孩子哭了 「我坐不住12年」
好友在鄉下學校擔任輔導教師，未婚的她全心全力幫助孩子，尤其是那些學習不力或徘徊邊緣的。孩子們也由衷愛她，因此都喊她「鄭媽」。她得意地告訴我，「她是鄭媽，也是『正媽』，像正妹一樣正。」我稱讚她是永不退流行的正媽，因為「愛」是永不褪色的。
「多少邊緣的中輟生，都被你救回來了」，當我說出這話時，她沉默些許時間，然後沉重嘆了一聲：「以為把孩子放在學校裡，絕對是好的；以為把中輟生找回來，就是功德；但若是找回來，沒有適度安排有用的學習，只是讓孩子回到教室，聽宛如天書的課程，莫說小孩子，大人都坐不住。」她說至此，又再嘆一聲，提起與輔導主任一起去找一名中輟生。她告訴孩子：「你很幸運，遇到實施十二年國教，沒有基測壓力，也沒有不斷的小考模擬考」，她以為孩子應該高興才是，但沒想到孩子卻哭了，說：「我九年都坐不住了，還要我坐十二年喔！」
My comments: A poignant statment. In fact, there are quite a few "guests" in school, not knowing what they are there for. If schools cannot give them proper guidance, they are wasting their time.
Gillian Lynne, the choreographer of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera and Cats , was lucky. With the help of her mother and a psychiatrist, she found her element. All educators and parents should read the book The Element.
看孩子哭，她心都碎了。「一個從小學起，就沒打好基礎的孩子，到國中後，面對一年年加重加深的教材，待在常態班，看著老師發下的『中等程度』的考卷、或是聽著對他而言，仍是艱深的『中等程度教材』，他在座位上熬過一節節四十五分鐘的課程，那不是九年教育的學習，而是這孩子口中的『坐了九年』」。我想到前些時日，學校購置烘焙用具，烘焙職群的孩子們七嘴八舌的說：「說明書都是英日文耶！以後要好好學習英日文了」，我很詫異這群成績不佳的孩子，竟會有這樣的想法，與外聘的烘焙老師淑惠聊起這事，她分享她的作法：善用孩子喜歡烘焙的心，引導孩子學習其他知識，例如讓孩子輪流進貨，負責進貨的孩子必須算出來：幾節課程有幾人上課、要做出多少麵包，須用多少麵粉，再算出須用多少奶油及內餡，孩子不會算的話，就要去請教數學老師，另外也要教成本分析及計算、還有包裝及行銷術…，從烘焙課延伸學習數學、語文、藝文、綜合課等。
「我雖然只會教烘焙，但可以讓他們知道，其他知識的重要，讓他們去找老師問、去找老師學」，看著淑惠說話的神情，是驕傲、也是滿足。由孩子的潛能出發，擴展其他知識的學習，這才是真正的教育。
My comments: When kids really want to learn, they are already on the way to success.
我們曾看到，有的學校把成績差的學生放到技藝班，便算交差了事；也看到過校隊積極操軍訓練，卻忽略課業學習的報導，或許這一名未受過教育學程培訓的技藝教師的話，可供我們深思，該如何帶孩子學習，也或許幫孩子找到學習的動機與方向，並給予恰當的指導，才能讓孩子不要哭泣「還要我坐十二年喔！」
My comments: Education is to help kids find their element.
The following is a TED speech by Ken Robinson on "School Kill Creativity," in which the story of Gillian Lynne was mentioned. If you only have time for the story, then read on. However, the speech is worth listening, insightful and humorous. The story of Gillian starts at 14:49 and stops at 17:43.
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
And the third thing about intelligence is,it's distinct. I'm doing a new book at the momentcalled "Epiphany," which is based on a series ofinterviews with people about how they discoveredtheir talent. I'm fascinated by how people got to be there.It's really prompted by a conversation I hadwith a wonderful woman who maybe most peoplehave never heard of; she's called Gillian Lynne --have you heard of her? Some have. She's a choreographerand everybody knows her work.She did "Cats" and "Phantom of the Opera."She's wonderful. I used to be on the board of the Royal Ballet in England,as you can see.Anyway, Gillian and I had lunch one day and I said,"Gillian, how'd you get to be a dancer?" And she saidit was interesting; when she was at school,she was really hopeless. And the school, in the '30s,wrote to her parents and said, "We thinkGillian has a learning disorder." She couldn't concentrate;she was fidgeting. I think now they'd sayshe had ADHD. Wouldn't you? But this was the 1930s,and ADHD hadn't been invented at this point.It wasn't an available condition. (Laughter)People weren't aware they could have that.
Anyway, she went to see this specialist. So, this oak-paneled room,and she was there with her mother,and she was led and sat on this chair at the end,and she sat on her hands for 20 minutes whilethis man talked to her mother about allthe problems Gillian was having at school. And at the end of it --because she was disturbing people;her homework was always late; and so on,little kid of eight -- in the end, the doctor went and satnext to Gillian and said, "Gillian,I've listened to all these things that your mother'stold me, and I need to speak to her privately."He said, "Wait here. We'll be back; we won't be very long,"and they went and left her.But as they went out the room, he turned on the radiothat was sitting on his desk. And when theygot out the room, he said to her mother,"Just stand and watch her." And the minute they left the room,she said, she was on her feet, moving to the music.And they watched for a few minutesand he turned to her mother and said,"Mrs. Lynne, Gillian isn't sick; she's a dancer.Take her to a dance school."
I said, "What happened?"She said, "She did. I can't tell you how wonderful it was.We walked in this room and it was full ofpeople like me. People who couldn't sit still.People who had to move to think." Who had to move to think.They did ballet; they did tap; they did jazz;they did modern; they did contemporary.She was eventually auditioned for the Royal Ballet School;she became a soloist; she had a wonderful careerat the Royal Ballet. She eventually graduatedfrom the Royal Ballet School andfounded her own company -- the Gillian Lynne Dance Company --met Andrew Lloyd Weber. She's been responsible forsome of the most successful musical theaterproductions in history; she's given pleasure to millions;and she's a multi-millionaire. Somebody elsemight have put her on medication and told herto calm down.
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