我這輩子,要么是在學(xué)校,要么在去學(xué)校的路上, 要么是在討論學(xué)校里發(fā)生了什么事。 我的父母都是教育家, 我的外祖父母也都是搞教育的, 過(guò)去40年我也在從事同樣的事業(yè)。 所以,很顯然,過(guò)去的這些年里, 我有機(jī)會(huì)從各個(gè)角度 審視教育改革。 一些改革是有成效的。 而另一些卻收效甚微。 我們知道孩子們?yōu)槭裁吹絷?duì)輟學(xué)。 我們知道孩子們?yōu)槭裁磳W(xué)不下去。 原因無(wú)非是貧窮,低出席率, 同齡人的壞影響。我們知道為什么。 但是我們從未討論 或者極少討論的是 人和人之間的那種聯(lián)系的價(jià)值和重要性, 這就是“關(guān)系”。
James Comer says that no significant learning can occur without a significant relationship. George Washington Carver says all learning is understanding relationships. Everyone in this room has been affected by a teacher or an adult. For years, I have watched people teach. I have looked at the best and I've look at some of the worst.
James Comer (美國(guó)著名兒童精神科醫(yī)師)說(shuō)過(guò) ,沒(méi)有強(qiáng)有力的聯(lián)系,學(xué)習(xí)就不會(huì)有顯著的進(jìn)步。 George Washington Carver(美國(guó)著名教育學(xué)家)說(shuō)過(guò),學(xué)習(xí)就是理解各種關(guān)系。 在座的各位都曾經(jīng)被一位老師 或者一個(gè)成年人影響過(guò)。 這么多年,我都在看人們?cè)趺唇虒W(xué)。 我看過(guò)最好的也看過(guò)最差的。
A colleague said to me one time, "They don't pay me to like the kids. They pay me to teach a lesson. The kids should learn it. I should teach it. They should learn it. Case closed."
一次有個(gè)同事跟我說(shuō), “我的職責(zé)不是喜歡那些孩子們。 我的職責(zé)是教書(shū)。 孩子們就該去學(xué)。 我管教課,他們管學(xué)習(xí)。就是這么個(gè)理兒。”
Well, I said to her, "You know, kids don't learn from people they don't like."
然后,我就跟她說(shuō), “你知道,孩子們可不跟他們討厭的人學(xué)習(xí)。”
(Laughter) (Applause)
(笑聲)(掌聲)
She said, "That's just a bunch of hooey."
她接著說(shuō),“一派胡言。”
And I said to her, "Well, your year is going to be long and arduous, dear."
然后我對(duì)她說(shuō),“那么,親愛(ài)的,你這一年會(huì)變得 十分漫長(zhǎng)和痛苦。”
Needless to say it was. Some people think that you can either have it in you to build a relationship or you don't. I think Stephen Covey had the right idea. He said you ought to just throw in a few simple things, like seeking first to understand as opposed to being understood, simple things like apologizing. You ever thought about that? Tell a kid you're sorry, they're in shock.
事實(shí)也果真如此。有些人認(rèn)為 一個(gè)人或者天生可以建立一種關(guān)系 或者不具有這種能力。 我認(rèn)為Stephen Covey(美國(guó)教育家)是對(duì)的。 他說(shuō)你只需要做一些簡(jiǎn)單的事情, 比如試著首先理解他人,而不是想要被理解, 比如道歉。 你想過(guò)嗎? 跟一個(gè)孩子說(shuō)你很對(duì)不起,他們都驚呆了。
I taught a lesson once on ratios. I'm not real good with math, but I was working on it. And I got back and looked at that teacher edition. I'd taught the whole lesson wrong. (Laughter)
我有一次講比例。 我數(shù)學(xué)不是很好,但是我當(dāng)時(shí)在教數(shù)學(xué)。 然后我下了課,翻看了教師用書(shū)。 我完全教錯(cuò)了。(笑聲)
So I came back to class the next day, and I said, "Look, guys, I need to apologize. I taught the whole lesson wrong. I'm so sorry."
