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schoolhouse：
a building used as a school, especially in a small community or village.
（尤指鄉村學校的）校舍。
I have spent my entire life either at the schoolhouse, on the way to the schoolhouse, or talking bout what happens in the schoolhouse.
我這輩子，不是在學校，就是在去學校的路上，或者是在討論學校裡發生了什麼事中度過。
maternal [məˈtɜːrnl]：母系的
字首 matern- =mother，表示「母性，母親」
字尾 al =...的，表 adj.
因此，maternal grandparents=外祖父母
Both my parents were educators, my maternal grandparents were educators, and for the past 40 years I've done the same thing.
我的父母都是教育家，我的外祖父母也都是搞教育的，過去40年我也在從事同樣的事業。
needless to say
"Needless to say” 的意思是「不用說」，通常用於肯定句中，後面接逗號，引導句子。
Needless to say, it's difficult to do manual labor on an empty stomach.
不用說，空著肚子勞動是很難的。
reform [rɪˈfɔːrm] v. 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.
所以，很顯然，過去的這些年裡，我有機會從各個角度審視教育改革。
演講稿中英對照：
Some of those reforms have been good. Some of them have been not so good. And we know why kids drop out. We know why kids don't learn. It's either poverty, low attendance, negative peer influences. We know why. But one of the things that we never discuss or we rarely discuss is the value and importance of human connection, relationships.
我這輩子，不是在學校，就是在去學校的路上，或者是在討論學校裡發生了什麼事中度過。我的父母都是教育家，我的外祖父母也都是搞教育的，過去40年我也在從事同樣的事業。所以，很顯然，過去的這些年裡，我有機會從各個角度審視教育改革。一些改革是有成效的。而另一些卻收效甚微。我們知道孩子們為什麼掉隊輟學。我們知道孩子們為什麼學不下去。原因無非是貧窮，低出席率，同齡人的壞影響。我們知道為什麼。但是我們從未討論或者極少討論的是人和人之間的那種[情感]聯繫的價值和重要性，這就是「關係」。
James Comer says that no significant 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've look at some of the worst.
James Comer (美國著名兒童精神科醫師）說過，沒有強有力的聯繫，學習就不會有顯著的進步。George Washington Carver（美國著名教育學家）說過，學習就是理解各種關係。在座的各位都曾經被一位老師或者一個成年人影響過。這麼多年，我都在看人們怎麼教學。我看過最好的也看過最差的。
A colleague said to me one time, "They don't 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."
一次有個同事跟我說，「我的職責不是喜歡那些孩子們。我的職責是教書。孩子們就該去學。我管教課，他們管學習。就是這麼個理兒。」
Well, I said to her, "You know, kids don't learn from people they don't like."
然後，我就跟她說，「你知道，孩子們可不跟他們討厭的人學習。」
(Laughter) (Applause) （笑聲）（掌聲）
She said, "That's just a bunch of hooey."
她接著說，「一派胡言。」
And I said to her, "Well, your year is going to be long and arduous, dear."
然後我對她說，「那麼，親愛的，你這一年會變得十分漫長和痛苦。」
Needless to say it was. Some people think that you can either have it in you to build a relationship or you don't. 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're sorry, they're in shock.
事實也果真如此。有些人認為一個人或者天生可以建立一種關係或者不具有這種能力。 我認為Stephen Covey（美國教育家）是對的。 他說你只需要做一些簡單的事情，比如試著首先理解他人，而不是想要被理解，比如道歉。你想過嗎？跟一個孩子說你很對不起，他們都驚呆了。
I taught a lesson once on ratios. I'm not real good with math, but I was working on it. And I got back and looked at that teacher edition. I'd taught the whole lesson wrong. (Laughter)
我有一次講比例。 我數學不是很好，但是我當時在教數學。然後我下了課，翻看了教師用書。我完全教錯了。（笑聲）
So I came back to class the next day, and I said, "Look, guys, I need to pologize. I taught the whole lesson wrong. I'm so sorry."
所以我第二天回到班上說，「同學們，我要道歉。我昨天的課都教錯了。我非常抱歉。」
They said, "That's okay, Ms. Pierson. You were so excited, we just let you go." (Laughter) (Applause)
他們說，「沒關係，Pierson老師。你當時教得非常投入，我們就讓你繼續了。」
（笑聲）（掌聲）
I have had classes that were so low, so academically deficient that I cried. I wondered, how am I going to take this group in nine months from where they are to where they need to be? And it was difficult. It was awfully hard.How do I raise the self-esteem of a child and his academic achievement at the same time?
