2022 started with the first mock exam. But there's nothing much to say about the mock exam. Let's start from the winter vacation.
Winter Vacation#
I started a Minecraft server and played with some friends, adding a few mods.
Since I didn't know how to back up the Minecraft server, I used Git for version control.
During the winter vacation, I got a Mac Mini (M1, 2020), which allowed me to compile applications across platforms.
The development experience on macOS is indeed much better than on Windows. Command Line Tools for Xcode already had the commonly used compilers, Git, and other tools configured.
April is Your Lie#
In March, the Shanghai outbreak started from Huating Hotel. In mid-March, we started the second round of online classes. Compared to the first round of online classes in 2020, this time it was really untimely. There were only two months left until the scheduled high school entrance exam. However, online classes alone didn't help much, and the number of new cases continued to increase. Then, Shanghai entered a lockdown period starting from April 1st. Originally, the lockdown was supposed to last for two weeks, but it was extended when it was about to be lifted. No one expected that the lockdown would last for two months. In addition, the physical education, English listening and speaking, and chemistry and physics experiments for the high school entrance exam were all canceled, and the exam was postponed.
In view of the latest situation of COVID-19 prevention and control in our city, in order to effectively control large-scale offline activities of students, and to ensure the health and safety of teachers and students, after research and decision, the unified test for physical education and fitness subject of the junior high school academic proficiency examination in 2022 will be suspended, and the corresponding scores will be counted as full marks of 15 points in the total score of the junior high school academic proficiency examination for students. The daily assessment scores and scoring methods remain unchanged and should be completed by schools according to the requirements of previous years.
The unified examination for the autumn high school entrance examination in our city will be postponed to July 7th-9th, and the examination for the high school academic proficiency level will be postponed to June 18th-19th; the junior high school entrance examination will be postponed to July 11th-12th, and the chemistry and physics experiments and foreign language listening and speaking tests for junior high school will be canceled. The scores of the relevant examinations will be counted as full marks in the total score of the junior high school entrance examination.
On June 1st, Shanghai lifted the lockdown. We returned to offline classes in mid-June. The school implemented "grid management," with each class assigned to different floors, and the school organized nucleic acid testing every day. This was the last month of junior high school.
High School Entrance Exam#
The high school entrance exam was postponed, and there were policy changes this year as well. The allocation of quotas gave public schools more advantages, and the number of candidates for the high school entrance exam increased by nearly ten thousand. I originally thought that the difficulty of the exam might be lower, but when the exam actually started, it didn't feel that way. In short, the competition in this year's high school entrance exam was more intense than before. In addition, the results were announced in August, which made people anxious for half of the summer vacation.
Graduation#
Junior high school ended with the final exam, and there was no graduation photo for this class. The graduation ceremony was held online on August 1st, but it lacked the sense of ceremony and the witness of this period—the graduation certificate (the graduation certificate and the high school entrance exam score report were issued in September).
A Little Trip~#
I went to Kunshan, Suzhou, and Changxing Island~
A New Beginning#
Entering high school! The most immediate feeling is that the campus is much larger than in junior high school, and I heard there are more interesting activities. At first, I was really looking forward to it. But after the National Day holiday, we switched back to online classes again. The sports meet was postponed and resumed offline three weeks later, and the opening ceremony was canceled. It was finally held by grade, which was a bit regrettable.
Easing Restrictions#
In December, there was finally a change in the COVID-19 prevention and control policy. Strict control measures were relaxed. Provinces and cities gradually stopped requiring nucleic acid testing, and you could even see posters about the pandemic being taken down at airports and train stations online. It seems like it's not a lie.
Elimination Round#
Once the restrictions were eased, there would definitely be a large number of infections. And it did happen. About a week after the restrictions were eased, three out of twelve classes in our grade switched to online classes, and it increased to five classes the next day. It was said that half of the sophomore class was also eliminated.
On the following morning, everything seemed fine. However, just as I was about to leave, an emergency notice about online classes came. (Some classmates were already at the school gate) The next day, the sophomores also had online classes.
Starting from December 19th, all primary and secondary schools, except for the third year of junior high school and the third year of high school, will switch to online teaching.
Epilogue#
2022 was an extraordinary year. For me, it was about leaving the familiar campus, facing challenges, and embarking on a new journey. But this step was so difficult. The pandemic erased so many potential wonderful memories and brought difficulties to so many people. I hope this round of online classes is the last, and I hope this easing of restrictions is truly a complete reopening. The challenges of the pandemic will eventually pass, and it will become an unforgettable memory for us.
May the coming year allow us to freely go to the places we want to go and regain the romance we should have.
This is just the beginning...
"Just the Beginning" was the essay topic for this year's Chinese language exam in Shanghai.