~ 01 ~
Parent Feedback 1: A Science-Oriented Child
Started to understand "the emotions behind the words"
We have a "little straight-laced boy" at home who prefers science.
Before, we always felt that his comprehension seemed to be stuck on the literal meaning of words, and he had difficulty truly appreciating the deeper emotions and meanings behind them.
He never liked humanities subjects much as a child, lacked patience for reading, and hated writing essays. We tried several writing tutoring agencies, but never saw much noticeable change.
Untillate April this year, when he met Steven, a teacher at Hillhouse Education. Everything slowly began to change...
~ 02 ~
Parent Feedback 2: "Mom,
I understand my brother's feelings for me now."
The most significant change was that, with the teacher's in-depth analysis and explanation of texts, the child began to learn to think after reading. I was particularly impressed by a lesson where Steven shared an article about brotherly affection, "His Last Game." As soon as class was over, the child excitedly ran up to me and said:
"Mom, I understand my brother's feelings for me now.
He's always been caring and protective of me, he just never said it directly.
I used to dislike my brother, but now I can feel it.
If I ever lost him, I would be very sad too."
At that moment, I was truly excited and relieved, even shocked. Because he rarely understood the "unspoken messages" in others' emotions before, let alone actively expressed such delicate feelings. But after that class, the relationship between him and his brother really changed significantly:
He would actively invite his brother to watch TV together;
They would joke around and play off each other;
He was especially happy when his brother picked him up from school;
They would chat and laugh all the way home.
It showed me a different kind of childhood and family bond. As parents, don't we all hope for our children to grow up happily like this?
~ 03~
Parent Feedback 3: Used to be urged to write, now actively wants to express themselves
Now he looks forward to class every week. After each class, he actively shares with me: what articles he read today, what questions the teacher asked, what opinions everyone discussed, and what new feelings and insights he has gained. Homework that used to require reminders and urging is now done actively and conscientiously, and he even excitedly tells me:
"I have so many ideas I want to express, I want to write them down through writing."
We can clearly feel that the child is increasingly willing to reflect on his inner self and express his emotions volubly.
~ 04~
Parent Feedback 4: Meeting Teacher Steven was very fortunate and very grateful
As parents, we feel that choosing Hillhouse was a particularly correct decision. The teachers here teach children much more than just writing skills and reading comprehension. In particular, Teacher Steven'ssunny and healthy demeanor and rich knowledge inspire every one of his students, guiding them to learn to think, to feel, to understand, to handle interpersonal emotions, and to face society. To meet such a teacher who truly influences a child's growth is truly a very fortunate and very grateful thing.
What kind of class made this child change so much?
Please see Teacher Steven's wonderful commentary!
~ 05~
Steven's Wonderful Commentary
"His Last Game" is ostensibly about two brothers watching a basketball game, but it's actually about an older brother who is about to die, expressing his deep but unspoken brotherly love to his younger brother through ordinary conversations, shared memories, and small everyday moments.
Many children, when they first read this article, might think:"Isn't this just two brothers talking?"
But with the teacher's guidance, they will discover that the older brother never said, "I love you," "I'll miss you," or "I'm scared to leave you." Yet, he was expressing these emotions all along.
In the middle of the article, the older brother says:
"We better go get my prescriptions. They are not going to do any good..."
This sentence implies that the older brother already knows he is very ill, perhaps even near the end of his life. So the whole article isn't really about them watching basketball. It's about someone who is about to leave the world, saying goodbye to his closest brother.
There's a very classic line at the beginning of the article:
"Brothers have many languages..."
The author continues:
"some of which are physical, like broken noses and fingers and teeth and punching each other when you want to say I love you but don’t know how to say that right, and some of them are laughter, and some of them are roaring and spitting, and some of them are weeping in the bathroom, and some of them we don’t have words for yet."
This really resonates with the relationships between many boys.
Many older brothers don't say "Brother, I love you" every day.
Brotherly love isn't always expressed through gentle words; it can also be hidden in conflicts, playful teasing, arguments, silence, or even tears. They might help you with things, pick you up from school, play games with you, tease you intentionally, protect you, take the blame for you, and appear very ordinary on the surface. But these actions themselves are love.
Link to the original text of "His Last Game": https://magazine.nd.edu/stories/his-last-game/
~ 06~
Love is not always spoken
This is also why that student suddenly told his mother after class:"I understand my brother's feelings for me now." Because he realized for the first time: love is not always spoken.
This is where Teacher Steven truly excels. He's not teaching children to understand plot lines, but rather helping them understand:
Why do others think this way?
Why do others act this way?
What are the unspoken words of others?
For example, in the text, the older brother says, "You owe me a dollar." On the surface, it's a joke. But in reality, he's trying to maintain the familiar way of interacting between brothers. Because if he were to say directly, "I'll miss you," the atmosphere would become heavy.
So he chose to continue joking. This is how adults express love. And being able to understand such "unspoken meanings" is one of the most important abilities in literary reading.
~ 07~
Literature allows children to see the meaning behind emotions
Because for a science-oriented child who is used to finding "standard answers": a math problem has only one answer. But this article tells him:
The superficial meaning of a sentence and what it truly intends to express can be entirely different.
When a child first realizes that even though his older brother always teases him, manages him, and annoys him, these actions actually hide care and love, he has already completed a very important step in his growth. This is not just an improvement in reading ability, but it's the beginning of acquiring the ability to understand others' emotions and comprehend human relationships.
This is also why this parent was so moved when they saw the change in the relationship between their children. Because what was truly transformed was no longer just their reading level, but the child's way of looking at people and emotions.
~ 08~
Another student's appraisal of Teacher Steven
A student of Steven once wrote:
“Steven is not your average English tutor.”
He is not an ordinary English teacher who only focuses on grammar and correcting sentences.
This student said that Teacher Steven makes the class veryengaging, encourages students to express themselves actively, and cites content from classic literary works to explain his ideas.
He doesn't overwhelm students with difficult information all at once, but ratherguides students into literary texts step by step, helping them understand each passage, and teaching them techniques they can truly apply in their next English test and writing.
More importantly,when students need help with any English-related issues, Teacher Steven is always willing to respond thoughtfully.
This student also used a very vivid analogy:
"You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. Steven leads you to information and makes you want to learn."
This statement is actually very accurate.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
And what makes Teacher Steven truly remarkable is:he not only brings students to knowledge but also makes them actively want to approach knowledge, willing to think and willing to learn.
If you also hope that your child not only improves writing skills but truly learns to read, think, and express themselves,
welcome to click the link to learn about Hillhouse Education Steven's writing courses.
Click link: Hillhouse Flagship Writing Series Course One: Mastering the Art of Literary "Reading and Writing"
Steven
Summer courses are open!
Scan the QR code below
to learn more about Hillhouse Education Steven's writing courses.
For more analysis of college essays by Steven, please click the video below to experience the style of a master teacher
Top Essay Teacher Analyzes Excellent Essays - How to Start
Top Essay Teacher Analyzes Excellent Essays - The Imagery of Parallelism
Top Essay Instructors Analyze Excellent Essays – Touching Comparisons
Top Essay Instructors Analyze Excellent Essays – On Imagery
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