2010年3月13日星期六

无名火

昨天傍晚,跟堂妹闲聊。
无意间,她跟我透露,她的补习老师,Mr T有意无意暗示他们不要选考明年SPM的华文卷子。
我的无名火顿然升起来,我对该老师的言论作出了抨击。
我不知道间中的讯息是否传达有误,使我误会了,还是怎样的。
我问她理由是什么。
她接着说,这几年的SPM华文考生没有人拿到A+,这会破坏了他们的目标,既是全科特优。接着,就会影响他们无法拿到奖学金,这些都是当权者欲让我们华裔生放弃学华文的行为。
我不知道,是现在的华文试卷难度太高,还是学生的素质有待改善。

1999年,我们的SPM华文成绩还是有人得到特优的,我自己也是其中一个,至于当时大家的成绩是如何,我并没有太仔细的记忆。
我要表达的是华文试卷是可以得到好成绩,也是我们必须去考的一门科目。为什么要放弃?
为什么大家忙着补习理科、国语、英语,设定目标要拿A+,对于华文却有不一样的眼光呢?
是之前的阴影所致,是你们对教育的不理解吗?
会读书就是考到全科特优A+,考到A,就不算好吗?
在国外,孩子们可以考到及格60分,还是一样开心的学习,反观我们今天的孩子埋头苦读,把补习老师当神拜,把他们说的话当做世纪预言,自己的审判力去了哪里?
你们要随波逐流到几时?我无法否认这些孩子勤劳学习的努力,也无法完全否认补习对他们学业成绩的影响。
可是,身为一个教育者,把学习成绩、破纪录摆在第一位,鼓励孩子们为了这些现实利益放弃华文就是一种可耻的行为。

几年之后,谁还会一直把成绩挂在嘴边。我亲爱的老师们,在学习过程中,让孩子们学习付出、努力,对他们的将来人生态度带来了磨练,教导他们以毅力去克服一切难题,这些不是更值得看重吗?
我不是一个了不起、有权威的教育家,只是很看不惯我们今天的教育究竟怎样了。
学生们除了看课本、参考书,还喜欢看金庸、张曼娟、刘墉、三毛的书,看散文、诗吗? (不看一些课外书,学生的文笔会好吗?)
除了补习,他们还去操场踢球,到篮球场流一身热汗吗?这些你们都还看重吗?
孩子们一直这样补习,到了大学还有人为他们补习不成?
之前去学校做我的论文调研时,听到成绩比较差的孩子投诉说,某某补习老师说,学生不去他那里补习就不会拿到好成绩。他们听了,很不爽。
今天,大家眼中除了优秀生,A+,似乎就目空一切,那些成绩落后的学生,我们投下了多少关注的眼光、期盼。
我确信每个人都是有潜能的、各有所长的,每个人多给一份鼓励、赏识,有谁会是不能的呢?

在心理学里,有一种叫做“期盼效应”的说法。
有个著名的教育家,有一次来到一间学校参观。全校的师生都高兴得不得了。
一个班主任就要求教育家以他的经验,在他的班挑出有潜能的孩子。
结果他在40个人中挑出了20个人。
第二年,教育家受到一封信,是老师给他的道谢信,说他有慧眼。当初他所挑出的那20个孩子如今表现确实比其他20个特出许多。
教育家回复说:那时,我只是随便挑的。
我告诉堂妹这个故事,她问我,为什么不要全部都挑。
她也知道每个人原本就是相同的、有潜能的。
这20个被挑出来的孩子,不管是他们的老师、家长或自己都感到可以被著名教育家相中,心理必定充满荣幸感、期盼、欣赏。有了这种感受和期盼,学生自然努力学习,成绩自然好。

马斯洛提出的“高峰体验”,就有点类似的说法。
高峰体验与最佳状态显然有非常密切的关系,在很大程度上,高峰体验就是最佳状态本身。他认为,高峰体验是一种强烈的同一性体验。
简单的说明处于高峰体验中的人通常感到正处于自身力量的顶峰,正在最佳地、最充分地发挥自己的潜能。他感到自己比其他任何时候更加聪明、更加敏锐、更加机智、更加强健、更加有风度。他处于自身的最佳状态,一种如矢在弦、跃跃欲试的状态,一种最高的竞技状态。他不再浪费力量自己与自己搏斗,不再压抑自己,……"在一般情况下,我们只有部分能量用于行动,部分用于抑制这些能量的发挥,而现在不再有浪费,全部能量都用于行动。此时,他犹如一条一泻千里直奔大海的河流。"

过去的教育,我们是崇尚让孩子们体验努力,努力,再努力,那么你就可以得到成功,在赏识教育的说法是我们让孩子体验小成功,赏识和鼓励他们,他们就会更努力,接着就可以获得更大的成功。前者是先苦后甜,后者是前甜后也甜。

我似乎说多了,原本的无名火是因为华文选考的问题而来。
我真的真的很希望教育者、父母可以以全面性的眼光看教育,而不是现实、利益至上,要培养他们一生的学习。我们不是要制造复印文凭的机器人,我们要培育全体性健康发展的人。
唉,我没力讲了。

10 条评论:

haan 说...

