How can we support the emotional well-being of teachers? | Sydney Jensen

翻译人员: Yanyan Hong 校对人员: Yolanda Zhang

Like many teachers,

像很多老师一样，

every year on the first day of school,

每年在开学的第一天，

I lead a sort of icebreaker activity with my students.

我都会和我们的学生 做些"破冰"活动。

I teach at Lincoln High School in Lincoln, Nebraska,

我在内布拉斯加州林肯市的 林肯高中教书，

and we are one of the oldest and most diverse high schools

我们是整个州里最古老，

最多元的学校。

in our state.

Also, to our knowledge,

而且，据我们所知，

we're the only high school in the world whose mascot is the Links.

我们是世界上唯一一所 把链环当作吉祥物的学校，

Like, a chain.

就像是，锁链。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And with that being our mascot,

正因为锁链是我们的吉祥物，

we have a statue out front of our building

在我们的教学楼前有一座雕塑，

of four links connected like a chain.

有四条似链子的东西链接而成，

And each link means something.

每一根链条都有所寓意。

Our links stand for tradition,

我们的锁链代表了传统、

excellence, unity and diversity.

卓越，团结和多样性。

So on the first day of school,

所以在开学的第一天，

I teach my new ninth-graders about the meaning behind those links,

我会教九年级的新生 关于这些锁链背后的含义，

and I give them each a slip of paper.

然后，我给了他们每人一张纸。

On that paper, I ask them to write something about themselves.

在纸上，我让他们写下 一些关于他们自己的事情，

It can be something that they love,

可以是他们所爱的事情，

something that they hope for --

他们所期望的事——

anything that describes their identity.

任何能代表他们自己的事，

And then I go around the room with a stapler,

然后我拿着订书机在教室四处走动，

and I staple each of those slips together

我把他们的纸片订在一起

to make a chain.

做成了一条链子。

And we hang that chain up in our classroom as a decoration, sure,

然后我们把它们都串起来 挂在教室里做装饰，

but also as a reminder that we are all connected.

同时，也提醒着我们彼此间的联系。

We are all links.

我们都是锁链。

So what happens when one of those links feels weak?

那么当我们其中的一环链子 变得脆弱时会怎么样呢？

And what happens when that weakness

而且若变脆弱的人正是

is in the person holding the stapler?

手里拿着订书机的那位又会怎样？

The person who's supposed to make those connections.

那位本该去建立那些联系的人。

The teacher.

我们的老师。

As teachers, we work every day

作为老师，我们每日工作，

to provide support socially, emotionally and academically

在社交上、心理上和学习上

to our students who come to us with diverse and tough circumstances.

为那些来自各种各样的艰苦背景， 并寻求我们帮助的学生们提供支持。

Like most teachers,

跟大多数老师一样，

I have students who go home every day,

我也有那些每天回家

and they sit around the kitchen table

都能坐在餐桌上

while one or both parents makes a healthy, well-rounded meal for them.

享用一位家人或父母一起 准备的健康、丰盛的食物的学生。

They spend suppertime summarizing the story they read

他们用晚餐时间总结 在当天九年级英文课里

in ninth-grade English that day,

读到的故事，

or explaining how Newton's laws of motion work.

或者解释牛顿的万有引力定律。

But I also have students who go to the homeless shelter

但是，我也有很多学生 下课后要回到流浪者之家，

or to the group home.

或者回到教养院。

They go to the car that their family is sleeping in right now.

他们会回到一家人所住的车里。

They come to school with trauma,

他们带着创伤来到学校，

and when I go home every day, that goes home with me.

当我每天回家时， 也带着他们的创伤。

And see, that's the hard part about teaching.

这就是教书的艰难之处，

It's not the grading, the lesson-planning, the meetings,

这无关打分，备课，或者会议，

though sure, those things do occupy a great deal of teachers' time and energy.

当然，这些事情占据了 老师大量的时间和精力。

The tough part about teaching

教书的艰难之处，

is all the things you can't control for your kids,

是那些你无能为力的事，

all the things you can't change for them once they walk out your door.

是孩子们走出了你的这扇门， 所有那些你无法为他们改变的事。

And so I wonder if it's always been this way.

所以，我在想是否 一直以来都是如此。

I think back to my undergraduate training at the University of Georgia,

回想我在佐治亚大学接受本科

where we were taught in our methods classes

教学方法的培训时，

that the concept of good teaching has changed.

关于何为好的教育的概念已经改变。

We're not developing learners

我们不是在培养

who are going to go out into a workforce

为了能要跻身工人行列，

where they'll stand on a line in a factory.

在工厂的流水线上工作的学习者。

Rather, we're sending our kids out into a workforce

相反，我们要把我们的 孩子送进一个工作环境，

where they need to be able to communicate,

在那里他们能够彼此交流、

collaborate and problem-solve.