所以我第二天回到班上說(shuō), “同學(xué)們,我要道歉。 我昨天的課都教錯(cuò)了。我非常抱歉。”
They said, "That's okay, Ms. Pierson. You were so excited, we just let you go." (Laughter) (Applause)
他們說(shuō),“沒(méi)關(guān)系,Pierson老師。 你當(dāng)時(shí)教得非常投入,我們就讓你繼續(xù)了。” (笑聲)(掌聲)
I have had classes that were so low, so academically deficient that I cried. I wondered, how am I going to take this group in nine months from where they are to where they need to be? And it was difficult. It was awfully hard. How do I raise the self-esteem of a child and his academic achievement at the same time?
我曾經(jīng)教過(guò)程度非常低的班級(jí), 學(xué)術(shù)素養(yǎng)差到我都哭了。 我當(dāng)時(shí)就想,我怎么能在9個(gè)月之內(nèi) 把這些孩子 提升到他們必須具備的水平? 這真的很難,太艱難了。 我怎么能讓一個(gè)孩子重拾自信的同時(shí) 他在學(xué)術(shù)上也有進(jìn)步?
One year I came up with a bright idea. I told all my students, "You were chosen to be in my class because I am the best teacher and you are the best students, they put us all together so we could show everybody else how to do it."
有一年我有了一個(gè)非常好的主意。 我告訴我的學(xué)生們, “你們進(jìn)了我的班級(jí),因?yàn)槲沂亲詈玫睦蠋煟銈兪亲詈玫膶W(xué)生, 他們把我們放在一起來(lái)給其他人做個(gè)好榜樣。”
One of the students said, "Really?" (Laughter)
一個(gè)學(xué)生說(shuō),“真的嗎?” (笑聲)
I said, "Really. We have to show the other classes how to do it, so when we walk down the hall, people will notice us, so you can't make noise. You just have to strut." And I gave them a saying to say: "I am somebody. I was somebody when I came. I'll be a better somebody when I leave. I am powerful, and I am strong. I deserve the education that I get here. I have things to do, people to impress, and places to go."
我說(shuō),“當(dāng)然是真的。我們要給其他班級(jí)做個(gè)榜樣, 當(dāng)我們走在樓道里, 因?yàn)榇蠹叶紩?huì)注意到我們,我們不能吵鬧。 大家要昂首闊步。” 我還給了他們一個(gè)口號(hào):“我是個(gè)人物。 我來(lái)的時(shí)候是個(gè)人物。 我畢業(yè)的時(shí)候會(huì)變成一個(gè)更好的人物。 我很有力,很強(qiáng)大。 我值得在這里受教育。 我有很多事情要做,我要讓人們記住我, 我要去很多地方。”
And they said, "Yeah!"
然后他們說(shuō):“是啊!”
You say it long enough, it starts to be a part of you.
如果你長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的這么說(shuō), 它就會(huì)開(kāi)始變成事實(shí)。
And so — (Applause) I gave a quiz, 20 questions. A student missed 18. I put a "+2" on his paper and a big smiley face.
所以 - (掌聲) 我做了一個(gè)小測(cè)驗(yàn),20道題。 一個(gè)孩子錯(cuò)了18道。 我在他了卷子上寫(xiě)了個(gè)“+2”和一個(gè)大的笑臉。
He said, "Ms. Pierson, is this an F?"
他說(shuō),“Pierson老師,這是不及格嗎?”
I said, "Yes."
我說(shuō),“是的。”
He said, "Then why'd you put a smiley face?"
他接著說(shuō),“那你為什么給我一個(gè)笑臉?”
I said, "Because you're on a roll. You got two right. You didn't miss them all." I said, "And when we review this, won't you do better?"
我說(shuō),“因?yàn)槟阏凉u入佳境。 你沒(méi)有全錯(cuò),還對(duì)了兩個(gè)。” 我說(shuō),“我們復(fù)習(xí)這些題的時(shí)候, 難道你不會(huì)做得更好嗎?”
He said, "Yes, ma'am, I can do better."
