Help for kids the education system ignores | Victor Rios

譯者: Helen Chang 審譯者: SF Huang

For over a decade,

十多年來，

I have studied young people that have been pushed out of school,

我研究被學校趕出來的年輕人，

so called "dropouts."

所謂的「中輟生」。

As they end up failed by the education system,

他們被教育體系放棄的結果 就是流落街頭，

they're on the streets where they're vulnerable to violence,

在那裡他們容易蒙受暴力對待、

police harassment,

警察騷擾、

police brutality

警察暴行

and incarceration.

和監禁。

I follow these young people for years at a time,

我追蹤這些年輕人多年的時間，

across institutional settings,

來回於各機構間，

to try to understand what some of us call the "school-to-prison pipeline."

試圖了解我們當中某些人 所謂的「學校到監獄管道」。

When you look at a picture like this,

當你看到這樣的照片，

of young people who are in my study ...

我研究的年輕人...

you might see trouble.

你大概看得到問題。

I mean one of the boys has a bottle of liquor in his hand,

我的意思是其中一個男孩 手上拿著一瓶酒，

他才十四歲，

he's 14 years old

and it's a school day.

而且那天是上學日。

Other people, when they see this picture,

其他人看到這張照片時，

might see gangs,

看到的可能是幫派、

惡棍、問題少年、

thugs, delinquents --

罪犯。

criminals.

But I see it different.

但我看到的不是這樣。

從我的角度來看， 我認為這些年輕人

I see these young people through a perspective

that looks at the assets that they bring to the education system.

能為教育系統帶來寶貴的資產。

So will you join me in changing the way we label young people

你們願不願意跟我一起 改變我們標記年輕人的方式，

from "at-risk" to "at-promise?"

從「有危險」改為「有希望」呢？

(Applause)

（掌聲）

How do I know that these young people

我怎麼知道這些年輕人

have the potential and the promise to change?

有改變的潛力和希望呢？

我知道，因為我曾是其中的一員。

I know this because I am one of them.

You see, I grew up in dire poverty in the inner city,

事情是這樣子的， 我在都市中的貧民區長大，

沒有父親。

without a father --

he abandoned me before I was even born.

他在我出生前就棄我而去。

We were on welfare,

我們領救濟金，

有時無家可歸，

sometimes homeless,

many times hungry.

多次處在飢餓中。

By the time I was 15 years old,

到我十五歲時，

已犯下三次重罪， 被判三次監禁了。

I had been incarcerated in juvy three times for three felonies.

My best friend had already been killed.

我最好的朋友已被殺死。

And soon after,

不久後，

while I'm standing next to my uncle,

我目睹了身旁的舅舅

he gets shot.

遭受槍擊。

And as I'm waiting for the ambulance to arrive

我等救護車等了

超過一個多小時...

for over an hour ...

以致他在街上失血過多而死。

he bleeds to death on the street.

I had lost faith and hope in the world,

我對世界失去了信心和希望，

and I had given up on the system because the system had failed me.

我放棄了體制，因體制辜負了我。

I had nothing to offer

我沒能給別人什麼，

and no one had anything to offer me.

也沒有人能給我些什麼。

我認命了。

I was fatalistic.

I didn't even think I could make it to my 18th birthday.

甚至自認無法活過十八歲。

The reason I'm here today

我今天能夠在這裡

is because a teacher that cared reached out

是因為有個老師伸出關心的手，

and managed to tap into my soul.

觸動了我的心靈。

這位老師，

This teacher,

Ms. Russ ...

柔絲老師...

she was the kind of teacher that was always in your business.

她是那種什麼事都愛管的老師。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

她這樣對我說：

She was the kind of teacher that was like,

"Victor, I'm here for you whenever you're ready."

「維克多，當你準備好了， 願意的時候，我就在這裡。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I wasn't ready.

當時我還沒準備好。

But she understood one basic principle about young people like me.

但她瞭解像我這類年輕人的 一個基本原則：

We're like oysters.

我們就像牡蠣。

We're only going to open up when we're ready,

我們只在準備好的時候張開，

and if you're not there when we're ready,

若那個當下你不在我們身旁，

we're going to clam back up.

我們就又關起來了。

Ms. Russ was there for me.

當時柔絲老師在我身邊。

她理解我的文化背景，

She was culturally relevant,

她尊重我的社區、族群和家人。

she respected my community, my people, my family.

I told her a story about my Uncle Ruben.

我告訴她有關我舅舅魯本的事。

He would take me to work with him because I was broke,

他帶我一起工作， 因為我一塊錢都沒有，

and he knew I needed some money.

