“I would love to talk to their parents about their parenting techniques.”
As the academic camp in Cape Cod concluded, the teachers chatted about two students loading their luggage into the trunk. It had been an intense week for both the teachers and the students. Standing outside the house where the summer camp took place, they could feel the afternoon breeze carry away their anxiety and fatigue, and the small moments during the summer camp came rushing back to their minds.
It was strange that extra effort was required to recall the content taught in class, but interactions with students flowed smoothly like a high-definition video montage. This was amusingly similar to the reminiscence and observation of the students: one cannot see if students are going to be successful just by evaluating their performance in academia but by observing how they operate in life in general.
Among all the brilliant and academically strong students, two sisters stood out. Despite the draining classes, the girls were still willing to walk the extra mile. Literally and figuratively.
The girls would wake up at six every morning and exercise for two hours in the gym before breakfast. In the evening, they would go out for a stroll or jog, enjoying the nature of Cape Cod. Besides their dedication to leading a healthy life, the girls lived the moments deliberately: they actively conversed with instructors during meals, asking interesting questions like, “If you were teaching high school English classes, what five books would you assign to your students and why?” The table was never dull, with the lighthearted exchange of opinions on deeper topics.
Success is subjective, but students with confidence, good habits, and curiosity are never far from their goals. Success cannot be written as a specific formula, but it is palpable when one is set in the right direction.