Mr T 是谁,答案呼之欲出。

老实说,到现在我都还对我们中小学那几个所谓“恩师”没有好感,另外一个就是死命再说,好的学生要念本地大学,去外国大学读书时没有用的。这些话我永远记在心里。对他们永远有一种厌恶。

十年过后,你问自己,你赞同当时他们要向我们洗脑的一套吗?我庆幸我当年就懂得“出淤泥而不染”。真心话。

luvprada 说...

I am here to affirm Mr.T's remark on not picking SPM 华文卷子. I did actually hear it before in person.

However, I actually agree with Mr. T to some extent. Firstly, dropping Chinese paper does not mean you are going to abandon your mother language. There is an obvious sabotage on not letting Chinese paper candidates to score what they actually deserve throughout recent years.

A test is a test, it is just a temporarily evaluation on what you have achieved at a point of time. What if one sit for the test, obtain excellent result, and then totally ignore it in the later years? Whereas one takes the decision skipping that paper, but continue to develop his/her passion in his/her life.

The chain reaction being on such act, could be more and more Chinese decide not to sit for this paper hoping to secure their scholarship to further study, which then lead Chinese paper becoming a insignificant elective paper. Of course, this is something that I would not like to see.

Come to the fact that, unfortunately you are living in a Malay-dominant country, where the minority is manipulated by the majority. You know there is a trap, unless you are willing to take the risk.

I would say, my passion in Chinese language is not less than anyone else and so does Mr. T.

But in such circumstance, you should be the one to judge. Mr.T merely does his job in the aim of optimising your chance in fighting with the Malay for future study opportunity.

Shay 说...

Hi I am Yoke Kuan Alumni.

I have to say under a social
circumstance like this you cannot just blame a sole individual on one issue. However, I understand your concern as a person who voice out the opinion because your love of our language.

You have to accept it's a social problem -- where the we as the non dominant ethnicity, are insecure about our future. Hence, the struggle for better results, and better prospects in lives. Unless there is a change of national policy which boost our confidence in our standing in the country, giving up Mandarin subject for a better "overall result" will persist as a social symptom.

I have to agree over the years the quality of Mandarin has declined. But how much bad is it? What do we use as a yardstick to measure? All these are subjective.

Language, in part, is a race identity. Abandoning it nevertheless sparks the fear of losing your own identity. However, there is also another thing we need to consider. If we lose our standing, where are we -- to stand up for ourselves and maintain our identity. Our standing would ultimately rely on politician who is willing to voice out for the race.

Siaoli 说...

谢谢大家的意见,我看了,想了很久,不知道可以再怎么回答。对于从幼稚园到大学的老师,我只能说每一位都是我的恩师,才有今天健康的我。不是针对个人写下我的感受。

或许大家都站在不同的角度看事情。Shay真的是以一个15岁的学生给我的意见吗?我很佩服之。15岁的我应该无法理解这类的问题,更覅说提出像你这样有个人见解的意见。

无可否认,今天的局面和社会现象,左右了我们的决定。看见了社会现象,我们会去想自己将来如何在改善的工作上尽一点力,还是抱着不平的心态,找到机会离开,然后过自己的生活。那样的话,个人放弃不放弃华文试卷,拿到怎样的成绩,拿不拿到奖学金,对这些现象都什么意义呢?

Steve 说...

Actually the whole problem is caused by the racist policy of the UMNO-led government. You might argue that not taking the subject in the exam doesn't mean you don't like the language. But if everyone acts so, the UMNO polticians will have the figure(statstics) as an excuse to scrap the subject. Who knows your future kid would not have the opportunity to learn Chinese language anymore? Anyway, this is just my personal opinion, whether to take the subject or not is one's own decision. Though I would encourage everyone to use thier votes wisely in the next election.

Siaoli 说...

Ann Lee & Steve: thank you undestand what i consider and worry about chain reaction (by Ann Lee) and the statistics excuse(by Steve).
Continue to do our best.

YEN 说...

我也是起了无名火!是的,你问100个人,可能99个人会说陈老师当年如何如何器重我,到后来我如何如何忘恩负义(不想再和他有联络就变成忘恩负义,虽然我的确感激他的器重)。但是他真的越来越有问题。

我读完中三离开育群,转校来吉隆坡。我中四和中五读的那间中学时间表是没有华文课的,当时有个马大中文系毕业的老师,把我们这些要选考SPM中文的学生聚在了一起,然后选在星期五(回教徒要祈祷所以早放学)趁下午班还没用课室的时候就赶紧上了两个小时多的华文课。我们没有像育群那样安排美美的时间来上华文课,但是,有些东西,在逆境中也必须坚持。我的SPM华文,A1。

没有拿全科特优又怎样?我的SPM也是没有全部A1,而且物理和化学考得烂。又怎样?

