師之道 What Makes a Teacher

約翰·斯坦貝克/John Steinbeck

Adults often forget how hard, dull and long school is. The learning by memory of all the basic things one must know is a most incredible and un-ending effort. Learning to read is probably the most difficult and revolutionary thing that happens to the human brain and if you don't believe that, watch an illiterate adult try to do it. School is not easy and it is not for the most part very much fun, but then, if you are very lucky, you may find a real teacher. Three real teachers in a lifetime is the very best of my luck. My first was a science and math teacher in high school, my second, a professor of writing at Stanford, and my third was my friend and partner, Ed Ricketts.

I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. It might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.

My three teachers had these things in common: They all loved what they were doing. They did not tell, but catalyzed a burning desire to know. Under their influence, the horizons sprung wide and fear went away and the unknown became knowable. But the most important of all, the truth became beautiful and very precious.

I shall speak only of my first teacher because in addition to the other things, she brought discovery.

She aroused us to shouting, book-waving discussions. She had the noisiest class in school and she didn't even seem to know it. We could never stick to the subject. Our speculation passed over the world. She breathed curiosity into us so that we brought in facts or truths like fireflies caught in our hands.

She was fired and perhaps rightly so, for failing to teach basic things. Such things must be learned. But she left a strong desire in us for the pure knowable world and she inflamed me with a curiosity, which has never left. I could not do simple arithmetic but through her I sensed that mathematics was very much like music. When she was sent away, sadness came over us but the light did not go out. She left her signature on us, words of the teacher who wrote on minds. I have had many teachers who told me soon forgotten backs but only these three created in me a new thing, a new attitude and a new hunger. What deathless power lies in the hands of such a person!

I can tell my son who looks forward with horror to fifteen years of hard work that somewhere in the dusty dark magic may happen that will light up the years—if he is very lucky.

成年人通常都忘記了上學(xué)時是多么艱苦、乏味和漫長。為了把那些基本的原理背下來，必須付出令人難以置信的巨大努力。學(xué)會閱讀也許是人腦碰到的最艱巨、最具革命性的事情。如果你不相信，看看一個成年文盲是怎樣嘗試識字的。上學(xué)不是一件容易的事兒，大部分也沒什么樂趣，不過，如果你非常幸運，也許會碰到一個真正的老師。我一生中最幸運的是曾遇到過三個真正的老師。第一位是高中時教數(shù)理化的老師；第二位是斯坦福大學(xué)里教寫作的教授；第三位是我的朋友和伙伴埃德·雷克茨。

我相信一個偉大的教師就是一個偉大的藝術(shù)家，而且像其他任何大藝術(shù)家一樣可遇而不可求。它甚至可以說是一門最偉大的藝術(shù)，因為它傳遞著人類的思想和精神。

我的三位良師擁有這些共同之處：他們都熱愛自己的工作；但不灌輸知識，而是激發(fā)學(xué)生求知的欲望。在他們的影響下，我們開闊了眼界，消除了膽怯，從無知變成了有知。但最重要的是，真理變得美好而珍貴。

我只想談?wù)勎业牡谝晃涣紟?，因為除了課堂上的那些知識以外，她還教會了我如何發(fā)現(xiàn)。

她激勵我們揮舞書本大聲討論。她的課堂是學(xué)校里最熱鬧的，但她好像從來不知道。我們從不拘泥于書本，而是任思緒翱翔。她激發(fā)了我們的好奇心，使我們所追求的事實和真理就如同捕到的螢火蟲一樣被牢牢抓在手中。

她被學(xué)校辭退也許不無道理，因為她沒有教授學(xué)生基本知識，而那些東西是不可不學(xué)的。但她在我們心中留下了一種對純粹可知世界的強烈渴望，她激發(fā)起我強烈的好奇心，并且這種好奇心從來沒有消逝。她不僅教會了我做簡單的算術(shù)，更讓我感覺到數(shù)學(xué)像音樂一樣。她被辭退時，我們心中悲傷不已，但她的光芒卻從未褪去。她把簽名留在我們身上，那是老師寫在我們心靈上的作品。我有很多老師，他們教過我的一些東西不久就忘記了，只有這三位老師讓我萌生了新的東西、新的態(tài)度和新的渴望。這樣的一個人蘊藏著多么不朽的力量??！

我會這樣告訴我的兒子——他正心懷恐慌地面臨長達十五年的寒窗苦讀：混沌黑暗的世界里，某處也許會有一種神奇的力量，會點亮未來的歲月——如果他非常幸運。

心靈小語

教育家和教書匠的區(qū)別在于：前者激發(fā)學(xué)生的求知欲望，后者強給學(xué)生灌輸知識。

詞匯筆記

adult [??d?lt] n. 成年人

例 What do you think of that an adult reads children reading?

你對成年人閱讀兒童讀物有什么想法？

incredible [in?kred?bl] adj. 難以置信的；驚人的

例 Now ladies and gentlemen, you’re about to hear the most incredible tale.

女士們、先生們，你們將要聽到一個最令人難以置信的故事。

inflame [in?f leim] v. 激怒；點火；使……發(fā)炎

例 They do indeed speak beautifully, but if you remain silent they can not inflame the heart.

他們的話，雖然美妙，但沒有你，不能燃起人們的心火來。

curiosity [?kjuri??siti] n. 好奇；好奇心；珍品

例 Its curiosity can be of great value.

它的好奇心會是非常有價值的。

小試身手

為了把那些基本的常理背下來，必須付出令人難以置信的巨大努力。

譯_______________

學(xué)會閱讀也許是人腦碰到的最艱巨、最具革命性的事情。

譯_______________

我相信一個偉大的教師就是一個偉大的藝術(shù)家，而且像其他任何大藝術(shù)家一樣可遇而不可求。

譯_______________

短語家族

My three teachers had these things in common:They all loved what they were doing.

in common：和……有共同之處；共用；共同；共有

造_______________

I shall speak only of my first teacher because in addition to the other things, she brought discovery.

in addition to：除了……外（還）；除了

造_______________