互相合作，并解决问题。

And that has caused teacher-student relationships

这也使得师生关系变得

to morph into something stronger

比内容的给予者

than the giver of content and the receiver of knowledge.

和知识的接受者更强大。

Lectures and sitting in silent rows just doesn't cut it anymore.

仅仅只是有讲师在授课， 学生在安静聆听是远远不够的，

We have to be able to build relationships with and among our students

我们需要与学生 建立某种关系，帮助他们

to help them feel connected

在这个依赖彼此联系的世界里

in a world that depends on it.

感受到这种联系。

I think back to my second year teaching.

回想我开始教学的第二年，

I had a student who I'll call "David."

我遇到了一位叫“大卫”的学生，

And I remember feeling like I'd done a pretty good job

我记得在那一年里， 我觉得我的教学进展

at teaching that year:

非常顺利：

"Hey, I ain't no first-year teacher.

“嘿，我不再是个新人老师，

I know what I'm doing."

我知道我在做什么。”

And it was on the last day of school,

那是学期的最后一天，

I told David to have a great summer.

我祝大卫有一个愉快的暑假。

And I watched him walk down the hall,

我看着他走出大厅，

and I thought to myself,

我心里想，

I don't even know what his voice sounds like.

我甚至都没听过他的声音。

And that's when I realized I wasn't doing it right.

那一刻我忽然觉得 有什么事我做错了，

So I changed almost everything about my teaching.

所以我开始改变我的教学方法，

I built in plenty of opportunities for my students to talk to me

我给予了学生很多与我交谈的机会，

and to talk to each other,

同时也与彼此交谈，

to share their writing and to verbalize their learning.

分享他们的作品， 用语言表达他们所学，

And it was through those conversations I began not only to know their voice

这样的对话起初不只是 为了听到他们的声音，

but to know their pain.

但也是为了听到他们的创伤。

I had David in class again that next year,

接下来的一年， 大卫又出现在了班上，

and I learned that his father was undocumented

我得知了他的父亲 因为没有合法文件，

and had been deported.

已经被驱逐出境。

He started acting out in school

他在学校发泄他的不满，

because all he wanted was for his family to be together again.

但这不过是形式，因为他想要的 是家人能再次团圆。

In so many ways, I felt his pain.

从多方面，我感受到了他的伤痛。

And I needed someone to listen,

我也渴望有人来倾听，

somebody to provide support for me

有人能给予我一些支持，

so that I could support him in this thing that I could not even comprehend.

这样我就可以在这件我都 无法完全领悟的事上去支持他。

And we recognize that need

我们认识到同样的需求

for police officers who've witnessed a gruesome crime scene

也存在于那些目睹 犯罪惨案现场的警察身上，

and nurses who have lost a patient.

还有那些眼睁睁看着 病人离世的护士身上。

But when it comes to teaching professionals,

但是当考虑到教师岗位时，

that urgency is lagging.

其紧迫性还很滞后，

I believe it's paramount

我相信，

that students and teachers,

让学生和老师，

administrators, paraprofessionals and all other support staff

行政管理人员、辅助性专业人员， 以及所有其他支持教职工

have convenient and affordable access to mental wellness supports.

得到便捷和可负担的 心理健康支持尤其必要。

When we are constantly serving others,

当我们在不断地为他人服务，

often between 25 and 125 students each day,

每天大概要管理 25 到 125 名学生时，

our emotional piggy banks are constantly being drawn upon.

我们自己的情感储蓄罐 也在不断地被提取，

After a while, it can become so depleted,

过一段时间，它终会耗尽，

that we just can't bear it anymore.

我们或许再也受不了了。

They call it "secondary trauma" and "compassion fatigue,"

人们把它称之为“二次创伤” 和“同情疲劳”，

the concept that we absorb the traumas our students share with us each day.

即每天在分担学生的痛苦时， 自己也受到了情感影响。

And after a while,

再过一些日子，

our souls become weighed down by the heaviness of it all.

我们的灵魂将 不能承受生命之沉重，

The Buffett Institute at the University of Nebraska

内布拉斯加州大学 巴菲特研究所

recently found that most teachers --

在最新的研究中发现， 大多数老师——

86 percent across early childhood settings --

孩童早期教育行业中 86% 的老师——

experienced some depressive symptoms during the prior week.

在早期经历过不同程度的抑郁症状。

They found that approximately one in 10

他们发现大约十位里面就有一位

reported clinically significant depressive symptoms.

报告称有临床抑郁症状。

My interactions with colleagues and my own experiences

我和同事们的交流 以及我自身的经历

make me feel like this is a universal struggle

让我觉得这是一个跨越所有年级

across all grade levels.

的普遍斗争。

So what are we missing?

那我们缺少了什么？

What are we allowing to break the chain and how do we repair it?

