The boost students need to overcome obstacles | Anindya Kundu

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Kari C

So, I teach college students about inequality and race in education,

我教導大學生關於教育中的 不平等以及種族議題，

and I like to leave my office open to any of my students

我會把我的辦公室 開放給我任何一個學生，

who might just want to see me to chat.

就算只是想來找我聊聊都很歡迎。

And a few semesters ago,

幾學期之前，

one of my more cheerful students, Mahari,

我最快活的學生之一，馬哈里，

actually came to see me

竟然來找我，

and mentioned that he was feeling a bit like an outcast because he's black.

他提到，他覺得 因為他是黑人而被排擠。

他剛從社區大學轉學到紐約大學，

He had just transferred to NYU from a community college

on a merit scholarship,

他靠的是榮譽獎學金，

and turns out,

結果，

only about five percent of students at NYU are black.

在紐約大學中 只有 5% 的學生是黑人。

And so I started to remember

於是，我開始想起，

that I know that feeling of being an outsider

我知道在自己的社區中

in your own community.

身為外人的感覺。

It's partially what drew me to my work.

這是導致我做這份工作的部份原因。

At my university,

在我的大學中，

我是少數的有色人種教職員之一，

I'm one of the few faculty members of color,

and growing up, I experienced my family's social mobility,

在成長過程中，我經歷了 我家庭的社會地位變動，

moving out of apartments into a nice house,

搬出公寓，搬進好房子，

but in an overwhelmingly white neighborhood.

但卻是在一個非常白人的鄰里中。

I was 12,

我當時十二歲，

and kids would say that were surprised that I didn't smell like curry.

孩子們會說他們很意外 我聞起來竟然不像咖哩。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

That's because school is in the morning,

那是因為上學時間是早上，

and I had Eggo waffles for breakfast.

而我早餐吃的是 Eggo 鬆餅。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Curry is for dinner.

咖哩要到晚餐才吃。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So when Mahari was leaving,

所以當馬哈里要離開時，

I asked him how he was coping with feeling isolated.

我問他，他如何處理被隔離的感受。

And he said that despite feeling lonely,

他說，儘管感到孤獨，

他就讓自己埋頭工作，

he just threw himself at his work,

that he built strategies around his grit

為他的毅力和想要成功的慾望

and his desire to be successful.

建立起策略。

A mentor of mine is actually Dr. Angela Duckworth,

我的導師之一是 安琪拉達克沃斯博士，

the psychologist at UPenn who has defined this stick-to-itiveness of grit

賓州大學的心理學家， 她將堅忍不拔的毅力定義為

as being "the perseverance and passion for long-term goals."

「對長期目標的堅持不懈及熱情。」

Angela's book has become a bestseller,

安琪拉的書暢銷熱賣，

and schools across the country,

全國的學校、

particularly charter schools,

特別是公立學校，

have become interested in citing "grit" as a core value.

都變得很想要引用「毅力」 作為一個核心價值。

But sometimes grit isn't enough,

但有時，光有毅力並不夠，

especially in education.

特別是在教育中。

So when Mahari was leaving my office,

所以當馬哈里離開我的辦公室，

我擔心他可能需要更明確的東西，

I worried that he might need something more specific

to combat the challenges that he mentioned to me.

來對抗那些他跟我提及的挑戰。

As a sociologist, I also study achievement,

身為社會學家，我也研究成就，

但會從稍微不同的觀點切入。

but from a slightly different perspective.

I research students who have overcome immense obstacles

我研究的學生， 是克服了與他們背景相關的

related to their background.

巨大障礙的學生。

有些來自低收入戶，

Students from low-income,

often single-parent households,

通常都是單親家庭，

students who have been homeless, incarcerated or perhaps undocumented,

有些曾經無家可歸、被監禁過、 或也許是沒有身份證明文件的，

or some who have struggled with substance abuse

有些因為曾經濫用藥物而在掙扎，

或是經歷過暴力或性創傷。

or lived through violent or sexual trauma.

So let me tell you about two of the grittiest people I've met.

讓我告訴各位關於 兩位我見過最有毅力的人。

泰瑞克是被單親媽媽扶養長大的，

Tyrique was raised by a single mother,

and then after high school, he fell in with the wrong crowd.

高中之後，他遇到了不好的朋輩。

He got arrested for armed robbery.

他因為武裝搶劫而被捕。

But in prison, he started to work hard.

但在監獄中，他開始努力。

他上大學的學分課程，

He took college credit courses,

so when he got out, he was able to get a master's,

所以出獄時，他拿到了碩士學位，

and today he's a manager at a nonprofit.

現在他是一間非營利機構的經理。

Vanessa had to move around a lot as a kid,

凡妮莎小時候常常搬家，

from the Lower East Side to Staten Island to the Bronx.

從紐約下東城，搬到史泰登島， 再搬到布朗克斯區。

She was raised primarily by her extended family,

她主要是由她的親戚養大的，

because her own mother had a heroin addiction.

因為她的母親有海洛因毒癮。

Yet at 15,

但在十五歲時，

Vanessa had to drop out of school,

因爲她有了孩子，凡妮莎休學了。

and she had a son of her own.

But eventually, she was able to go to community college,

但最終，她得以進入社區大學，

get her associate's,

取得副學士學位，

then go to an elite college to finish her bachelor's.

接著進入一所菁英大學， 取得她的學士學位。

So some people might hear these stories and say,

有些人聽到這些故事可能會說：

"Yes, those two definitely have grit.

「是，這兩個人的確有毅力。

They basically pulled themselves up by the bootstraps."

