not even realizing I was poor.

根本沒意識到我很窮。

My dad was a high-ranking gang member who ran the streets.

我爸曾是叱吒街頭的幫派角頭。

Everyone knew who I was,

沒人不知道我是誰，

so I thought I was a pretty big deal, and I was protected,

所以我自認為是個大人物，而且有人罩，

and even though my dad spent most of my life

儘管我爸在我一生中

in and out of jail,

多次進出監獄，

I had an amazing mom who was just fiercely independent.

我有個堅強獨立的媽媽。

She worked at the local high school

她在當地高中工作，

as a secretary in the dean's office,

擔任教務處的秘書，

so she got to see all the kids that got thrown out of class,

所以她看到因為種種因素

for whatever reason, who were waiting to be disciplined.

而遭趕出教室，準備接受處罰的小孩。

Man, her office was packed.

各位，她的辦公室被擠得水洩不通。

So, see, kids like us, we have a lot of things to deal with

所以，像我們這樣的孩子，

outside of school,

在校外有很多事等著我們面對

and sometimes we're just not ready to focus.

有時我們只是沒辦法集中精神。

But that doesn't mean that we can't.

這並不代表我們不行。

It just takes a little bit more.

只是需多費點功夫而已。

Like, I remember one day I found my dad

有一天，我記得我發現我爸

convulsing, foaming at the mouth,

因為過度注射藥物而倒臥浴室，

OD-ing on the bathroom floor.

身體抽搐、口吐白沫。

Really, do you think that doing my homework that night

你們真的以為那天晚上做作業

was at the top of my priority list?

還會是我的頭等大事嗎？

Not so much.

當然不會。

But I really needed a support network,

但我確實需要一個支撐團體，

a group of people who were going to help me

一群可以幫助我的人，

make sure that I wasn't going to be

確保我不會

a victim of my own circumstance,

淪為自身處境的受害者，

that they were going to push me

確保他們會促使我

beyond what I even thought I could do.

超越自己。

I needed teachers, in the classroom, every day,

我需要老師能每天在教室裡，

who were going to say, "You can move beyond that."

說，“你可以更好的。”

And unfortunately, the local junior high

可惜的是，當地的國中

was not going to offer that.

並沒有這個條件。

It was gang-infested, huge teacher turnover rate.

那裡幫派林立，導致了教師流動率過高。

So my mom said, "You're going on a bus

所以媽媽就對我說，

an hour and a half away from where we live every day."

“你以後每天要到一小時半車程以外的學校上學。”

So for the next two years, that's what I did.

因此接下來兩年，我都是這麼做的。

I took a school bus to the fancy side of town.

我搭乘校車到城市上等的那一頭。

And eventually, I ended up at a school

最後到達了一所

where there was a mixture.

魚龍混雜的學校。

There were some people who were really gang-affiliated,

裡面有很的多幫派份子，

and then there were those of us

也有些人像我們一樣

really trying to make it to high school.

是真的想要上高中。

Well, trying to stay out of trouble was a little unavoidable.

想要遠離麻煩是不太可能的。

You had to survive.

你必須要存活下來。

You just had to do things sometimes.

有時候你只需採取一些動作。

So there were a lot of teachers who were like,

所以很多老師會說，

"She's never going to make it.

“她不行的。

She has an issue with authority.

她不受學校管教。

She's not going to go anywhere."

她不會有出息的。”

Some teachers completely wrote me off as a lost cause.

有些老師徹底放棄認為我註定失敗。

But then, they were very surprised

但是，後來我從國中畢業時

when I graduated from high school.

他們非常訝異。

I was accepted to Pepperdine University,

因為我申請上了佩柏戴恩大學，

and I came back to the same school that I attended

然後回到以前讀的學校

to be a special ed assistant.

擔任特教助理。

And then I told them, "I want to be a teacher."

然後我跟他們說，“我要當老師。”

And boy, they were like, "What? Why?

他們就驚訝的說，“什麼?為什麼?

Why would you want to do that?"

為什麼你會想當老師?“

So I began my teaching career

所以我就在我以前讀過的中學

at the exact same middle school that I attended,

展開我的教學生涯，

and I really wanted to try to save more kids

真心地想要幫助更多的孩子

who were just like me.

像我這樣的孩子。

And so every year, I share my background with my kids,

所以每年，我都跟學生分享我的經歷，

because they need to know that everyone has a story,

因為他們需要知道，每個人都有個故事，

everyone has a struggle,

每個人都有奮鬥史，

and everyone needs help along the way.

再奮鬥的過程中，每個人都需要幫助。

And I am going to be their help along the way.

我會在他們奮鬥的過程中伸出援手。

So as a rookie teacher, I created opportunity.

所以，身為新手老師的我，創造了機會。

I had a kid one day come into my class

有天，一位學生跑到我班上，

having been stabbed the night before.

他前晚遭刺傷。

I was like, "You need to go to a hospital,

我說，“你需要去醫院，

the school nurse, something."

或是學校保健室之類的。”

He's like, "No, Miss, I'm not going.

他回說，“不用了老師，我不會去。

I need to be in class because I need to graduate."

因為我想畢業，所以我一定要來上課。”

So he knew that I was not going to let him be a victim

所以他知道，我不會讓他

of his circumstance,

淪為自身處境的受害者，

but we were going to push forward and keep moving on.