我曾經教過程度非常低的班級，學術素養差到我都哭了。我當時就想，我怎麼能在9個月之內把這些孩子提升到他們必須具備的水平？這真的很難，太艱難了。我怎麼能讓一個孩子重拾自信的同時他在學術上也有進步？
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."
有一年我有了一個非常好的主意。我告訴我的學生們，「你們進了我的班級，因為我是最好的老師，而你們是最好的學生，他們把我們放在一起來給其他人做個好榜樣。」
One of the students said, "Really?" (Laughter)
一個學生說，「真的嗎？」（笑聲）
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 can't make noise. You just have to strut." And I gave them a saying to say: "I am somebody. I was somebody when I came. I'll be a better somebody when I leave. I am powerful, and I am strong. I deserve the education that I get here. I have things to do, people to impress, and places to go."
我說，「當然是真的。我們要給其他班級做個榜樣，當我們走在樓道里，因為大家都會注意到我們，我們不能吵鬧。大家要昂首闊步。」我還給了他們一個口號：「我是個人物。我來的時候是個人物。我畢業的時候會變成一個更好的人物。我很有力，很強大。我值得在這裡受教育。我有很多事情要做，我要讓人們記住我，我要去很多地方。」
And they said, "Yeah!"
然後他們說：「是啊！」
You say it long enough, it starts to be a part of you.
如果你長時間的這麼說，它就會開始變成事實。
And so
—
(Applause) I gave a quiz, 20 questions. A student missed 18. I put a "+2" on his
paper and a big smiley face.
所以－（掌聲）我做了一個小測驗，20道題。一個孩子錯了18道。我在他了卷子上寫了個「＋2」和一個大的笑臉。
He said, "Ms. Pierson, is this an F?"
他說，「Pierson老師，這是不及格嗎？」
I said, "Yes."
我說，「是的。」
He said, "Then why'd you put a smiley face?"
他接著說，「那你為什麼給我一個笑臉？」
I said, "Because you're on a roll. You got two right. You didn't miss them all." I said, "And when we review this, won't you do better?"
我說，「因為你正漸入佳境。你沒有全錯，還對了兩個。」我說，「我們複習這些題的時候，難道你不會做得更好嗎？」
He said, "Yes, ma'am, I can do better."
他說，「是的，老師。我可以做得更好。」
You see, "-18" sucks all the life out of you. "+2" said, "I ain't all bad." (Laughter) (Applause)
大家看，「－18」讓人感覺想死。「＋2」意味著，「我沒有那麼糟。」 （笑聲）（掌聲）
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 didn't smell so good. See, it's hard to teach kids who stink. And kids can be cruel. And so she kept those things in her desk, and years later, after she retired, I watched some of those same kids come through and say to her, "You know, Ms. Walker, 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 wasn't. And I want you to just see what I've become."
好多年了，我看著我媽媽利用課間休息時間批改作業，下午去家訪，買梳子、刷子、花生醬和餅乾，把他們放在自己的抽屜里給那些餓了的孩子們吃，還有為那些髒孩子們準備了一條毛巾和一些肥皂。看吧，教那些發臭的孩子是困難的一件事。而孩子們有時也是比較「殘忍」的。所以她把這些東西都放在她的抽屜里，然後過了很多年，在她退休以後，我看到一些當年的孩子們回來告訴她，「您知道，Walker老師，您改變了我的生活。您讓它有了意義。您讓我覺得我是個人物， 雖說在心底我知道我不是。我就是想讓您看看,現在成為了個什麼樣的人」
And when my mama died two years ago at 92, there were so many former students at her funeral, it brought tears to my eyes, not because she was gone, but because she left a legacy of relationships that could never disappear.
當我媽媽兩年前以92歲高齡去世的時候，有好多好多的以前的學生來參加了她的葬禮，我哭了，不是因為她去世了，而是因為她留下了這些永遠不會消失的各種聯繫。
Can we stand to have more relationships? Absolutely. Will you like all your children? Of course not. And you know your toughest kids are never absent. (Laughter) Never. You won't like them all, and the tough ones show up for a reason. It's the connection. It's the relationships. And while you won't like them all, the key is, they can never, ever know it. So teachers become great actors and great actresses, and we come to work when we don't feel like it, and we're listening to policy that doesn't make sense, and we teach anyway. We teach anyway, because that's what we do.
