Like many teachers, every year on the first day of school, I lead a sort of icebreaker activity with my students.

像很多老師一樣，每年在開學(xué)的第一天，我都會(huì)和我們的學(xué)生做些"破冰"活動(dòng)。

I teach at Lincoln High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, and we are one of the oldest and most diverse high schools in our state.

我在內(nèi)布拉斯加州林肯市的林肯高中教書，我們是整個(gè)州里最古老，最多元的學(xué)校。

Also, to our knowledge, we're the only high school in the world whose mascot is the Links.

而且，據(jù)我們所知，我們是世界上唯一一所把鏈環(huán)當(dāng)作吉祥物的學(xué)校。

Like, a chain.

就像是，鎖鏈。

And with that being our mascot, we have a statue out front of our building of four links connected like a chain.

正因?yàn)殒i鏈?zhǔn)俏覀兊募槲?，在我們的教學(xué)樓前有一座雕塑，由四條似鏈環(huán)的東西鏈接而成。

And each link means something.

每一個(gè)鏈環(huán)都有所寓意。

Our links stand for tradition, excellence, unity and diversity.

我們的鏈環(huán)代表了傳統(tǒng)、卓越，團(tuán)結(jié)和多樣性。

So on the first day of school, I teach my new ninth-graders about the meaning behind those links,

所以在開學(xué)的第一天，我會(huì)教九年級(jí)的新生關(guān)于這些鎖鏈背后的含義，

and I give them each a slip of paper.

然后，我給了他們每人一張紙。

On that paper, I ask them to write something about themselves.

在紙上，我讓他們寫下一些關(guān)于他們自己的事情，

It can be something that they love, something that they hope for -- anything that describes their identity.

可以是他們所愛的事情，他們所期望的事——任何能代表他們自己的事。

And then I go around the room with a stapler, and I staple each of those slips together to make a chain.

然后我拿著訂書機(jī)在教室四處走動(dòng)，我把他們的紙片訂在一起做成了一條鏈子。

And we hang that chain up in our classroom as a decoration, sure, but also as a reminder that we are all connected.

然后我們把它們都串起來掛在教室里做裝飾，同時(shí)，也提醒著我們彼此間的聯(lián)系。

We are all links.

我們都是鏈環(huán)。

So what happens when one of those links feels weak?

那么當(dāng)我們的其中一環(huán)變得脆弱時(shí)會(huì)怎么樣呢？

And what happens when that weakness is in the person holding the stapler?

而且若變脆弱的人正是手里拿著訂書機(jī)的那位又會(huì)怎樣？

The person who's supposed to make those connections.

那位本該去建立那些聯(lián)系的人。

The teacher.

我們的老師。

As teachers, we work every day to provide support socially,

作為老師，我們每日工作，在社交上、

emotionally and academically to our students who come to us with diverse and tough circumstances.

心理上和學(xué)習(xí)上為那些來自各種各樣的艱苦背景，并尋求我們幫助的學(xué)生們提供支持。

Like most teachers, I have students who go home every day,

跟大多數(shù)老師一樣，我的學(xué)生中也有那些每天回家，

and they sit around the kitchen table while one or both parents makes a healthy, well-rounded meal for them.

都能坐在餐桌上享用父母其中一位，或雙方一起準(zhǔn)備的健康、豐盛的食物。

They spend suppertime summarizing the story they read in ninth-grade English that day, or explaining how Newton's laws of motion work.

他們用晚餐時(shí)間總結(jié)在當(dāng)天九年級(jí)英文課里讀到的故事，或者解釋牛頓的萬有引力定律。

But I also have students who go to the homeless shelter or to the group home.

但是，我也有很多學(xué)生下課后要回到流浪者之家，或者回到教養(yǎng)院。

They go to the car that their family is sleeping in right now.

他們會(huì)回到一家人所住的車?yán)铩?/p>

They come to school with trauma, and when I go home every day, that goes home with me.

他們帶著創(chuàng)傷來到學(xué)校，當(dāng)我每天回家時(shí)，也帶著他們的創(chuàng)傷。

And see, that's the hard part about teaching.