他知道我需要錢。

He collected glass bottles for a living.

他以回收玻璃瓶維生。

Four in the morning on a school day,

上學日的早上四點鐘，

we'd throw the glass bottles in the back of his van,

我們把玻璃瓶往他的貨車後面扔，

and the bottles would break.

瓶子迸裂，

And my hands and arms would start to bleed

我的手和手臂開始流血，

and my tennis shoes and pants would get all bloody.

我的球鞋和長褲沾上血跡。

And I was terrified and in pain, and I would stop working.

我嚇到了，覺得很痛， 於是停下了工作。

And my uncle, he would look me in the eyes and he would say to me,

舅舅直視我的眼睛對我說：

"Mijo,

「親愛的孩子，

estamos buscando vida."

（西文：）estamos buscando vida.

我們在追求更美好的生活，

"We're searching for a better life,

we're trying to make something out of nothing."

要在一無所有中， 創造些什麼出來。」

Ms. Russ listened to my story,

柔絲老師傾聽我的故事，

welcomed it into the classroom and said,

在課堂上分享並告訴我：

"Victor, this is your power.

「維克多，這是你的力量，

This is your potential.

是你的潛力。

Your family, your culture, your community have taught you a hard-work ethic

你的家人、文化和社區 已經教了你勤奮工作的倫理，

用此倫理來激勵自己，完成學業，

and you will use it to empower yourself in the academic world

so you can come back and empower your community."

然後就有能力回饋和激勵你的社區。」

With Ms. Russ's help,

藉由柔絲老師的幫助，

I ended up returning to school.

我重回到學校，

I even finished my credits on time

甚至還如期修畢了學分，

and graduated with my class.

和同班同學一起，自高中畢業。

（掌聲）

(Applause)

But Ms. Russ said to me right before graduation,

柔絲老師在畢業前對我說：

"Victor, I'm so proud of you.

「維克多，我以你為傲。

I knew you could do it.

我就知道你做得到。

Now it's time to go to college."

接下來要上大學囉。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

College, me?

我上大學？

Man, what is this teacher smoking thinking I'm going to college?

這個老師認為我會上大學？ 開什麼玩笑？

I applied with the mentors and support she provided,

我在她的支持與指導下申請學校，

got a letter of acceptance,

我收到一封入學許可信，

其中有這麼一段話：

and one of the paragraphs read,

"You've been admitted under probationary status."

「允許你來試讀。」 （註：probation 是試用也是緩刑）

I said, "Probation? I'm already on probation,

我說：「啥，緩刑？ 我早已在緩刑期中，

that don't matter?"

有什麼差別？」

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

It was academic probation, not criminal probation.

信上指的是學業上的試讀， 不是刑事上的緩刑。

But what do teachers like Ms. Russ do to succeed with young people

像柔絲老師這樣的師長 採取了哪些行動，

能夠成功地幫助那些我所研究的 徘徊在社會邊緣的青少年呢？

like the ones I study?

我提出三個策略。

I propose three strategies.

The first:

第一：

let's get rid of our deficit perspective in education.

讓我們擺脫負面、缺失的教育觀點。

"These people come from a culture of violence,

「這些人來自暴力文化，

貧窮文化。

a culture of poverty.

These people are at-risk; these people are truant.

這些人危險；他們逃學懶惰。

These people are empty containers for us to fill with knowledge.

這些人腦袋空空， 得由我們灌輸知識。

他們問題多多，

They have the problems,

we have the solutions."

有待我們去解決。」

Number two.

第二：

Let's value the stories that young people bring to the schoolhouse.

讓我們珍視年輕人帶到學校的故事。

Their stories of overcoming insurmountable odds are so powerful.

他們克服萬難的故事 是如此地強大有力。

我確信你們知道這些故事。

And I know you know some of these stories.

These very same stories and experiences

這類的故事和經驗

蘊含著膽量毅力、品格和韌性。

already have grit, character and resilience in them.

So let's help young people refine those stories.

讓我們幫助年輕人淬煉這些故事；

Let's help them be proud of who they are,

讓他們以自身為傲，

because our education system welcomes their families, their cultures,

因為我們的教育體系 歡迎他們的家人、文化、

their communities

社區，

以及他們學會的生存技能。

and the skill set they've learned to survive.

And of course the third strategy being the most important:

第三，最重要的是

resources.

資源。

我們必須提供年輕人充足的資源。

We have to provide adequate resources to young people.

光靠膽量毅力是不夠的。

Grit alone isn't going to cut it.

