雙語(yǔ)：實(shí)踐營(yíng)里的新收獲
來(lái)源：
小編： 151TEACHERS LEARN NEW THINGS AT CAMP, TOO
The highlight of each school year for the fifth-graders I teach is a week-long science camp. They get to dissect squid, observe elephant seals, hike in the woods, learn about varied environments, and live in cabins.
It starts with a nearly 300-mile bus trip to the camp in San Luis Obispo, Calif., a verdant, hilly place that's a far cry from the violence and despair that are the norm in the small agricultural town my predominantly Latino kids grow up in.
Most kids go. I have to convince a few parents their kiddos will be safe. Then there are the one or two that I'd like to stay home, like Rufus.
Kids that I don't want to go are usually the ones who need to come the most. Over the years they've tended to be the most desperate, the neediest, the ones who, sorry to say, are statistically most inclined to end up where their parents are ? behind bars. Fifty percent of my kids visit family members in prison or jail. That is a staggering number.
Rufus missed an unbelievable 40 days of school this year and was tardy another 18. His dad is incarcerated and his mom, who sometimes seems barely functional, drives Rufus and his older brother to school when she can or feels like it.
In class, Rufus is inattentive, angry, and unresponsive. He lies, steals, and talks back.
He's not the only one. But he easily stands head and shoulders above the other challenged kids.
I didn't want him to come because over the years I've seen it all at camp. Kids have dialed 911, stolen food, smashed lights, and worse. And the perpetrators are always the troubled boys, like Rufus.
But ... camp is also a chance to see another side of the kids. And it's an opportunity for them to see nature and get a glimpse of how it works. It's a time when there will be no homework. And a time for a child to be successful in many nonacademic ways.
It's also a nonschool environment in which a kid like Rufus can maybe have a positive interaction with his teacher.
So Rufus was allowed to go, on the condition that he stay in my cabin, where I could
watch him like a hawk. Sometimes he annoyed me. And he messed up now and then. But mostly we laughed and we played.
At meals, he sat on my left. And then we'd talk. "Rufus." I asked, "what's the best thing about camp?"
When I asked this question of other kids, they might mention a meal, an animal they'd seen, a nature hike, or a mistake a teacher had made.
Not Rufus. "The shower," he said.
"Shower?" I asked.
"Yup." He beamed, "All the hot water you want, as long as you want."
I shook my head in wonderment. I've been teaching for more than 20 years, and there are still times I don't understand these kids, I thought.
Soon after that, all the kids except José left the table.