看，這就是教學(xué)中最難的部分。

It's not the grading, the lesson-planning, the meetings,

這無關(guān)打分，備課，或者會(huì)議。

though sure, those things do occupy a great deal of teachers' time and energy.

當(dāng)然，這些事情占據(jù)了老師大量的時(shí)間和精力。

The tough part about teaching is all the things you can't control for your kids,

教書的艱難之處，是那些你無能為力的事。

all the things you can't change for them once they walk out your door.

是孩子們走出了你的這扇門，所有那些你無法為他們改變的事。

And so I wonder if it's always been this way.

所以，我在想是否一直以來都是如此。

I think back to my undergraduate training at the University of Georgia,

回想我在佐治亞大學(xué)接受本科教學(xué)方法的培訓(xùn)時(shí)，

where we were taught in our methods classes that the concept of good teaching has changed.

關(guān)于何為好的教育的概念已經(jīng)改變。

We're not developing learners who are going to go out into a workforce where they'll stand on a line in a factory.

我們不是在培養(yǎng)為了能要躋身工人行列，在工廠的流水線上工作的學(xué)習(xí)者。

Rather, we're sending our kids out into a workforce where they need to be able to communicate, collaborate and problem-solve.

相反，我們要把我們的孩子送進(jìn)一個(gè)工作環(huán)境，在那里他們能夠彼此交流、互相合作，并解決問題。

And that has caused teacher-student relationships to morph into something stronger than the giver of content and the receiver of knowledge.

這也使得師生關(guān)系變得比內(nèi)容的給予者和知識(shí)的接受者更穩(wěn)固。

Lectures and sitting in silent rows just doesn't cut it anymore.

僅僅只有講師在授課，學(xué)生在安靜聆聽是遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不夠的。

We have to be able to build relationships with and among our students to help them feel connected in a world that depends on it.

我們需要與學(xué)生建立某種關(guān)系，幫助他們?cè)谶@個(gè)依賴、彼此聯(lián)系的世界里感受到這種聯(lián)系。

I think back to my second year teaching.

回想我開始教學(xué)的第二年。

I had a student who I'll call "David."

我遇到了一位叫“大衛(wèi)”的學(xué)生。

And I remember feeling like I'd done a pretty good job at teaching that year:

我記得在那一年里，我覺得我的教學(xué)進(jìn)展非常順利：

"Hey, I ain't no first-year teacher.

“嘿，我不再是個(gè)新人老師。

I know what I'm doing."

我知道我在做什么?！?/p>

And it was on the last day of school, I told David to have a great summer.

那是學(xué)期的最后一天，我祝大衛(wèi)有一個(gè)愉快的暑假。

And I watched him walk down the hall, and I thought to myself, I don't even know what his voice sounds like.

我看著他走出大廳，我心里想，我甚至都沒聽過他的聲音。

And that's when I realized I wasn't doing it right.

那一刻我忽然覺得有什么事我做錯(cuò)了。

So I changed almost everything about my teaching.

所以我開始大刀闊斧地改變我的教學(xué)方法。

I built in plenty of opportunities for my students to talk to me and to talk to each other, to share their writing and to verbalize their learning.

我為學(xué)生創(chuàng)造了很多與我交談的機(jī)會(huì)，同時(shí)他們也與彼此交談，分享作品，用語言表達(dá)他們的學(xué)習(xí)過程。

And it was through those conversations I began not only to know their voice but to know their pain.

這樣的對(duì)話不僅使我聽到了他們的聲音，也了解到了他們的創(chuàng)傷。

I had David in class again that next year, and I learned that his father was undocumented and had been deported.

接下來的一年，大衛(wèi)又出現(xiàn)在了班上，我得知他的父親因?yàn)闆]有合法文件，已經(jīng)被驅(qū)逐出境。

He started acting out in school because all he wanted was for his family to be together again.

他在學(xué)校發(fā)泄他的不滿，但這不過是形式，因?yàn)樗胍氖羌胰四茉俅螆F(tuán)圓。

In so many ways, I felt his pain.

在很多方面，我都感受到了他的痛苦。

And I needed someone to listen, somebody to provide support for me so that I could support him in this thing that I could not even comprehend.