你可以坐在那裡愛怎麼講就怎麼講：

You can sit there and tell me all you want,

"Hey man, pick yourself up by the bootstraps."

「你可以提著靴帶把自己拉上來。」 （註：靠自己的努力奮發向上。）

But if I was born without any straps on my boots --

但如果我生來就沒有靴帶...

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

How am I supposed to pick myself up?

是要如何拉自己一把啊？

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Job training,

職訓、

mentoring,

指導、

諮詢...

counseling ...

Teaching young people to learn from their mistakes

教年輕人從自身的錯誤中學習，

instead of criminalizing them,

而不是將他們定罪，

and dragging them out of their classrooms like animals.

待他們如同動物般地 從教室裡拖出來。

How about this?

我們換個做法如何？

I propose that we implement restorative justice in every high school in America.

我提議在全美的中學裡 實施恢復型正義。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

So we went out to test these ideas in the community of Watts in LA

我們去洛杉磯的瓦茨社區 測試這些想法，

有四十個中輟生參與，

with 40 young people that had been pushed out of school.

William was one of them.

威廉是其中之一。

William was the kind of kid that had been given every label.

威廉是那種被貼上 各種標籤的孩子。

He had dropped out, he was a gang member,

他退學，參加幫派，

是個罪犯。

a criminal.

And when we met him he was very resistant.

當我們初相遇時， 他抗拒得很厲害。

But I remember what Ms. Russ used to say.

但我記得柔絲老師曾說：

"Hey, I'm here for you whenever you're ready."

「嘿，只要你準備好了， 我隨時都在這裡等你。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

經過一段時間，

So over time --

over time he began to open up.

他漸漸地卸下了心防。

And I remember the day that he made the switch.

他轉變的那一天，我記憶猶新。

We were in a large group

我們在一個團體的聚會中，

and a young lady in our program was crying

當中一名年輕女子

because she told us her powerful story

哭泣著講述

of her dad being killed

她父親遇害的隔天，

and then his body being shown in the newspaper the next day.

報紙上刊登其屍體照片的震撼故事。

And as she's crying, I don't know what to do,

她哭泣時，我不知該怎麼辦，

so I give her her space,

所以我給她盡情發洩的空間，

and William had enough.

而威廉已經受夠了。

He slammed his hands on the desk and he said,

他雙手拍桌，說道：

"Hey, everybody! Group hug! Group hug!"

「嘿，大家一起來抱抱！每個人都來！」

(Applause)

（掌聲）

這位年輕女孩最終破涕為笑，

This young lady's tears and pain turned into joy and laughter

knowing that her community had her back,

她知道這個群體是她的後盾；

and William had now learned that he did have a purpose in life:

而威廉當下發現了他生命的意義：

to help to heal the souls of people in his own community.

幫助他社區的人們癒合心靈的傷痛。

He told us his story.

他告訴我們他的故事。

We refined his story

我們淬煉他的故事，

他從一個受害者

to go from being the story of a victim to being the story of a survivor

轉變成克服逆境的勇者。

that has overcome adversity.

We placed high value on it.

我們珍視他的故事。

William went on to finish high school,

威廉繼續念到高中畢業，

get his security guard certificate to become a security guard,

獲得保全警衛的證書，

目前在當地學區擔任警衛的工作。

and is now working at a local school district.

（掌聲）

(Applause)

Ms. Russ's mantra --

柔絲老師有個口頭禪，

her mantra was always,

她總會說：

"when you teach to the heart, the mind will follow."

「當你的教導可以觸及心靈， 大腦就跟著心領神會了。」

The great writer Khalil Gibran says,

偉大的作家紀伯倫說：

"Out of suffering have emerged the greatest souls.

「苦難的煎熬造就了偉大的靈魂。

The massive characters are seared with scars."

偉岸的品格烙印著累累的傷痕。」

我相信在我們談及的這場教育改革裡，

I believe that in this education revolution that we're talking about

we need to invite the souls of the young people that we work with,

我們要邀請年輕人， 和他們的性靈一起合作，

and once they're able to refine --

一旦他們提升了 --

identify their grit, resilience and character

發掘出他們已開發的 膽量毅力、韌性和品格 --

that they've already developed --

他們的學業成績自然會提高。

their academic performance will improve.

Let's believe in young people.

讓我們對年輕人有信心。

Let's provide them the right kinds of resources.

讓我們提供他們所需要的資源。

讓我告訴你們 我的老師是如何幫我的。

I'll tell you what my teacher did for me.

She believed in me so much

因她是這麼地相信我，

以致我也相信了我自己。

that she tricked me into believing in myself.

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）