The Most Powerful Yet Overlooked Resource in Schools | Heejae Lim | TED

譯者: 麗玲 辛 審譯者: Helen Chang

I'm eight years old,

我八歲時，

and it's my first day at the new school,

到新學校的第一天，

but I cannot express myself.

我沒辦法跟別人說話，

Actually, I don't understand a single word of English.

實際上我一個英文字都不懂。

My family just moved from Korea to England.

我們家剛從韓國搬到英國。

My mom is raising my little sister and me,

母親撫養我和妹妹，

and she's also finishing her degree.

她（母親自己）也正在攻讀學位。

She's nearly as lost as I am,

她幾乎和我一樣不知所措，

but with the little English she knows,

但是她每天會用她懂得的一點英語，

she speaks to my teachers in broken English, every day,

蹩腳地跟我的老師討論

在家裡她要怎麼幫助我。

about how she can help me at home.

Compared to many other parents in the school who speak no English at all

跟許多不會說英語 或害怕問問題的家長相比，

or are even scared to ask the questions,

she's much better-off.

她狀況好多了。

And for that, I'm much better-off.

因此，我的處境也好得多。

Fast-forward three months.

三個月後，

Every time my mom picks me up,

每次媽媽來接我，

a swarm of Korean parents crowd around the car.

一群韓國父母圍在我們車旁邊，

It causes a traffic jam, like, every day. Seriously?

還造成每天塞車。誇張吧？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

All the other Korean parents gather around the car,

那些韓國父母都圍著車，

asking my mom the same questions that she asked my teachers.

追問我媽媽她問老師的那些問題。

"What is a parent-teacher conference again?"

「什麼是親師會?」

"My kid is behind. What can I do?"

「我的孩子功課跟不上。 我能做些什麼？」

I don't know how I'd have survived that first year without my mom.

要不是媽媽，我不知道 我要如何熬過第一年。

But I do know that my experience is not that unique.

不過，我知道我的經歷並不獨特。

Every year, 50 million children go through the US school system.

每年，有五千萬兒童 就讀於美國學校系統。

And out of that, 40 million,

其中的四千萬，

that is, four out of five children,

也就是說，五分之四的孩子，

come from underserved or immigrant families.

來自貧困家庭或移民家庭。

We're talking about the vast majority of the system here.

這是教育系統裏的絕大多數。

I realize that I'm one of the lucky ones,

我意識到我很幸運，

because the law of averages will tell you

因為平均定律顯示，

that these children are likely to fall behind

這些孩子很可能會落後整整兩個學年。

by two whole school years.

This costs the US economy almost one trillion dollars every year.

這造成美國經濟 每年損失近一兆美元。

But it doesn't have to be that way.

但情況是可以改善的。

In fact, research says that for a student to do well,

事實上，研究顯示，要讓學生學得好，

a family's engagement is more important than that family's wealth.

家庭的參與比家庭財富更加重要。

A parent is a child's first teacher,

父母是孩子的首位老師，

and children spend 80 percent of their waking hours

80% 孩子們醒著的時間

outside the classroom.

是在課堂外。

So no wonder families are the game changer.

怪不得家庭足以扭轉形勢。

So here’s a trillion-dollar question:

這是個價值一兆美元的問題：

How can we better tap into the incredible potential of families

我們如何善加利用家庭的巨大潛力

and their universal love for their children?

以及對孩子不變的愛？

This is why the organization I founded helps teachers, families and schools

我因此創立組織， 幫助教師、家庭和學校，

connect using something that we all have:

利用我們手邊都有的東西來聯繫：

a mobile phone.

手機。

Teachers write the communication in English,

老師用英文寫交流訊息，

and parents receive it in their own languages, and vice versa.

家長收到的是本國語言的訊息，

反之亦然。

We break down the language barrier,

我們打破語言障礙，

bridge cultural and knowledge differences by explaining education concepts

透過解說教育理念， 彌合文化和知識差異，

and enable and prompt parents and teachers to talk to each other.

並促使親師對談溝通。

We're playing the role that my mom played

我們在扮演我媽媽的角色，

for the school and my friends’ families:

她當時為學校和我朋友的家人

the communicator, the translator, the coach,

擔任溝通翻譯者、教練、

the explainer and the go-between.

解說者和中間人。

And since my mom cannot be everywhere --

既然我媽媽不能無處不在－－

and, in fact, no parent can, and that is not for the lack of trying --

事實上，沒有父母做得到， 並非他們不願嘗試－－

we've stepped in and connected four million families,

我們已經著手介入，迄今建立了 與四百萬個家庭的聯繫，

and students and educators in 70,000 schools to date.

以及七萬所學校的學生和老師。

(Cheers and applause)

（歡呼聲和掌聲）

When families and schools work together, everyone wins.

當家庭和學校一起合作， 每個人都獲益。

Students are supported, families are empowered,

學生得到支持，家庭得到賦能，

and teachers' jobs just become that much easier.

教師的工作變得容易推展。

The school environment and community thrives with people from all backgrounds.

學校和社區得以 和不同背景的人一起蓬勃發展。

Even the system itself benefits.

甚至教育系統本身也會受益。

Last year, the US spent nearly 700 billion dollars

去年美國花費近七千億美元

on school-aged education.

改進學齡教育。

So imagine if you can increase the return on that investment,

想像一下，如果能提高 這筆投資的報酬率，

even just a little bit,

哪怕只是一點點，

by connecting schools to engage with all families.

只要透過連結學校，與所有家庭互動。

And we should.

這是我們該做的。

It's literally a no-brainer.

完全不用多想。

But actually, there's something much bigger here

而且實際上，有件事比學生成績重要。

than student grades.

Education goes beyond economic growth,

教育不只為了經濟成長，

and our goal goes beyond the classroom.

我們的目標也不止在課堂裏。

Schools are a funnel to the real world.

學校是通往現實世界的通道。

Public education makes citizens.

公共教育造就公民。

And in creating the next generation of citizens,

在創造下一代公民的過程中，

we cannot be leaving behind four out of five children

我們不能讓五分之四的孩子落後

or their families.

或撇下這些家庭。

If we continue to pick and choose who the system engages with

如果我們繼續挑選 學校系統的互動對象，

generation after generation, like we do now,

一代又一代，就像現在一樣，

we will not be left with a community, a civil society

我們將無法造就 社區歸屬感、公民社會，

or even a functioning democracy.

甚或運作良好的民主國家。

Our collective well-being starts with inclusive schools

我們的集體福祉由學校的包容性開始，

and helping every child realize their endless potential.

同時幫助每個孩子發揮無限潛力。

So our hope is that one day,

我們希望有一天，

all underserved and immigrant children and their families

所有服務不足和移民兒童及其家人

will feel that they belong in the education system.

會覺得他們是教育系統的一份子。

Our dream is that one day, they'll feel included

我們夢想，有一天，

就在孩子有望打造的社區裏， 他們會感受到接納。

in the very communities that they're expected to build.

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Cheers and applause)

（歡呼聲和掌聲）