(1) 週末又來山上滑雪,本週末的天氣實在太好了,尤其是週六,雪質鬆軟, perfect powder snow condition, 天空藍的發亮,許多人穿著短袖在大太陽下滑雪,在山上的夜晚,我們一起讀著從圖書館借回的兩本有關 rain forest 的書,現在每週去圖書館時我們總是借許多 non-fiction books. 他最近喜歡一次借許多同一主題的書.閱讀的胃口廣及佳.
滑雪板一整天的小男孩雙頰紅撲撲的,他的大小腿上全是硬梆梆的肌肉,上半身的胸腔骨骼近來愈長愈寬厚,呈現很健康的體態.他的體力極佳,總是精神奕奕.即使滑雪完畢仍有許多體力與媽媽吵架.我已經摸索出更多與他交談的秘訣. no nagging, be brief, 當我不小心用對小小孩講話的方式講話,他總會發現,然後"做適當的反應"讓我也發現. (希望讀者帶點幽默的心情看這一小段)
(2) 小男孩最近的問題是 being a chatter box at school, 他總是有說不完的話,不管在家裡還是學校.這世道果真是報應不爽,他媽媽小時候就是以愛講話"聞名"的.我跟老師談過這個問題,老師說, "He is becoming very social and that's great. He has been quite chatty lately, and mostly it's okay, very normal in first grade. We do not expect little children to be perfect, or even quiet! He is on a developmental learning curve. Discerning when to be quiet and when it is OK to talk is part of the learning process. You can be a big help by reassuring him that he is adored by his teachers and classmates."
我的要求不多,不管是 early days potty training or ABC and 123 learning, 我堅信時間到了事半功倍的道理.我們一直保持適當的 rules, rules 這種東西是兩面刃.從小生長環境裡有太多規則的孩子容易對新事物懼怕,但是沒有規則和固定作息的孩子長不好. Bennett happens to be very bright, always cheerful, and does very well in school. 面對這樣一個聰明,精力旺盛,又喜愛學習的孩子,我希望他懂得放鬆與休息.
(3) 今年的 big plan, 補足學校歷史的不足,我們在家裡開始共讀世界史和美國史.歷史是個很有趣的主題,也是我以前很喜歡的東西.你若要敎小孩學習的熱情,首先自己得先充滿熱情才行.我們時常講數學和科學,最近也講美國現今經濟狀況, bail-out, housing ATM, Dow Jones stumble, you name it. (Perhaps I have some credit to his enthusiasm for learning.) 上週一年級的班上在學地圖和 compass rose, 有個媽媽到班上示範使用 google earth 給孩子們看.他們不但找了矽谷的幾個地標,也找了 Mt. Hamilton Observatory, the La Brea Tar Pits, and the Grand Canyon. 不同於許多灣區的私立學校,我們的學校十分小,一個年級只有一個班級,但是從電腦課每人一台 macbook, 每天的西班牙語課,和豐富的畫畫,音樂和表演課程種種來看,這家學校約為大部分私立學校一倍半的學費十分值得.當初我們希望能遇上一群教育觀相近的父母,現在看來這群父母實在太棒了! 之前有家長到班上講解簡易電路板,有家長完整介紹猶太人的傳統,有家長講 calling names 預防 bully, 有家長把家裡院子發現的螳螂蛹捐給班上,有家長捐贈一大截 tree trunk 讓孩子們看年輪,我也去做了中國新年的介紹和 Chinese 101.
(4) 這兩天在山上,把 Rafe Esquith 的第一本書 There Are No Shortcuts 看完了. Unlike his second book Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire, 這本書詳細的記錄了他早期教書生涯裡的 pitfalls, 有幾段我很喜歡,節錄於下.
"We had spent so much time together that I thought this gave me the right to tell them all that was right or wrong with the world. It's easy to fall into that trap; as adults, we often see things children do not. The hard part is to let go and allow the child take what you have taught and go off on his own journey."
"Our children today not only have forgotten how to pursue life, liberty, and happiness, but unfortuntately have replaced the word "pursue" with "entitled". It's our duty as teachers and parents to let our children understand that movies and dances are terrific, but they aren't rights guaranteed by the Constitution. They are pri ileges and should be earned. It's not a discussion. It's the way things are, and the sooner our children understand this, the more successful they will be in life."
"When youngsters can perform Shakespeare and solve algebra problems, it's easy to forget they're still children. Good teachers make sure the kids have time to play baseball, listen to their favorite pop star, and just look at the clouds and relax."
"It seems Joann forgot to mention that she was one of the top child swimmers in California. Her father asked me if I wanted to attend one of her meets, and I went the following weekend. I saw Joann swim two races. In the first, she won easily. In the second, she came in a distant second behind a young lady who would one day make the United States Olympic Team. The most interesting part of the experience was the end of both races. Both times, Joann's father was at the finish line to meet her . Both times, he helped her out of the pool, put a towel on her, and said quietly, "Good job, Jo-Jo." There was no difference in his voice responding to her victory and her loss. There was no pressure on this girl to win anything. There was only pressure to do her best, and her father's kind nature told me mountains about Joann had learned humility, sportsmanship, and compassion."
