Every kid needs a champion | Rita Pierson | TED

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

Translator: Juliana So Reviewer: 杏儀 歐陽

I have spent my entire life

我哩一生人嘅時間

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

唔係用喺學校度，就係用係返學途中

再唔係就係用喺傾學校嘅事上

or talking about what happens in the schoolhouse.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Both my parents were educators,

我父母都係從事教育

my maternal grandparents were educators,

我公公婆婆都係從事教育

我喺過去四十年嘅工作亦同佢哋一樣

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

所以，我咁多年嚟 從唔同角度睇教育改革

And so, needless to say, over those years

I've had a chance to look at education reform

from a lot of perspectives.

Some of those reforms have been good.

有啲教育改革係好嘅

Some of them have been not so good.

有啲就唔係咁好

And we know why kids drop out.

我哋知道點解有啲學生輟學

We know why kids don't learn.

我哋知道點解有啲學生學唔到嘢

It's either poverty, low attendance,

原因不外乎係貧窮、低出席率 朋輩嘅壞影響

negative peer influences...

We know why.

But one of the things that we never discuss

但有件事我哋從來都無討論過

or we rarely discuss

或者咁講，有件事我哋好少提起嘅

is the value and importance of human connection.

就係人與人之間關係嘅價值同重要

Relationships.

James Comer says that no significant learning

James Comer 講過

學習要有效，就要有良好嘅師生關係

can occur without a significant relationship.

George Washington Carver says all learning

George Washington Carver 話

所有嘅學習都係同理清關係有關

is understanding relationships.

Everyone in this room has been affected by a teacher or an adult.

在座嘅每一位 總會受過一位老師或者大人影響

For years, I have watched people teach.

咁多年嚟，我一直觀察老師點教學生

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

我見過最好嘅教學，亦都見識過最差嘅

A colleague said to me one time,

有位同事同我講過︰

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

「學校出糧冇叫我鍾意細路仔，

They pay me to teach a lesson.

學校叫我教書㗎咋。

The kids should learn it.

我嘅本份就係教書，

I should teach it, they should learn it,

班細路嘅本份就係吸收。

Case closed."

成件事就係咁簡單。」

Well, I said to her,

我同佢講︰

「你知唔知呢，細路係唔會 喺佢哋唔鐘意嘅人身上學嘢㗎。」

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

(Laughter)

（笑聲、掌聲）

(Applause)

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

佢話：「你唔好亂嗡。」

And I said to her,

我同佢講：「你唔改嘅話，

"Well, your year is going to be long and arduous, dear."

你哩一年會過得好漫長同好艱難。」

Needless to say, it was.

唔使我多講，佢嗰年嘅確好艱難

Some people think that you can either have it in you to build a relationship,

有啲人覺得人際關係叻唔叻係天生嘅

or you don't.

但我會認同話史提芬 ‧ 哥威嘅講法

I think Stephen Covey had the right idea.

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

佢話，你只係需要做幾件事

like seeking first to understand,

例如，嘗試主動了解他人

as opposed to being understood.

而唔係要求人哋去了解你

Simple things, like apologizing.

你有冇諗過其實你可以做 好似道歉咁嘅簡單嘅事？

You ever thought about that?

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

同細路講對唔住，佢哋會好驚

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I taught a lesson once on ratios.

我有一堂數學堂教比例

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

但我數學唔係咁好，而且嗰陣仲努力緊

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And I got back and looked at that teacher edition.

於是我返去睇返我本教師版教科書

I'd taught the whole lesson wrong.

我先發現成堂教嘅嘢都係錯嘅

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

所以我第二日返去上堂嘅時候，我話︰

"Look, guys, I need to apologize.

「各位，我要同大家道歉。

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

我上一堂教嘅嘢係錯嘅，真係對唔住。」

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

佢哋話：「唔緊要，老師。

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

你教得好投入，我哋會原諒你。」

（笑聲、掌聲）

I have had classes that were so low,

我教過好差嘅班

佢哋嘅成續好差，我當時仲喊咗

so academically deficient, that I cried.

I wondered, "How am I going to take this group,

我諗，我點可以喺九個月之內

in nine months,

將哩一班學生提升到需要達到嘅水平？

from where they are to where they need to be?

And it was difficult, it was awfully hard.

真係一件好難嘅事，真係好難

How do I raise the self-esteem of a child

我點樣可以提高 一個小朋友嘅自信嘅同時

and his academic achievement at the same time?

又提高佢嘅成績呢？

One year I came up with a bright idea.

有一年我諗咗個好計仔

I told all my students,

我同所有學生講︰

"You were chosen to be in my class

「你之所以被選中嚟到我哩班

because I am the best teacher

係因為我係最好嘅老師，

and you are the best students,

你係最好嘅學生。

they put us all together

學校將我哋擺埋一齊，

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

叫我哋做其他人嘅榜樣。」

One of the students said, "Really?"