他們基本上靠自己的 努力改善了處境。」

但那並非實際完整的狀況。

But that's an incomplete picture,

because what's more important

因為更重要的是，

他們的人生中有些因子， 協助影響了他們的動力、

is that they had factors in their lives that helped to influence their agency,

or their specific capacity

或他們的特定的能力，

to actually overcome the obstacles that they were facing

讓他們能真的克服他們面對的障礙，

and navigate the system given their circumstances.

並以他們的情況在體制中力爭上游。

讓我進一步解釋。

So, allow me to elaborate.

In prison, Tyrique was actually aimless at first,

泰瑞克，這為囚居 賴克斯島監獄的 22 歲青年，

as a 22-year-old on Rikers Island.

一開始其實毫無目標。

This is until an older detainee took him aside

直到一位老囚犯把他拉到一旁，

and asked him to help with the youth program.

請他協助一個青年專案。

And in mentoring youth,

在指導青年的過程，

he started to see his own mistakes and possibilities in the teens.

他開始看見他自己在十多歲時 犯的錯誤以及可能性。

This is what got him interested in taking college-credit courses.

這讓他開始想要去 上大學的學分課程。

And when he got out,

他出獄後，

在 Fortune Society 得到一份工作， （譯註：非營利組織名稱）

he got a job with Fortune Society,

where many executives are people who have been formerly incarcerated.

在那裡，許多主管以前都有坐過牢。

So then he was able to get a master's in social work,

所以他得以取得社工的碩士學位，

and today, he even lectures at Columbia about prison reform.

現在，他甚至在哥倫比亞大學 教授關於監獄改革的課。

至於凡妮莎……

And Vanessa ...

well, after the birth of her son,

在她的兒子出生後，

she happened to find a program called Vocational Foundation

她剛好找到一個職訓專案， 叫 Vocational Foundation，

that gave her 20 dollars biweekly,

給了她每兩週 $20、

一張地鐵卡、

a MetroCard

and her first experiences with a computer.

以及她用電腦的初體驗。

These simple resources are what helped her get her GED,

這些簡單的資源協助她取得 高中等級學歷證明（GED），

but then she suffered from a very serious kidney failure,

但接著她遭受到很嚴重的腎衰竭，

which was particularly problematic because she was only born with one kidney.

她出生時只有一個腎， 因此這對她來說特別麻煩。

She spent 10 years on dialysis waiting for a successful transplant.

她花了十年洗腎，等待成功的移植。

After that,

那之後，

her mentors at community college had kept in touch with her,

她在社區大學的導師 一直和她保持聯絡，

and so she was able to go,

所以她得以進學校，

and they put her in an honors program.

他們將她安排到榮譽課程中。

And that's the pathway that allowed her to become accepted

那是在一所全國數一數二的

菁英女子大學錄取她之前， 她所走過的路，

to one of the most elite colleges for women in the country,

and she received her bachelor's at 36,

她在 36 歲時取得學士學位，

為她的兒子做了一個好榜樣。

setting an incredible example for her young son.

What these stories primarily indicate is that teaching is social

這些故事主要點出的重點是， 教學是社會性的，

and benefits from social scaffolding.

受惠於社會框架支持。

There were factors pushing these two in one direction,

的確有些因子將這兩個人 推向一個方向，

but through tailored mentorship and opportunities,

但透過量身訂作的引導和機會，

他們才得以反省他們的處境，

they were able to reflect on their circumstances

and resist negative influences.

並抗拒負面的影響。

他們也學會了簡單的技能， 像是開發網路、

They also learned simple skills like developing a network,

or asking for help --

或是尋求協助。

things many of us in this room can forget that we have needed from time to time,

在座各位可能已經忘記， 我們偶爾都會需要幫助，

or can take for granted.

或已把它視為理所當然。

And when we think of people like this,

當我們想想像這樣的人，

我們只該將他們想成是 特殊的，而非例外。

we should only think of them as exceptional, but not as exceptions.

Thinking of them as exceptions absolves us

將他們視為例外，是讓我們卸責，

of the collective responsibility to help students in similar situations.

免除協助類似學生的集體責任。

When Presidents Bush, Obama and now even Trump,

總統布希、歐巴馬、 甚至現在的川普，

have called education "the civil rights issue of our time,"

都把教育稱為是 「我們時代的公民權利議題」，

perhaps we should treat it that way.

也許我們該這樣看待它。

如果學校能想想 他們的學生有什麼動力，

If schools were able to think about the agency that their students have

and bring to the table when they push them,

並在推他們一把時提供意見，

what students learn can become more relevant to their lives,

那麼學生所學的 就能對其生活更有重要性，

and then they can tap into those internal reservoirs of grit and character.

那麼他們就能將內在儲藏的 毅力和品格拿出來用。

這裡的這位是──

So this here --

My student Mahari

我的學生馬哈里，

got accepted to law school with scholarships,

他得到獎學金，被法學院錄取，

and not to brag,

不是要誇耀，

but I did write one of his letters of recommendation.

但他的推薦信之一是我寫的。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And even though I know hard work is what got him this achievement,

雖然我知道是努力 讓他有這樣的成就，

I've seen him find his voice along the way,

我看到他在這條路上 找到自己的聲音，

which as someone who's grown up a little bit shy and awkward,

但他在成長過程中是個 有點害羞且笨拙的人，

I know it takes time and support.

我知道這的確需要時間和支持。

So even though he will rely a lot on his grit

雖然他將要很仰賴他的毅力，

to get him through that first-year law school grind,

來幫他渡過法學院苦學的第一年，

我會在這裡，扮演他的導師，

I'll be there as a mentor for him,

check in with him from time to time,

偶爾看看他的狀況，

maybe take him out to get some curry ...

也許帶他出去吃點咖哩……

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

so that he can keep growing his agency to succeed even more.

讓他能夠持續進一步發展 朝成功前進的動力。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）