Chapter 2 What is an education?
Chapter 2 What is an education?
第二章 何謂教育？
第二章 何謂教育？
中文有聲書
Ch2.mp32. What is an education?
2. What is an education?
I teach a lot of young people. They are mostly decent, honest and hardworking adolescents -- their eyes brimming with inquisitiveness. In their hands they possess the universe -- the Internet: they are God controlling infinity. What is behind the façade, however, if I were to be really honest with myself, is boredom. What can I truly say to them that sparks the intellectual curiosity that was normal in the “seekers” of my generation? I am no Platonist1 but I do draw a distinction between people who accept what is and those few who contemplate what could be. I find that one of the few things that has any relevance at all is just telling the truth: the truth about you, a real person – albeit aged. They have little to no time for the pontificators or the embellishers. They want the raw facts. What was it like in the “old days?” (In what many see as the Jurassic Period,2 with small dinosaurs still running around).
I teach a lot of young people. They are mostly decent, honest and hardworking adolescents -- their eyes brimming with inquisitiveness. In their hands they possess the universe -- the Internet: they are God controlling infinity. What is behind the façade, however, if I were to be really honest with myself, is boredom. What can I truly say to them that sparks the intellectual curiosity that was normal in the “seekers” of my generation? I am no Platonist1 but I do draw a distinction between people who accept what is and those few who contemplate what could be. I find that one of the few things that has any relevance at all is just telling the truth: the truth about you, a real person – albeit aged. They have little to no time for the pontificators or the embellishers. They want the raw facts. What was it like in the “old days?” (In what many see as the Jurassic Period,2 with small dinosaurs still running around).
I grew up in an industrial town. World War Two was in the not too distant past and the economy of North America was the raw-material supplier to the world: it was sizzling. To this end, the lumber unions had extracted a measure of economic peace and stability from the logging barons by the high wages that were paid to the average unskilled or semi-skilled worker. It was possible to be employed for a year or a year and a half and buy a house: a small one to be sure, but still a house. This, of course meant that “staying in school” had less and less allure as you got older and older. The system itself was experiencing something akin to academic schizophrenia. When I first went to school in Grade One, autocracy was “all the rage.” We were summoned into the classroom by an ominous bell: the kind that you imagine in your classic horror film. We moved to our desks and proceeded to stand at attention. The teacher arrived, “Good morning, Mrs. Smith,” we all intoned. Next we sang God Save the Queen3 and had our nails inspected. This was not some trifling, cursory inspection, but the full appraisal; including look, length and cleanliness. We then sat down to begin the lesson. Any mere infraction was dealt with swiftly and severely: corporal punishment was immediate and arbitrary, its severity only lessened or increased by the mood and temperament of the pedagogue. There were “no prisoners taken,” no burp or chirp or guffaw that seems to be easily emitted by a young voice was tolerated. A classroom was noted for its peace and tranquility, though repressing the emotions and fears of its pupils. When I talk about “rote learning,” it still produces a visceral feeling in the pit of my stomach: A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y and Z: happy, happy family – now I know my ABCs. If there were any behavioral problems such as ADHD,4 for example, they were eradicated with the ADHD removal rod. It was a baton of medium length made from some exceptionally painful wood. It had a tendency to work wonders: even the most truculent could be cured after several visitations. Order, structure and respect for authority were the norms of the system. It had only one problem: it wasn’t working in high school. Students upon reaching sixteen years of age, the age of legal maturity, were quitting and going to work in the industrial sector. And everyone’s great dream, at least if you were a boy, could be achieved – you could buy a car. A car meant social status and its attendant reward – a girlfriend, whatever that was? To mitigate the effects of this stern educational system and “keep the kids in school,” it was determined that the entire educational structure needed some form of recalibration: the rules had to be rewritten.