有個學生問：「真係？」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

我話：「係，我哋要證明畀其他班睇。

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

為咗唔好畀人哋留意我哋，

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

我哋行出門口時，

唔可以發出噪音，要唔望周圍行路。」

You just have to strut."

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And I gave them a saying to say:

我要佢哋講：「我得嘅，

"I am somebody.

I was somebody when I came.

我嚟哩度嘅時候已經好叻，

I'll be a better somebody when I leave.

我離開嘅時候要比之前叻，

I am powerful, and I am strong.

我又叻又堅強。

I deserve the education that I get here.

我值得喺度接受教育，

I have things to do, people to impress,

我要做到成績出嚟， 我要令人刮目相看，

and places to go."

要天高任我行。」

And they said, "Yeah!"

佢哋全部大嗌「好耶！」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

You say it long enough,

如果你講得多上面嘅嘢

it starts to be a part of you.

你自自然然就會做到當中嘅嘢

(Applause)

（掌聲）

I gave a quiz, 20 questions.

有一次我出小測，一共有廿題

A student missed 18.

有個學生答錯十八題

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

我寫咗「+2」喺佢份卷上面

仲畫咗個笑面公仔

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

佢問：「老師， 咁我係咪即係攞 F？」

I said, "Yes."

我話：「係。」（笑聲）

(Laughter)

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

佢又問：「咁點解 你要畫個笑嘅公仔？」

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

我話：「因為你有進步，

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

你答啱咗兩題，你無全部錯曬。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I said, "And when we review this, won't you do better?"

我話：「如果我哋再溫返哩一部分， 你會唔會做得再好啲？」

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

佢話：「會，老師， 我可以做得好啲。」

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

你睇，如果我寫「-18」

會令人失去衝勁

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

但係「+2」會令人感覺唔係最差

（笑聲、掌聲）

For years, I watched my mother take the time at recess to review,

咁多年嚟我睇見我媽媽

小息時間都同學生溫習

下晝就去做家訪

go on home visits in the afternoon,

buy combs and brushes and peanut butter and crackers

佢亦會買梳、刷、花生醬同餅乾

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

放喺櫃桶畀細路食同用

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

亦會準備面巾同番梘畀有體臭嘅學生

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

你知啦，有陣味好難教㗎嘛

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And kids can be cruel.

而且細路可以好曳

And so she kept those things in her desk,

所以佢將哩啲嘢收埋喺櫃桶度

and years later, after she retired,

好多年之後，當佢退咗休之後

I watched some of those same kids come through

我見到哩啲細路過嚟

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

同佢講：「你知唔知呀老師，

you made a difference in my life.

你改變咗我嘅人生，

你令啲嘢變成啱我嘅。

You made it work for me.

You made me feel like I was somebody,

就算我喺人生低谷 覺得自己唔得嘅時候，

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

你都令我覺得我係得嘅。

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

我希望你可以睇到今日我嘅成就。」

And when my mama died two years ago at 92,

當我媽媽兩年前以 92 歲高齡 過身嘅時候

there were so many former students at her funeral,

好多學生嚟參加佢嘅喪體

我喊，唔係因為佢離開咗

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

but because she left a legacy of relationships

而係因為佢留低嘅無形資產

佢同其他人建立嘅關係永遠唔會消失

that could never disappear.

Can we stand to have more relationships?

咁師生之間嘅關係 可唔可以強化？絕對可以

Absolutely.

Will you like all your children? Of course not.

你會唔會鍾意你所有細路？梗係唔會

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

而且你知道你必定會生咗 個最難教嘅細教出嚟

And you know your toughest kids are never absent.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Never.

所以唔會，你唔會個個都鐘意

You won't like them all,

and the tough ones show up for a reason.

但係佢哋出生於哩個世界總有理由

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

就係你哋之間嘅聯繫、關係

咁所以，一方面，小朋友唔知道 你唔鍾意佢哋全部

So teachers become great actors and great actresses,

另一方面，老師好似演技優秀演員咁樣

我哋返工，即使唔想做都好

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

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

即使教育政策幾咁荒謬都好

and we teach anyway.

我哋都會繼續教

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

我哋繼續教，因為哩件係我哋該做嘅事

Teaching and learning should bring joy.

教學應該係開心嘅事

How powerful would our world be

只要我哋教出嚟嘅學生 唔怕冒險、大膽思考

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

同埋老師默默鼓勵

who were not afraid to think,

哩個世界就會充滿力量

and who had a champion?

Every child deserves a champion,

每個細路都應該受到鼓勵、讚賞

an adult who will never give up on them,

同埋有一個永遠唔會放棄佢 明白關係重要

who understands the power of connection,

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

同埋堅持佢哋要盡力做到最好嘅大人

Is this job tough? You betcha.

哩件工作係咪好難？你話呢？

Oh God, you betcha.

But it is not impossible.

哩樣嘢唔係無可能

We can do this. We're educators.

我哋可以做到，因為我哋係教育家

We're born to make a difference.

我哋嘅職責就係要改變世界

Thank you so much.

多謝

(Applause)

（掌聲）