is also very different. Like in Punahou School, the students are allowed to eat and drink anything they want in class, unlike in SST, where students can only drink plain water. In Punahou, you are like free to interrupt the teacher at any point when u have doubts but in SST, sometimes the teacher will hold your question and answer it later. The learning style in Punahou is also very hands on, as like for example Biology, we get to taste lemon and then we eat miracle berries, and every sour thing we eat tasted sweet. They are also very creative in Punahou, as like in Social Studies for example, the students were to make music videos or raps or poems about democracy, but in SST, we will most likely be writing essays, which is not very creative.
Overall, it is because of the differences in the education system in the countries that make most of these differences.
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