I grew up in an industrial town. World War Two was in the not too distant past and the economy of North America was the raw-material supplier to the world: it was sizzling. To this end, the lumber unions had extracted a measure of economic peace and stability from the logging barons by the high wages that were paid to the average unskilled or semi-skilled worker. It was possible to be employed for a year or a year and a half and buy a house: a small one to be sure, but still a house. This, of course meant that “staying in school” had less and less allure as you got older and older. The system itself was experiencing something akin to academic schizophrenia. When I first went to school in Grade One, autocracy was “all the rage.” We were summoned into the classroom by an ominous bell: the kind that you imagine in your classic horror film. We moved to our desks and proceeded to stand at attention. The teacher arrived, “Good morning, Mrs. Smith,” we all intoned. Next we sang God Save the Queen3 and had our nails inspected. This was not some trifling, cursory inspection, but the full appraisal; including look, length and cleanliness. We then sat down to begin the lesson. Any mere infraction was dealt with swiftly and severely: corporal punishment was immediate and arbitrary, its severity only lessened or increased by the mood and temperament of the pedagogue. There were “no prisoners taken,” no burp or chirp or guffaw that seems to be easily emitted by a young voice was tolerated. A classroom was noted for its peace and tranquility, though repressing the emotions and fears of its pupils. When I talk about “rote learning,” it still produces a visceral feeling in the pit of my stomach: A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y and Z: happy, happy family – now I know my ABCs. If there were any behavioral problems such as ADHD,4 for example, they were eradicated with the ADHD removal rod. It was a baton of medium length made from some exceptionally painful wood. It had a tendency to work wonders: even the most truculent could be cured after several visitations. Order, structure and respect for authority were the norms of the system. It had only one problem: it wasn’t working in high school. Students upon reaching sixteen years of age, the age of legal maturity, were quitting and going to work in the industrial sector. And everyone’s great dream, at least if you were a boy, could be achieved – you could buy a car. A car meant social status and its attendant reward – a girlfriend, whatever that was? To mitigate the effects of this stern educational system and “keep the kids in school,” it was determined that the entire educational structure needed some form of recalibration: the rules had to be rewritten.
