either at the schoolhouse, on the way to the schoolhouse,

待在學校裡、往學校途中

or talking about what happens in the schoolhouse.

或是在討論在學校發生的事

Both my parents were educators,

我的雙親都從事教職

my maternal grandparents were educators,

而我的外公外婆也是教職

and for the past 40 years I've done the same thing.

再加上我過去四十年來也在做相同的事

And so, needless to say, over those years

理所當然的，這些年來

I've had a chance to look at education reform

我有機會從多方角度

from a lot of perspectives.

去檢視教育改革

Some of those reforms have been good.

有些改革效果很好

Some of them have been not so good.

但也些則不然

And we know why kids drop out.

我們知道學生輟學的原因

We know why kids don't learn.

我們了解為什麼學生有學習困難

It's either poverty, low attendance,

原因可能是貧窮、蹺課或負面的同儕影響

negative peer influences. We know why.

我們都知道

But one of the things that we never discuss

但其中有一個是我們從來不會

or we rarely discuss

或是幾乎不去討論的

is the value and importance of human connection,

就是人與人之間互動的價值與重要性

relationships.

也就是人際關係

James Comer says that no significant learning

James Comer 說,沒有好的人際關係

can occur without a significant relationship.

就沒有顯著的學習效果

George Washington Carver says all learning

George Washington Carver說

is understanding relationships.

所有的學習來自了解人際關係

Everyone in this room has been affected

現場每個人都曾經

by a teacher or an adult.

被一位老師或大人所影響

For years, I have watched people teach.

這些年來，我看過許多人教書

I have looked at the best and I've look at some of the worst.

有最好的以及一些最差的示範

A colleague said to me one time,

一位同事曾經對我說

"They don't pay me to like the kids.

"沒人付薪水要求我去喜歡學生"

They pay me to teach a lesson.

"他們只要我去教課"

The kids should learn it.

"學生有義務學習"

I should teach it. They should learn it. Case closed."

"我有義務上課, 而學生有義務學會, 就這樣"

Well, I said to her,

嗯，我告訴我的同事

"You know, kids don't learn from people they don't like."

"學生不會從他們不喜歡的人身上學東西"

(Laughter) (Applause)

(笑聲) (掌聲）

She said, "That's just a bunch of hooey."

她回答: "這些完全沒意義"

And I said to her, "Well, your year is going to be long

我說: "那麼，親愛的"

and arduous, dear."

"妳的教書生涯將會漫長又辛苦"

Needless to say it was. Some people think

不用我多說，很多人認為

that you can either have it in you to build a relationship

能否建立關係倚賴的是

or you don't.

你是否有足夠本事

I think Stephen Covey had the right idea.

我認為Stephen Covey的想法比較正確

He said you ought to just throw in a few simple things,

他說你該試著投入幾件簡單的小事

like seeking first to understand

像是先去尋求理解

as opposed to being understood,

而不是要別人理解你

simple things like apologizing.

又例如道歉

You ever thought about that?

你有想過嗎？

Tell a kid you're sorry, they're in shock.

跟學生道歉，他們會很震驚

I taught a lesson once on ratios.

我曾經教過一堂比值的課

I'm not real good with math, but I was working on it.

我數學不是頂好，但我很努力地教

And I got back and looked at that teacher edition.

但當我回去看教師手冊,

I'd taught the whole lesson wrong. (Laughter)

我發現我全教錯了 (笑聲)

So I came back to class the next day, and I said,

所以在隔天回到課堂上時，我說:

"Look, guys, I need to apologize.

"各位，我需要道歉"

I taught the whole lesson wrong. I'm so sorry."

"我把整堂課教錯了，我很抱歉"

They said, "That's okay, Ms. Pierson.

他們說："沒關係，Pierson老師"

You were so excited, we just let you go."

"你教得很激動，所以我們原諒你"

(Laughter) (Applause)

（笑聲）（掌聲）

I have had classes that were so low,

我曾教過程度很糟的班級

so academically deficient that I cried.

程度糟到我都哭了

I wondered, how am I going to take this group

我想, 我未來如何帶領這群學生？

in nine months

在九個月內

from where they are to where they need to be?

把現在的他們帶領到應有的水準？

And it was difficult. It was awfully hard.

這是個非常困難的任務,

How do I raise the self-esteem of a child

我該如何同時提昇

and his academic achievement at the same time?

他們的自尊及學業程度？

One year I came up with a bright idea.

有一年我想到一個很棒的點子

I told all my students,

我告訴我的學生

"You were chosen to be in my class

"你們被挑選到我的班上"

because I am the best teacher

"因為我是最棒的老師,"

and you are the best students,

"而你們是最棒的學生"

they put us all together

學校把我們放在一起

so we could show everybody else how to do it."

好成為每個人的典範"

One of the students said, "Really?"

其中一個學生問, "真的嗎？"

(Laughter)

(笑聲）

I said, "Really. We have to show the other classes

我答: "真的! 我們要成為其他班級的榜樣"

how to do it, so when we walk down the hall,

"所以當我們穿越走廊"

people will notice us, so you can't make noise.

"大家都在注意我們，所以不要喧鬧"

You just have to strut."

"只顧昂首闊步"

And I gave them a saying to say: "I am somebody.