当然,如果你考全科特优我会替你高兴,但是如果你只是一个很会考试的机器人学生而不会思考,我会替你难过。

思考!思考!像小立所说,不要随波逐流。

去年我在英国大使馆面试Chevening奖学金,他们shortlist我的时候,是连我的SPM、STPM和大学成绩也没问的(只有问什么学位和总分数)。他们问的,是国内外政治、媒体自由、英国和大马的双边关系、媒体在纳吉的政府之下会是什么局面,等等。这些东西,你不需要考全科特优才能表达你的想法。

马来西亚的政府是很够力烂,但是外国有很多政府/大学也有给奖学金。你的国家不要你这个人才,那就拿外国的奖学金啦!说到考中文,我是绝对反对为了拿全部特优而放弃考这科的。

陈老师的出发点可能是为了学生好,希望他们能够拿到奖学金,但是他在变相支持政府的阴谋(如果真的是一个阴谋)。当越来越多人不再考中文,就如上面Steve所说,可能政府就这样废除这科了。

唉,我也没力讲了。这个国家未来的命运,真的是要靠大家的选票去改变。

choi har 说...

我看到你的無力感,我也跟你一樣,極度害怕站在第一綫的老師,就這樣地把有偏差的價值觀(我覺得不應該用錯誤,因爲每個人看事情的角度不同,雖然我主觀地認爲那是錯誤)傳達給學生。

關於考不考中文,很多人都會說不考不代表不愛,但身為馬來西亞的華人,我們跟中國、台灣不同的是,我們的愛裏必須包括捍衛,因爲我們的權益,往往很輕易地就被剝奪了。

中文不容易拿A1,考中文很容易影響整體成績,進而影響拿獎學金的機會。我不知道有沒有人真正去算過在SPM考佳績的華裔生佔多少比例,獲得JPA獎學金的華裔生又佔多少比例,若有算過,應該不難發現,華裔生要獲得獎學金,成績固然重要,運氣也一樣重要。我當然希望我們的孩子都是被幸運神眷顧的,但很遺憾的,我們的運氣是被施捨的。

把眼光放遠一點、放寬一點,就會發現,考不考中文不只關乎拿不拿得到獎學金,更關係到中文教育存亡的問題。而我們竟然在乎被施捨的運氣,更甚於我們目前仍被憲法保護的權益。有一天我們尊貴的領袖會跟我們說,我們沒有不讓你們學中文,是你們自己不要學。

成績、獎學金很重要,但生命中還有更重要的,不是嗎?我們的制度已經讓我們覺得很悲哀,站在第一綫的老師,不要再加劇我們的悲哀了。

Huy Ming 说...

Hi there. I am Yoke Kuan alumni too. Both my brother and I got 10 A1s and 1 A2 in SPM, and we never went for tuition under Mr T or any other tuition teacher. Tuition is not the only way to excel.

If you wonder, the only A2 I got was for Chinese paper. I regretted so much, not because my result was imperfect, having been stained with the A2 for Chinese, but that I did not do my best for Chinese paper.

I stand against not taking Chinese paper:

1. Whether you get full A1s or not does not actually affect your chance of getting scholarship. I know so many JPA scholars who did not score straight A1s. Many of them scored A2 in Chinese paper.

2. We all know that the "I don't want to take Chinese paper because I might risk not getting straight A+" phenomenon will eventually lead to Chinese being taken out from the classroom. Our predecessors shed blood and went to jail to have Chinese taught in class and now we gonna abandon it just like that? When prison did not stop our predecessors, are we gonna let A2 (now A) stop us? We all know clearly that if we ever lose it now it would be kinda impossible to get it back.

3. If it indeed is a conspiracy of government to stop us from taking Chinese paper, then the best way to counter it is to have more people taking it. We all know that the government has to keep the number of people who get A+ at a certain proportion. The more the students who take the subject, the bigger the number of people who will get A+. Let's say every Chinese students who can speak and write Chinese took the paper last year and made the number of students tenfold, the government could not have given A+ to the same mere number of students, or else the statistics will show 0.01% instead of 0.1% or 0.001% instead of 0.01%, which of course would not help the Barisan Nasional government in the next election.

Last but not least, one question students nowadays should reflect on before they choose not to take Chinese paper is: Have I ever put in as much time and effort as other subjects when it comes to Chinese paper?

Siaoli 说...

thanks for your all precious opinions. i hope that the purpose we discuss here not to make anyone to keep angry or beh song to any other. we just continue to pray for our country, we continue to do our best in our area, and believe that someday everything will become better and better. we all play a role to creat a better environment for next generation.
thanks again.