我也渴望有人來傾聽，有人能給予我一些支持，這樣我就可以在這件我都無法完全理解的事上去支持他。

And we recognize that need for police officers who've witnessed a gruesome crime scene and nurses who have lost a patient.

在那些目睹犯罪慘案現(xiàn)場(chǎng)的警察身上，那些眼睜睜看著病人離世的護(hù)士身上，我們看到了同樣的需求。

But when it comes to teaching professionals, that urgency is lagging.

但是到了教師崗位，其緊迫性還遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不夠。

I believe it's paramount that students and teachers, administrators,

我相信，讓學(xué)生和老師，行政管理人員、

paraprofessionals and all other support staff have convenient and affordable access to mental wellness supports.

輔助性專業(yè)人員，以及所有其他從事支持性工作的人得到便捷的、可負(fù)擔(dān)的心理健康支持尤其必要。

When we are constantly serving others, often between 25 and 125 students each day, our emotional piggy banks are constantly being drawn upon.

當(dāng)我們?cè)诓粩嗟貫樗朔?wù)，每天大概要管理25到125名學(xué)生時(shí)，我們自己的情感儲(chǔ)蓄也在不斷地消耗。

After a while, it can become so depleted, that we just can't bear it anymore.

過一段時(shí)間，它終會(huì)耗盡，我們或許再也受不了了。

They call it "secondary trauma" and "compassion fatigue," the concept that we absorb the traumas our students share with us each day.

人們把它稱之為“二次創(chuàng)傷”和“同情疲勞”，即每天在分擔(dān)學(xué)生的痛苦時(shí)，自己也受到了情感影響。

And after a while, our souls become weighed down by the heaviness of it all.

再過一些日子，我們的靈魂將不能承受生命之沉重。

The Buffett Institute at the University of Nebraska recently found that most teachers --

內(nèi)布拉斯加州大學(xué)巴菲特研究所在最新的研究中發(fā)現(xiàn)，大多數(shù)老師——

86 percent across early childhood settings -- experienced some depressive symptoms during the prior week.

孩童早期教育行業(yè)中86%的老師——在早期都表現(xiàn)出不同程度的抑郁癥狀。

They found that approximately one in 10 reported clinically significant depressive symptoms.

他們發(fā)現(xiàn)大約十位里面就有一位報(bào)告稱有臨床抑郁癥狀。

My interactions with colleagues and my own experiences make me feel like this is a universal struggle across all grade levels.

我和同事們的交流以及我自身的經(jīng)歷讓我覺得這是一個(gè)跨越所有年級(jí)的普遍斗爭。

So what are we missing?

那我們?nèi)鄙倭耸裁矗?/p>

What are we allowing to break the chain and how do we repair it?

我們?cè)撊绾未蚱七@樣的鎖鏈，又該如何修復(fù)它？

In my career, I've experienced the death by suicide of two students and one amazing teacher who loved his kids.

在我的職業(yè)生涯，我經(jīng)歷過兩位學(xué)生的自殺，以及一位了不起的老師的自殺，他很愛他的孩子們。

Countless students experiencing homelessness, and kids entering and exiting the justice system.

無數(shù)的學(xué)生經(jīng)受著無家可歸的折磨，還有那些進(jìn)出司法部門的孩子們。

When these events happen, protocol is to say, "If you need someone to talk to, then ..."

當(dāng)這些事情發(fā)生時(shí)，我們總是禮貌性的說，“如果你需要和某人談?wù)劊敲础?/p>

And I say that's not enough.

我認(rèn)為這遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不夠。

I am so lucky.

我太幸運(yùn)了。

I work in an amazing school with great leadership.

我在一所有著出色領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力的優(yōu)秀學(xué)校中工作。

I serve a large district with so many healthy partnerships with community agencies.

我服務(wù)于一個(gè)很大的轄區(qū)，與社區(qū)機(jī)構(gòu)有很多健康的合作關(guān)系。

They have provided steadily increasing numbers of school counselors and therapists and support staff to help our students.

他們?yōu)閷W(xué)生們提供了越來越多的學(xué)校輔導(dǎo)員、治療師和輔助人員。

They even provide staff members with access to free counseling as part of our employment plan.