我們真的可以有更多的關係嗎？當然可以。你會喜歡你所有的學生嗎？當然不。你也知道那些最難搞的孩子總是很難甩掉。（笑聲）永遠不會。你不會喜歡每一個人，然而難搞的那幾個的出現也是有理由的。這就是聯繫，是關係。當你不會喜歡他們每一個人的時候，關鍵就是他們永遠也不會知道這一點。所以老師們變成偉大的演員，我們得強迫自己工作，我們得聽從那些毫無道理的政策，我們還得上課。我們還得上課，因為這是我們的責任。
Teaching and learning 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 a champion? Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, andinsists that they become the best that they can possibly be.
教學和學習應該是讓人愉快的事情。我們的世界會變得多麼的強大如果我們的孩子都不害怕接受挑戰，不害怕思考，都贏得了一個冠軍？每個孩子都可以成為一個冠軍，一個成年人要永遠不放棄他們，懂得聯繫的強大力量， 堅信他們可以變成那個最好的自己。[ tronest註：每個孩子都需要一個堅定的支持者/強大的後盾支持，一個永不放棄他們的成年人，一個懂得情感聯絡重要性的成年人，一個堅信他們可以成為最好的自己的成年人。（成為這樣一個成年人，我們教育者責無旁貸）]
Is this job tough? You betcha. Oh God, you betcha. But it is not impossible. We can do this. We're educators. We're born to make a difference.
這個職業很艱巨不？當然。上帝，毫無疑問。但是這不是不可能的。我們可以的，因為我們是教育家。我們天生就是重塑他人的。
Thank you so much.
非常感謝大家。
..............................................................................................
(Laughter) (Applause) （笑聲）（掌聲）
She said, "That's just a bunch of hooey."
Needless to say it was. Some people think that you can either have it in you to build a relationship or you don't. 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're sorry, they're in shock.
I taught a lesson once on ratios. I'm not real good with math, but I was working on it. And I got back and looked at that teacher edition. I'd taught the whole lesson wrong. (Laughter)
So I came back to class the next day, and I said, "Look, guys, I need to pologize. I taught the whole lesson wrong. I'm so sorry."
They said, "That's okay, Ms. Pierson. You were so excited, we just let you go." (Laughter) (Applause)
I have had classes that were so low, so academically deficient that I cried. I wondered, how am I going to take this group in nine months from where they are to where they need to be? And it was difficult. It was awfully hard.How do I raise the self-esteem 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?" (Laughter)
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 can't make noise. You just have to strut." And I gave them a saying to say: "I am somebody. I was somebody when I came. I'll be a better somebody when I leave. I am powerful, and I am strong. I deserve the education that I get here. I have things to do, people to impress, and places to go."
And they said, "Yeah!"
You say it long enough, it starts to be a part of you.
And so
—
(Applause) I gave a quiz, 20 questions. A student missed 18. I put a "+2" on his
paper and a big smiley face.
He said, "Ms. Pierson, is this an F?"
I said, "Yes."
He said, "Then why'd you put a smiley face?"
I said, "Because you're on a roll. You got two right. You didn't miss them all." I said, "And when we review this, won't you do better?"
He said, "Yes, ma'am, I can do better."
You see, "-18" sucks all the life out of you. "+2" said, "I ain't all bad." (Laughter) (Applause)
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 didn't smell so good. See, it's hard to teach kids who stink. And kids can be cruel. And so she kept those things in her desk, and years later, after she retired, I watched some of those same kids come through and say to her, "You know, Ms. Walker, 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 wasn't. And I want you to just see what I've become."
And when my mama died two years ago at 92, there were so many former students at her funeral, it brought tears to my 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? Absolutely. Will you like all your children? Of course not. And you know your toughest kids are never absent. (Laughter) Never. You won't like them all, and the tough ones show up for a reason. It's the connection. It's the relationships. And while you won't like them all, the key is, they can never, ever know it. So teachers become great actors and great actresses, and we come to work when we don't feel like it, and we're listening to policy that doesn't make sense, and we teach anyway. We teach anyway, because that's what we do.
Teaching and learning 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 a champion? Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, andinsists that they become the best that they can possibly be.
Is this job tough? You betcha. Oh God, you betcha. But it is not impossible. We can do this. We're educators. We're born to make a difference.
Thank you so much.