他說(shuō),“是的,老師。我可以做得更好。”
You see, "-18" sucks all the life out of you. "+2" said, "I ain't all bad." (Laughter) (Applause)
大家看,“-18”讓人感覺(jué)想死。 “+2”意味著,“我沒(méi)有那么糟。” (笑聲)(掌聲)
For years I watched my mother take the time at recess to review, go on home visits in the afternoon, buy combs and brushes and peanut butter and crackers to put in her desk drawer for kids that needed to eat, and a washcloth and some soap for the kids who didn't smell so good. See, it's hard to teach kids who stink. And kids can be cruel. And so she kept those things in her desk, and years later, after she retired, I watched some of those same kids come through and say to her, "You know, Ms. Walker, you made a difference in my life. You made it work for me. You made me feel like I was somebody, when I knew, at the bottom, I wasn't. And I want you to just see what I've become."
好多年了,我看著我媽媽利用課間休息時(shí)間批改作業(yè), 下午去家訪, 買(mǎi)梳子、刷子、花生醬和餅干,把他們放在自己的抽屜里給那些餓了的孩子們吃, 還有為那些臟孩子們準(zhǔn)備了一條毛巾和一些肥皂。 看吧,教那些發(fā)臭的孩子是困難的一件事。 而孩子們有時(shí)也是比較“殘忍”的。 所以她把這些東西都放在她的抽屜里, 然后過(guò)了很多年,在她退休以后, 我看到一些當(dāng)年的孩子們回來(lái)告訴她, “您知道,Walker老師, 您改變了我的生活。 您讓它有了意義。 您讓我覺(jué)得我是個(gè)人物, 雖說(shuō)在心底我知道我不是。 我就是想讓您看看我現(xiàn)在成為了個(gè)什么樣的人。”
And when my mama died two years ago at 92, there were so many former students at her funeral, it brought tears to my eyes, not because she was gone, but because she left a legacy of relationships that could never disappear.
當(dāng)我媽媽兩年前以92歲高齡去世的時(shí)候, 有好多好多的以前的學(xué)生來(lái)參加了她的葬禮, 我哭了,不是因?yàn)樗ナ懒耍?而是因?yàn)樗粝铝诉@些永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)消失的各種聯(lián)系。
Can we stand to have more relationships? Absolutely. Will you like all your children? Of course not. And you know your toughest kids are never absent. (Laughter) Never. You won't like them all, and the tough ones show up for a reason. It's the connection. It's the relationships. And while you won't like them all, the key is, they can never, ever know it. So teachers become great actors and great actresses, and we come to work when we don't feel like it, and we're listening to policy that doesn't make sense, and we teach anyway. We teach anyway, because that's what we do.
我們真的可以有更多的關(guān)系嗎?當(dāng)然可以。 你會(huì)喜歡你所有的學(xué)生嗎?當(dāng)然不。 你也知道那些最難搞的孩子總是很難甩掉。 (笑聲) 永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)。你不會(huì)喜歡每一個(gè)人, 然而難搞的那幾個(gè)的出現(xiàn)也是有理由的。 這就是聯(lián)系,是關(guān)系。 當(dāng)你不會(huì)喜歡他們每一個(gè)人的時(shí)候, 關(guān)鍵就是他們永遠(yuǎn)也不會(huì)知道這一點(diǎn)。 所以老師們變成偉大的演員, 我們得強(qiáng)迫自己工作, 我們得聽(tīng)從那些毫無(wú)道理的政策, 我們還得上課。 我們還得上課,因?yàn)檫@是我們的責(zé)任。
Teaching and learning should bring joy. How powerful would our world be if we had kids who were not afraid to take risks, who were not afraid to think, and who had a champion? Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.
教學(xué)和學(xué)習(xí)應(yīng)該是讓人愉快的事情。 我們的世界會(huì)變得多么的強(qiáng)大 如果我們的孩子都不害怕接受挑戰(zhàn), 不害怕思考, 都贏得了一個(gè)冠軍? 每個(gè)孩子都可以成為一個(gè)冠軍, 一個(gè)成年人要永遠(yuǎn)不放棄他們, 懂得聯(lián)系的強(qiáng)大力量, 堅(jiān)信他們可以變成那個(gè)最好的自己。
Is this job tough? You betcha. Oh God, you betcha. But it is not impossible. We can do this. We're educators. We're born to make a difference.
這個(gè)職業(yè)很艱巨不?當(dāng)然。上帝,毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)。 但是這不是不可能的。 我們可以的,因?yàn)槲覀兪墙逃摇?我們天生就是重塑他人的。
Thank you so much.
非常感謝大家。
(Applause)
(掌聲)