我们该用什么打破这样的锁链， 又该如何修复它？

In my career,

在我的职业生涯，

我经历过两位学生的自杀，

I've experienced the death by suicide of two students

and one amazing teacher

以及一位了不起的老师的自杀。

who loved his kids;

他很爱他的孩子们；

countless students experiencing homelessness;

无数的学生经受着无家可归的折磨；

and kids entering and exiting the justice system.

还有那些进出司法系统的孩子们。

When these events happen,

当这些事情发生时，

protocol is to say, "If you need someone to talk to, then ..."

我们总是礼貌性的说， “如果你需要和某人谈谈，那么……”

And I say that's not enough.

我认为这远远不够，

I am so lucky.

我很幸运，

I work in an amazing school with great leadership.

我在一所有着出色领导力的 优秀的学校里工作，

I serve a large district

我服务于一个很大的地区，

with so many healthy partnerships with community agencies.

与社区机构有很多 健康的合作关系。

They have provided steadily increasing numbers

他们为学生们提供了

of school counselors and therapists

越来越多的学校辅导员、

and support staff to help our students.

治疗师和辅助人员。

They even provide staff members with access to free counseling

他们甚至为教职工提供了 免费咨询服务，

as part of our employment plan.

作为我们就业合约的一部分。

But many small districts and even some large ones

但是还有很多小的地区， 甚至是一些较大的地区，

simply cannot foot the bill without aid.

没有援助根本无法负担这些服务。

(Exhales)

（呼气）

Not only does every school need social and emotional support staff,

不仅是每一个学校 需要社会和心理支持职工，

trained professionals who can navigate the needs of the building --

训练有素的专业人员， 能够满足教学的需要——

not just the students, not just the teachers, but both --

不仅是学生或者老师需要， 而是两者都需要——

we also need these trained professionals

我们需要这些训练有素的专业人员

to intentionally seek out those closest to the trauma

去发现那些最接近创伤的人们，

and check in with them.

并与他们会诊。

Many schools are doing what they can

很多学校正尽其所能

to fill in the gaps,

来填补空缺，

starting with acknowledging that the work that we do

首先，要承认我们所做的工作

is downright hard.

是非常艰苦的。

Another school in Lincoln, Schoo Middle School,

林肯的另一所学校， 斯克中学，

has what they call "Wellness Wednesdays."

有一项他们称之为 “健康星期三”的倡议。

They invite in community yoga teachers,

他们邀请社区瑜伽老师，

they sponsor walks around the neighborhood during lunch

他们也邀请大家 在午餐时去周围散心，

and organize social events

和组织社交活动，

that are all meant to bring people together.

为了把所有人连结在一起。

Zachary Elementary School in Zachary, Louisiana,

路易斯安那州 扎卡里的扎卡里小学，

has something they call a "Midweek Meetup,"

想出了他们称之“周中会议”计划，

where they invite teachers to share lunch

他们邀请老师共进午餐，

and to talk about the things that are going well

谈论所有进展顺利的事情，

and the things that are weighing heavy on their hearts.

以及让他们倍感压力的事情。

These schools are making space for conversations that matter.

这些学校为 有价值的交流提供了空间，

Finally, my friend and colleague Jen Highstreet

最后，我的朋友和同事 珍·海尔斯崔特，

takes five minutes out of each day

每天都会花五分钟

to write an encouraging note to a colleague,

给同事们留下鼓舞人心的便条，

letting them know that she sees their hard work

告诉我们她看到了他们的付出，

and the heart that they share with others.

以及他们与人分享的真心。

She knows that those five minutes

她明白这五分钟

can have an invaluable and powerful ripple effect

可以在整个学校产生无价的、

across our school.

强大的涟漪效应。

The chain that hangs in my classroom is more than just a decoration.

挂在我们教室里的链条 远远不只是装饰品。

Those links hang over our heads

在我们的学生们走过的整个四年里，

for the entire four years that our students walk our halls.

这些锁链一直萦绕在我们的头上。

And every year,

而每年，

I have seniors come back to my classroom, room 340,

都会有高年级学生回到 我所在的 340 班，

and they can still point out where their link hangs.

指着挂着他们自己锁链的地方，

They remember what they wrote on it.

他们记得自己在上面写下的内容。

They feel connected and supported.

他们感受到了彼此的联系和支持，

And they have hope.

因而拥有了希望。

Isn't that what we all need?

这不就是我们所需要的吗？

Somebody to reach out and make sure that we're OK.

有人能来问问我们是否都好，

To check in with us

来关心我们，

and remind us that we are a link.

并提醒我们都是一环锁链。

Every now and then, we all just need a little help

时不时，我们都需要一点点帮助

holding the stapler.

来握住那个订书机。

Thank you.

谢谢大家。

(Applause)

（掌声）