<p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">To challenge myself, I’m going to give a 5-minute speech in front of the mirror today. The topic is my 8-day break combining the National Holiday and Mid-Autumn Festival—this period was totally full, with every single day packed with meaningful things, including rest, travel, and also learning that’s closely related to my major: teaching.</p><p class="ql-block">First, let’s talk about the holiday life. On the first day, I took the bullet train to my destination, and I came back to Shanghai on the 6th day. The second day was for myself: I went for a skin care session and enjoyed a lot of delicious desserts. On the third day, we climbed a 384-meter mountain. The view there was really eye-catching and refreshing. I absolutely loved the feeling of sweating a lot, pushing through the tiredness of each step, and finally being the first one to reach the top. I also took photos along the way, because I found the scenery changes a little bit every time you move further up.</p><p class="ql-block">The next two days, we traveled to Hefei—the capital city of Anhui Province. It took 2 hours to get there and another 2 hours to come back, which was tiring but totally worth it. We visited many places and got lots of fresh ideas. That’s exactly the meaning of traveling: you won’t just wonder “what’s that place like” anymore. Next time when others talk about Dashu Mountain or the streets of Hefei, I can say “I’ve been there, and I know its style—I like it or not, that’s my own experience, and it’s special to me.”</p><p class="ql-block">After returning to Shanghai, I still had two days left, and I made a to-do list for each day as usual. I kept a diary, had natural sleep (waking up at 7 a.m. and napping for 30 minutes to 1 hour at noon), did some study and light exercise, cleaned the house, and watched informative short videos. What made this break more valuable was the reading I did—especially the part about “changing learning styles” in teaching, which gave me new understandings.</p><p class="ql-block">Let me share these new insights. In the past, students mainly learned through teachers’ long narrations, passively absorbing knowledge. But now, the learning style is totally changing: first, students get more time to think independently or work in groups to solve problems, which helps them develop their own thinking ability. Second, the evaluation method is more diverse—it’s no longer just the teacher giving comments alone. Students can comment on each other’s work, and teachers can provide more targeted feedback based on students’ answers, making the evaluation more comprehensive. Third, homework has also become a part of this change. Instead of simple repetition, homework now is designed to help students further understand what they’ve learned and put that knowledge into practical use. What’s more, students are more active in making checklists for their learning by themselves, which makes them more responsible for their own study.</p><p class="ql-block">Finally, I want to praise myself. I’m proud that I focused on myself during the whole break: I relaxed well, read a lot (and gained new professional insights), did physical therapy, and had healthy meals. From the books, I also understood happiness better—it says that when we have a peaceful mind, not craving for more or feeling regretful about what we haven’t got, we’re already in a state of happiness.</p>