然後我叫他們說: "我是非凡的"

I was somebody when I came.

"我進來時本來就很特別"

I'll be a better somebody when I leave.

"而當我離開時我會變得更好"

I am powerful, and I am strong.

"我很有能力而且很強"

I deserve the education that I get here.

"我配得接受這裡的教育"

I have things to do, people to impress,

"我有任務要完成,我要讓人對我另眼相看"

and places to go."

"也有我該去的地方"

And they said, "Yeah!"

然後他們回答, " 讚！"

You say it long enough,

當你反覆說久了

it starts to be a part of you.

那些話便成為你的一部分

And so — (Applause)

所以- （掌聲）

I gave a quiz, 20 questions.

我給了他們一個二十題的小考

A student missed 18.

有個學生錯了十八題

I put a "+2" on his paper and a big smiley face.

我在紙上寫了個"+2"和大大的笑臉

He said, "Ms. Pierson, is this an F?"

他說: "老師,我不及格了嗎？"

I said, "Yes."

我說："是"

He said, "Then why'd you put a smiley face?"

他說： "那您為什麼話一個笑臉？"

I said, "Because you're on a roll.

我說："因為你在進步"

You got two right. You didn't miss them all."

"你答對兩題,沒有全部答錯."

I said, "And when we review this,

我問："在我們檢討後"

won't you do better?"

"你會不會做得更好？"

He said, "Yes, ma'am, I can do better."

他說 "會, 老師, 我能做得更好"

You see, "-18" sucks all the life out of you.

你看, "-18" 讓你的人生看起來很糟

"+2" said, "I ain't all bad."

"＋2" 卻代表 "其實我還有救"

(Laughter) (Applause)

(笑聲) (掌聲）

For years I watched my mother

多年來我看我母親

take the time at recess to review,

利用休息時間檢討,

go on home visits in the afternoon,

利用下午做家庭訪問

buy combs and brushes and peanut butter and crackers

買梳子、筆刷、花生醬 及餅乾

to put in her desk drawer for kids that needed to eat,

放在桌上讓需要的同學

and a washcloth and some soap for the kids who didn't smell so good.

一塊毛布和肥皂讓身上有臭味的學生可以用

See, it's hard to teach kids who stink.

因為，有異味的班級實在很難順利教學

And kids can be cruel.

學生有時也會表現得很無情

And so she kept those things in her desk,

而那些東西依然擺在她桌上

and years later, after she retired,

幾年後，在她退休後

I watched some of those same kids come through

我看到那些學生拜訪

and say to her, "You know, Ms. Walker,

並告訴她： "Walker 老師, 你知道嗎"

you made a difference in my life.

"你改變了我的人生"

You made it work for me.

"你讓事情變得可能"

You made me feel like I was somebody,

"你讓我覺得自己是有價值的人"

when I knew, at the bottom, I wasn't.

"就算我內心深處知道我並不是"

And I want you to just see what I've become."

"我想讓你看看現在的我"

And when my mama died two years ago at 92,

兩年前, 當我母親92歲過世時

there were so many former students at her funeral,

有那麼多的學生參加她的葬禮

it brought tears to my eyes, not because she was gone,

眼淚滑下我的眼眶這並不是因為她的離去

but because she left a legacy of relationships

而是看見了她留下了人情連結的典範

that could never disappear.

一個永不消失的典範

Can we stand to have more relationships? Absolutely.

我們能創造更多人際關係嗎？當然

Will you like all your children? Of course not.

你會喜歡所有的學生嗎？當然不

And you know your toughest kids are never absent.

你知道最難纏的學生永不消失

(Laughter)

(笑聲）

Never. You won't like them all,

絕不會、你不會喜歡他們全部

and the tough ones show up for a reason.

然而難纏的學生有他們出現的理由

It's the connection. It's the relationships.

那是一種關聯一種人與人之間的關係

And while you won't like them all,

就算你不喜歡全部的學生

the key is, they can never, ever know it.

重點是絕對不要讓他們知道

So teachers become great actors and great actresses,

所以老師其實都是優秀的演員

and we come to work when we don't feel like it,

就算我們不想我們還是得來上班

and we're listening to policy that doesn't make sense,

要聽從不合裡的校規

and we teach anyway.

然後繼續教書

We teach anyway, because that's what we do.

我們繼續教書因為這是我們該做的事

Teaching and learning should bring joy.

教書和學習應該帶來快樂

How powerful would our world be

若我們的孩子願意冒險

if we had kids who were not afraid to take risks,

想像世界會變得多強盛

who were not afraid to think,

不畏懼地思考

and who had a champion?

而哪個孩子是冠軍呢？

Every child deserves a champion,

每個孩子理當成為冠軍

an adult who will never give up on them,

了解人際關係重要性的大人

who understands the power of connection,

永遠不要放棄他們

and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.

並堅持要求他們盡全力做到最好

Is this job tough? You betcha. Oh God, you betcha.

這個工作很困難嗎？ 是啦，老天! 可不是嘛!

But it is not impossible.

但並非不可能的任務

We can do this. We're educators.

我們做得到, 因為我們是教育家

We're born to make a difference.

我們生來就是要改變世界

Thank you so much.

謝謝大家

(Applause)

(掌聲)