2. 何謂教育？
2. 何謂教育？
我教很多年輕的學生，大部分都是善良、誠實而且用功的青少年，他們的眼神中充滿了好奇心。他們的手中握有全部的世界--網際網路。有了網路，他們成了掌握擁有無限可能的上帝。然而，我講老實話，在這表象底下，他們內心充滿無趣。我該對他們說什麼，才能激發他們求知的好奇心呢？這種好奇心對我那個年代的「探尋者」而言是稀鬆平常的事。我並非是柏拉圖學派1的追隨者，會將人劃分成不同的社會階級，但我會區分那些只會接受現況的人和少數會反思的人。我發現你能實際幫助年輕人的少數一件事是，即便你已經上了年紀，你可以對他們很坦白的分享你的人生故事。年輕人對於說大話與言過其實的人幾乎沒有任何耐心，他們要的是赤裸裸的事實。他們會問：「過去那個年代」是什麼樣子呢？（很多人以為是侏羅紀時期2，還有小恐龍跑來跑去的年代。）
我教很多年輕的學生，大部分都是善良、誠實而且用功的青少年，他們的眼神中充滿了好奇心。他們的手中握有全部的世界--網際網路。有了網路，他們成了掌握擁有無限可能的上帝。然而，我講老實話，在這表象底下，他們內心充滿無趣。我該對他們說什麼，才能激發他們求知的好奇心呢？這種好奇心對我那個年代的「探尋者」而言是稀鬆平常的事。我並非是柏拉圖學派1的追隨者，會將人劃分成不同的社會階級，但我會區分那些只會接受現況的人和少數會反思的人。我發現你能實際幫助年輕人的少數一件事是，即便你已經上了年紀，你可以對他們很坦白的分享你的人生故事。年輕人對於說大話與言過其實的人幾乎沒有任何耐心，他們要的是赤裸裸的事實。他們會問：「過去那個年代」是什麼樣子呢？（很多人以為是侏羅紀時期2，還有小恐龍跑來跑去的年代。）
我在一個工業小鎮長大，離第二次世界大戰還不太遙遠，而北美洲是世界原物料的供應者，經濟發展十分火熱。伐木公司為了與工會維持和平與穩定的關係，支付高薪給普遍沒有專業技能或者是有一些專業技能的工人。一個工人很可能工作一年半載就有足夠的錢買房子，雖然只是小小一間，但至少仍是一間房子。而這也顯示出，「留在學校讀書」這件事隨著年紀的增長，變得愈來愈不具吸引力。而教育體系自身也正處於矛盾的狀態。當我初上一年級時，專制的氣氛「盛行。」召喚我們進教室的鐘聲給人不祥的預感，就如同你想像中經典恐怖電影裡頭的鐘聲。我們會到自己的桌子旁邊立正站好，當老師進教室時，我們齊聲喊：「早安，史密斯老師！」接著我們唱英國國歌《天佑女王》3，並且接受指甲檢查。這不是隨便草率的檢查，而是非常徹底的檢查，包含指甲外觀、長度和清潔。當這一切告一段落後，我們才能夠坐下來開始上課。任何小違規都會馬上受到嚴厲的處罰。老師體罰學生是立即而且沒有標準可循的，處罰的輕重程度完全看老師的心情和脾氣。老師對年輕人容易發出的聲音像是打嗝、交談或是哈哈大笑沒有絲毫的容忍度。教室是出了名的平和與寧靜，儘管這是因為學生們的情緒和恐懼受到壓抑。現在當我說到「死記硬背的學習」時，還會本能式的產生反胃的情形：「A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z，快樂、快樂的家庭，現在我學會了ABC。」若有任何行為問題，例如注意力不足過動症4，老師會祭出棍子來解決。這種棍子長度中等，它是用打起來特別痛的木頭所做的，效果奇佳無比，再難馴服的學生，在幾次的棍子伺候之後都能降伏。秩序、體制以及對權威的尊重是教育的準繩。不過這有一個問題：這套制度在高中並不適用。學生到16歲法定成人年齡時，他們紛紛離開學校，進入勞動市場工作。如果你是個男孩子的話，你可以買輛車，實現心中的偉大夢想。車子代表了社會地位以及伴隨而來的好處—女朋友，姑且先不論大家對於女朋友的定義為何。為了減緩這種嚴格的教育體制帶來的副作用，並且把孩子留在校園裡，當局決定整個教育體系需要某種形式的調整：規則必須重新訂立。
我在一個工業小鎮長大，離第二次世界大戰還不太遙遠，而北美洲是世界原物料的供應者，經濟發展十分火熱。伐木公司為了與工會維持和平與穩定的關係，支付高薪給普遍沒有專業技能或者是有一些專業技能的工人。一個工人很可能工作一年半載就有足夠的錢買房子，雖然只是小小一間，但至少仍是一間房子。而這也顯示出，「留在學校讀書」這件事隨著年紀的增長，變得愈來愈不具吸引力。而教育體系自身也正處於矛盾的狀態。當我初上一年級時，專制的氣氛「盛行。」召喚我們進教室的鐘聲給人不祥的預感，就如同你想像中經典恐怖電影裡頭的鐘聲。我們會到自己的桌子旁邊立正站好，當老師進教室時，我們齊聲喊：「早安，史密斯老師！」接著我們唱英國國歌《天佑女王》3，並且接受指甲檢查。這不是隨便草率的檢查，而是非常徹底的檢查，包含指甲外觀、長度和清潔。當這一切告一段落後，我們才能夠坐下來開始上課。任何小違規都會馬上受到嚴厲的處罰。老師體罰學生是立即而且沒有標準可循的，處罰的輕重程度完全看老師的心情和脾氣。老師對年輕人容易發出的聲音像是打嗝、交談或是哈哈大笑沒有絲毫的容忍度。教室是出了名的平和與寧靜，儘管這是因為學生們的情緒和恐懼受到壓抑。現在當我說到「死記硬背的學習」時，還會本能式的產生反胃的情形：「A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z，快樂、快樂的家庭，現在我學會了ABC。」若有任何行為問題，例如注意力不足過動症4，老師會祭出棍子來解決。這種棍子長度中等，它是用打起來特別痛的木頭所做的，效果奇佳無比，再難馴服的學生，在幾次的棍子伺候之後都能降伏。秩序、體制以及對權威的尊重是教育的準繩。不過這有一個問題：這套制度在高中並不適用。學生到16歲法定成人年齡時，他們紛紛離開學校，進入勞動市場工作。如果你是個男孩子的話，你可以買輛車，實現心中的偉大夢想。車子代表了社會地位以及伴隨而來的好處—女朋友，姑且先不論大家對於女朋友的定義為何。為了減緩這種嚴格的教育體制帶來的副作用，並且把孩子留在校園裡，當局決定整個教育體系需要某種形式的調整：規則必須重新訂立。