他們甚至為教職工提供了免費(fèi)咨詢服務(wù)，作為我們就業(yè)合約的一部分。

But many small districts and even some large ones simply cannot foot the bill without aid.

但是還有很多小的地區(qū)，甚至是一些較大的地區(qū)，如果沒有得到援助，就根本無法負(fù)擔(dān)這些服務(wù)。

Not only does every school need social and emotional support staff, trained professionals who can navigate the needs of the building --

不僅是每一個(gè)學(xué)校需要社會(huì)和心理支持職工，訓(xùn)練有素的專業(yè)人員，能夠滿足教學(xué)的需要——

not just the students, not just the teachers, but both --

不僅是學(xué)生或者老師需要，而是兩者都需要——

we also need these trained professionals to intentionally seek out those closest to the trauma and check in with them.

我們需要這些訓(xùn)練有素的專業(yè)人員去發(fā)現(xiàn)那些最接近創(chuàng)傷的人們，并與他們會(huì)診。

Many schools are doing what they can to fill in the gaps, starting with acknowledging that the work that we do is downright hard.

很多學(xué)校正盡其所能來填補(bǔ)空缺，首先，要承認(rèn)我們所做的工作是非常艱苦的。

Another school in Lincoln, Schoo Middle School, has what they call "Wellness Wednesdays."

林肯的另一所學(xué)校，斯克中學(xué)，有一項(xiàng)他們稱之為“健康星期三”的活動(dòng)。

They invite in community yoga teachers,

他們邀請(qǐng)社區(qū)瑜伽老師，

they sponsor walks around the neighborhood during lunch and organize social events that are all meant to bring people together.

他們也邀請(qǐng)大家在午餐時(shí)去周圍散心，和組織社交活動(dòng)，為了把所有人連結(jié)在一起。

Zachary Elementary School in Zachary, Louisiana, has something they call a "Midweek Meetup,"

路易斯安那州扎卡里的扎卡里小學(xué)，則有“周中會(huì)議”活動(dòng)，

where they invite teachers to share lunch and to talk about the things that are going well and the things that are weighing heavy on their hearts.

他們邀請(qǐng)老師共進(jìn)午餐，談?wù)撍羞M(jìn)展順利的事情，以及讓他們倍感壓力的事情。

These schools are making space for conversations that matter.

這些學(xué)校為有價(jià)值的交流提供了空間。

Finally, my friend and colleague Jen Highstreet takes five minutes out of each day to write an encouraging note to a colleague,

最后，我的朋友和同事珍·海爾斯崔特，每天都會(huì)花五分鐘給同事們留下鼓舞人心的便條，

letting them know that she sees their hard work and the heart that they share with others.

告訴我們她看到了他們的付出，以及他們與人分享的真心。

She knows that those five minutes can have an invaluable and powerful ripple effect across our school.

她明白這五分鐘可以在整個(gè)學(xué)校產(chǎn)生無價(jià)的、強(qiáng)大的漣漪效應(yīng)。

The chain that hangs in my classroom is more than just a decoration.

掛在我們教室里的鏈條遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不只是裝飾品。

Those links hang over our heads for the entire four years that our students walk our halls.

在學(xué)生們走過的整個(gè)四年里，這些鏈條一直懸掛在上空。

And every year, I have seniors come back to my classroom, room 340, and they can still point out where their link hangs.

而每年，都會(huì)有高年級(jí)學(xué)生回到我所在的340班，指著掛著他們自己鏈條的地方。

They remember what they wrote on it.

他們記得自己在上面寫下的內(nèi)容。

They feel connected and supported.

他們感受到了彼此的聯(lián)系和支持。

And they have hope.

他們有希望。

Isn't that what we all need?

這不就是我們所需要的嗎？

Somebody to reach out and make sure that we're OK.

有人能來問問我們是否都好。

To check in with us and remind us that we are a link.

來關(guān)心我們，并提醒我們都是鏈條中的一環(huán)。

Every now and then, we all just need a little help holding the stapler.

時(shí)不時(shí)，我們都需要一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)幫助來握住那個(gè)訂書機(jī)。