“教育是什么，如何做”，这是我自从加入我现在的公司，一直想的事情。幸运的是，我发现了克里希那穆提的一本书名叫《教育就是解放心灵》，无独有偶，我在TED演讲，听了一个讲解教育制度的教师，很受启发。摘记并写此篇，以此献给每一位教育工作者。 I have spent my entire life either at the schoolhouse,on the way to the schoolhouse ,or talking about what happens in the schoolhouse. Both my parents were educators,my maternal grandparents were educators,and for the past 40 years, I have done the same thing.And so,needless to say,over those years I have had a chance to look at education reform for a lot of perspectives.Some of those reforms have been good ,Some of them have been not so good. It iseither poverty,low attendance,negative peer influces. But one of the things that we never discuss or we rarly dicuss is the value and impotance of human connection ,Relationships. James Corner says that no significants learning can occur without a significant relationship.George Washington Carver says all learning is understanding relationships. Everyone in this room has been affected by a teacher or an adult. For years ,I have watched people teach.I have looked at the best and I have looked at some of the worst.A colleague said to me one time ,"They dont pay me to like the kids,They pay me to teach a lesson.The kids should learn it. I should teach it,they should learn it, Case closed ."Well ,I said to her ," You know,kids dont learn from people they dont like " She siad,"Thats just a bunch of hooney." "Well, your year is going to be long and arduous ,dear." Needless to say, it was. Some people think that you can either have it in you to build a relationship ,or you dont.I think Stephen Covey had the right idea. He said you ought to just throw in a few simple things,like seeking first to understand ,as opposed to being understood. Simple things,like apologizing. You ever thought about that? Tell a kid you are sorry,they are in shock. I taught a lesson once on ratios. I am not good at with math ,but I was working on it .I had taught the whole lesson wrong .So I came back to class the next day and I said,"Look ,guys ,I need to apologize .I taugut the whole lesson wrong .I am so sorry."They said ,"thats okay,Ms Pierson.You were so excited, we just let you go."I have had classes that were so low, so academically deficient, that I cried.I wondered," how am l going to take this group in nine months, from where they are to where they need to be?And it was diffcult,it was awfully hard . How do I raise the self-esteen of a child and his academic achievement at the same time?One year I came up with a bright idea.I told all my students,"you were chosen to be in my class because I am the best teacher and you are the best students,they put us all together. so we could show everybody else how to do it."One of the students said ,"Really?" I said "Really, We have to show the other classes how to do it,so when we walk down the hall,people will notice us,so you cant make noise. And I gave them a saying to say "I was somebody when I came,I am powerfull ,and I am strong.I deserve the edcation that I get here.I have things to do,people to impress. "And they said"Yeah!"It starts to be a part of you. I gave a quiz,20 questions,A student missed 18.I put "+2"on his paper and a big smiley face.He said"Ms Pierson ,is this an F?" "Yes",I said. He said"Then why did you put a smiley face?"I said"Because you are on a roll.you got two right.You didnt miss them all." I said "And when we review this,wont you do better?"He said "yes,I can do better." You see,"-18"sucks all the life out of you."+2"said,“I amnot all bad.” For years ,I watched my mother take the time at recess to review,go on home visits in the afternoon, buy combs and brushes and peanut butter and crackers to put in her desk drawer for kids that needed to eat,and a washcloth and some soap for the kids who didnt smell so good. See,its hard to teach kids who stink.And kid can be cruel.And so she kept those thing in her desk,and years later,after she retired.I watched some of those same kids come through and say to her " You know ,you made a difference in my life.You made it work for me.you made me feel like I was somebody,when I knew,at the bottom ,I wasnt.when I want you to just see what Ive become." And when my mama died two years ago at92,there were so many former students an her funernal.It brought tears eyes,not because she was gone,but because she left a legacy of relationships that could never disappear. Can we stand to have more relationships? Yes.Will you like your children ?of course not. And you know your toughest kids are never absent,You wont like them all.and the tough ones show up for a reason. Its the connection.Its the relationships .So teachers become great actors and actressse,and we coome to wrok when we dont feel like it ,and were listening to policy that doesnot make sence,and we teach anywany. We teach anywany because thats what we do. Teaching and lerning should bring joy.How powerful would our world be,if we had kids who were not afraid to take risks,who were not afraid to think ,and who had to a champion ? Every child deserves a champion,an adult who will never give up on them,who understands the power of connections, and insists that become the best that they can possibly be. Is the job tough?You betcha.But it is not impossible.We can do this,we are educators,We are born to make a difference. No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship.A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level. we are educators.we are born to make a difference.