反而我們會勇往直前，繼續努力下去。

And this idea of creating a safe haven for our kids

為孩子們創造一個安全庇護所的想法

and getting to know exactly what they're going through,

並且準確了解他們的經歷，

getting to know their families -- I wanted that,

以及了解他們的家庭，都是我想做的，

but I couldn't do it in a school with 1,600 kids,

但是，我無法在1,600個孩子的學校這麼做，

and teachers turning over year after year after year.

老師們一年接著一年不斷地更換。

How do you get to build those relationships?

要如何跟學生們建立感情呢?

So we created a new school.

因此我們創辦了一所新學校。

And we created

而且，我們設立了

the San Fernando Institute for Applied Media.

聖佛南度媒體應用學院。

And we made sure that we were still attached

確定的是，我們仍然依賴

to our school district for funding, for support.

我們校區的資助與支持。

But with that, we were going to gain freedom:

如此一來，我們就能更加獨立：

freedom to hire the teachers

獨立招聘我們認為

that we knew were going to be effective;

會更加有效的老師；

freedom to control the curriculum

獨立設計課程

so that we're not doing lesson 1.2 on page five, no;

如此一來，教學就不在受限於課本；

and freedom to control a budget,

加上獨力控制預算，

to spend money where it matters,

把錢花在刀口上，

not how a district or a state says you have to do it.

而不是讓政府指手畫腳。

We wanted those freedoms.

我們想要這些獨立自主權。

But now, shifting an entire paradigm,

但是，要完全改變架構，

it hasn't been an easy journey, nor is it even complete.

這不是一條簡單的路，也不是終點。

But we had to do it.

但是，我們還是得做。

Our community deserved a new way of doing things.

我們的社會需要有新的處事方法。

And as the very first pilot middle school

作為洛杉磯所有聯合學區裡

in all of Los Angeles Unified School District,

首批試辦的中學，

you better believe there was some opposition.

一定會有反對的聲音。

And it was out of fear --

這是因為出於恐懼-

fear of, well, what if they get it wrong?

害怕他們要是弄錯該怎麼辦?

Yeah, what if we get it wrong?

對啊，要是我們弄錯了怎麼辦?

But what if we get it right?

但要是我們成功了呢?

And we did.

我們做到了。

So even though teachers were against it

所以儘管有些老師反對，

because we employ one-year contracts --

因為我們約聘的老師為一年，

you can't teach, or you don't want to teach,

要是你不會教，或者不想教，

you don't get to be at my school with my kids.

你就不該留在我的學校教我的孩子們。

(Applause)

(鼓掌)

So in our third year, how did we do it?

所以在第三年，我們是怎麼做的呢?

Well, we're making school worth coming to every day.

我們讓每天來學校變成值得。

We make our kids feel like they matter to us.

我們讓學生覺得他們對我們來說是重要的。

We make our curriculum rigorous and relevant to them,

我們讓課程更嚴謹、更貼近他們，

and they use all the technology that they're used to.

而且他們使用所有慣用的科技設備。

Laptops, computers, tablets -- you name it, they have it.

筆電、桌電、平板 -- 你想的到的都有。

Animation, software, moviemaking software, they have it all.

動畫製作、軟體、電影製作軟體，他們都有。

And because we connect it to what they're doing —

因為我們讓他們所做的更有關聯-

For example, they made public service announcements

例如，他們替癌症協會做公益，

for the Cancer Society.

在公眾信息服務節目上發聲。

These were played in the local trolley system.

這些都在當地的電車系統上撥出。

Teaching elements of persuasion,

有說服力的教導要素，

it doesn't get any more real than that.

是最實際不過了。

Our state test scores have gone up

自從我們創校以來，

more than 80 points since we've become our own school.

我們州的考試成績已經突破80分了。

But it's taken all stakeholders, working together --

不過這需要所有利益相關者共同合作-

teachers and principals on one-year contracts,

老師們和校長在約聘的一年裡，

working over and above and beyond their contract hours

能夠花更多的、額外的時間在工作上，

without compensation.

而且不計酬勞。

And it takes a school board member

多虧有幫你遊說的校董，

who is going to lobby for you and say,

並且他會跟你說，

"Know, the district is trying to impose this,

“要知道，地方政府要實施這項措施，

but you have the freedom to do otherwise."

但你有權決定要不要照做。”

And it takes an active parent center

這也多虧家長會長

who is not only there, showing a presence every day,

不但會每天出席，

but who is part of our governance,

也會是我們管理的一份子，

making decisions for their kids, our kids.

為我們大家都孩子做決定。

Because why should our students have to go

為什麼我們的學生

so far away from where they live?

要千里迢迢的來這?

They deserve a quality school in their neighborhood,

在社區內，他們應該要有間優質的學校，

a school that they can be proud to say they attend,

能讓他們為在這所學校就讀而驕傲，

and a school that the community can be proud of as well,

一間也讓社區引以為傲的學校，

and they need teachers to fight for them every day

而且需要老師們為他們奮鬥，

and empower them to move beyond their circumstances.

讓他們能夠越發強大並走出現在的處境。

Because it's time that kids like me

因為現在是時候讓像我一樣的孩子們

stop being the exception, and we become the norm.

不再是例外，而是常態。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

(鼓掌)