"José," I said, "I can't believe Rufus likes showers better than all the things we're doing in camp."
Big, wide eyes looked up at me. "He don't have no shower in his mom's car," José informed me. "They live in the car."
So 2 and 2 added up to 4 in the end. It finally all made sense: Rufus's absences, the tardies, and now his love for hot showers. I wish I could say Rufus and I got along a lot better after that or that his grades improved or that he came to school more often.
Although I tried, none of it would be true.
But one thing was reconfirmed: There is a lot to be learned at science camp every year ? and not just by the kids.
科學(xué)營(yíng)里的新收獲
我們學(xué)校五年級(jí)學(xué)生長(zhǎng)達(dá)一周的科學(xué)實(shí)踐營(yíng)活動(dòng)是每個(gè)學(xué)年的最重要的一項(xiàng)課外活動(dòng)。在此期間，學(xué)生們將會(huì)解剖魷魚(yú)，觀察大象的形跡，在林間遠(yuǎn)足，學(xué)習(xí)各種環(huán)境生態(tài)并在木屋中居住。
全體營(yíng)員首先要經(jīng)過(guò)將近300英里的車(chē)程最終到達(dá)位于加利福尼亞州圣路易奧比斯波的實(shí)踐營(yíng)地。那是一個(gè)林木茂密的山區(qū)遠(yuǎn)離我們學(xué)校大部分拉美裔學(xué)生生活的那個(gè)充滿(mǎn)著暴力與絕望的農(nóng)業(yè)小鎮(zhèn)。
絕大多數(shù)學(xué)生樂(lè)于前往。不過(guò)我還得盡力說(shuō)服極少數(shù)家長(zhǎng)讓他們放心，他們的孩子會(huì)很安全的。但有
一兩名學(xué)生我卻寧愿他們呆在家里，其中包括魯弗斯。
而事實(shí)上我不想年經(jīng)驗(yàn)，他們大多出身貧寒，整日游手好閑，胡作非為，令人失望，最終往往會(huì)像他們的父母一樣走上犯罪道路。在我們班就有約一半的學(xué)生有去監(jiān)獄探望親屬的經(jīng)歷。這是多么令人吃驚的數(shù)字啊。
魯弗斯在這一學(xué)年竟令人不可思議地曠課40多天，遲到也有18次之多。魯弗斯的爸爸正在獄中服刑，而他的媽媽也很不稱(chēng)職。只有在她閑暇或高興的時(shí)候才會(huì)開(kāi)車(chē)送魯弗斯和他的哥哥上學(xué)。
在班里，魯弗斯總是漫不經(jīng)心，暴躁易怒，或是反應(yīng)遲鈍。他有時(shí)還頂嘴、撒謊甚至小偷小摸。
像這樣的學(xué)生，魯弗斯并非惟一。但他很容易便能戰(zhàn)勝其它那些向他挑釁的“問(wèn)題”學(xué)生。
從心里說(shuō)我不希望魯弗斯前往實(shí)踐營(yíng)。因?yàn)楦鶕?jù)我多年來(lái)的帶隊(duì)經(jīng)驗(yàn)，活動(dòng)期間，有的學(xué)生惡意撥打911報(bào)警電話(huà)取樂(lè)，偷盜他人食品，砸碎電燈，以及做出其它更糟糕的事情。而這些肇事者往往就是那些像魯弗斯那樣的“問(wèn)題”學(xué)生。
不過(guò)實(shí)踐營(yíng)活動(dòng)也提供了一個(gè)能發(fā)現(xiàn)學(xué)生另一面的好時(shí)機(jī)。與此同時(shí)，也給學(xué)生們提供了一個(gè)沒(méi)有課業(yè)負(fù)擔(dān)，親近自然，了解自然以及展示學(xué)生學(xué)業(yè)之外的各種才能的機(jī)會(huì)。
這同時(shí)也為像魯弗斯這樣的“問(wèn)題”學(xué)生創(chuàng)造了一個(gè)與老師良性互動(dòng)的校外環(huán)境。
因此，經(jīng)過(guò)慎重考慮，魯弗斯最終被批準(zhǔn)隨同前往。但條件是他必須與我同住一個(gè)木屋，以便我隨時(shí)監(jiān)督?；顒?dòng)期間，他有時(shí)令我很討厭。因?yàn)樗÷闊┎粩?。但是多?shù)時(shí)候，我們一起做游戲，一起開(kāi)懷大笑。
一次就餐時(shí)，魯弗斯坐在我的左邊，我問(wèn)他：“實(shí)踐營(yíng)里你覺(jué)得最棒的事是什么？”
如果我問(wèn)其它學(xué)生同樣問(wèn)題，他們可能會(huì)提及吃過(guò)的一頓美餐，見(jiàn)過(guò)的某種動(dòng)物，一次盡享自然的遠(yuǎn)足甚至是老師所犯的一個(gè)錯(cuò)誤。
但魯弗斯的回答卻與眾不同?！傲茉?。”他說(shuō)。
“淋??？”我不解地問(wèn)。
“對(duì)呀?！彼χ鸬?，“只要有需要，隨時(shí)都有熱水?！?
我驚訝地?fù)u了搖頭。我已經(jīng)從教20多年了，但想來(lái)有時(shí)我還是不太了解這些學(xué)生。
很快，除了喬賽，其他學(xué)生都吃完飯，離開(kāi)了餐桌。
“喬賽?！蔽艺f(shuō)，“我真的不敢相信，和實(shí)踐營(yíng)里這么多有趣的活動(dòng)比起來(lái)，魯弗斯竟然更喜歡淋浴。”
喬賽睜大眼睛抬頭看了看我說(shuō)：“他媽媽的車(chē)?yán)餂](méi)有淋浴。他家住在車(chē)?yán)铩！痹瓉?lái)如此。就像2加2等于4一樣，一切疑團(tuán)都迎刃而解。包括魯弗斯的曠課、遲到以及眼下他對(duì)洗熱水澡的熱愛(ài)。我多么希望從此以后，我能與魯弗斯更融洽地相處，而且他能更少曠課，成績(jī)有所提高。雖然我努力嘗試，終未奏效。
但有一點(diǎn)卻可以得到再次證實(shí)：我們?cè)诿磕甑膶?shí)踐營(yíng)活動(dòng)中可以學(xué)到很多東西――不僅是學(xué)生，也包括我。
