A Driver’s Education銘心一課

蘇珊·吉爾伯特·格蘭特　賈慶文/譯

I was late for my teaching assignment when a dicey shortcut presented itself.

我去學校教課要遲到了，這時出現了一條冒險的近路。

I have witnessed some 3，000 passages through puberty. Having been a middle school teacher for 25 years， its safe to say Im no stranger to voices that crack and the wonders of orthodontia.

我已經見證了大約3000個學生度過他們的青春期。當了25年中學教師，我可以肯定地說，我對變聲期的破嗓和畸齒矯正術創造的奇跡并不陌生。

I like to think that Ive instilled a love of knowledge in my students. I like to think that Ive taught them the importance of good citizenship， to play by the rules. But regardless of what I like to think， it seems the cliché is true： My students teach me. Most of the time I embrace my role as pupil; I believe that Henry Ford was right when he said “Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”

我常常認為自己向學生灌輸了對知識的熱愛。我也常常認為自己教會了他們成為好公民的重要性，教會了他們要遵守規則。但不管我是怎么想的，那句陳詞濫調的“教學相長”似乎正確無誤。大部分時間里，我會欣然接受自己作為學生的角色。亨利·福特曾說：“任何一個不斷學習的人都會永葆青春。”我相信他說得對。

Not too long ago I took a big step toward retaining said youth. My adventure began one morning when I was running so late that by the time I reached the last intersection before my school， traffic was at a standstill. What was really exasperating was that I could see the school. Had I been able to climb out of my car and hoof it， I might have arrived on time.

不久前，我朝著所謂的“永葆青春”邁出了一大步。我的冒險始于某天早上，當時我要遲到了，等我到達學校前面的最后一個十字路口，交通陷入了停滯。令人十分惱火的是學校就在我眼前。如果我能爬出車，然后步行過去，我可能會準時到校。

Up ahead， the turn lane into the schools parking lot was empty. If I could just veer to the right， the only thing between me and the turn lane was a long stretch of field. I appraised it with a calculating eye. It was rutted and rocky， and the grass was quite tall in places.

通往學校停車場的轉彎車道就在前面，而且道上沒車。如果我能向右并線，我和轉彎車道之間就只隔著一片田野。我細心地打量這片田野，上面有車轍，到處是石塊，有的地方還長著高高的草。

But as I sat in my motionless vehicle and saw all those red brake lights winking at me， I heard that field call to me. And its siren song bade me to embark on a little off-road expedition. I paused to ponder if there was a law against doing this type of thing， but the ticktock of the dashboard clock precluded sensible reasoning.

就在我坐在一動不動的車上，看著前面所有車的紅色剎車燈向我眨眼時，我聽到那片田野向我發出了召喚。那美妙的誘惑之聲驅使我開始一場小小的越野探險。我猶豫片刻，思考了一下有沒有哪條法規禁止我做這樣的事，但儀表盤時鐘的滴答聲不容我作出理性判斷。

I nosed the car out of the line of traffic and headed for the freedom of that open land. The car dipped and bounced. The tall grass made a swooshing sound against its sides. I heard mysterious thuds from underneath. But those sounds were drowned out by the wail of a siren behind me.

我小心翼翼地把車從汽車長龍中開出來，接著便駛向那片開闊的自由之地。我的車上下顛簸。高高的草劃過車兩側，嗖嗖作響。我聽到車下面傳來莫名其妙的砰砰聲。但那些聲音被我身后長鳴的警報聲淹沒了。

Evidently there was a law. And evidently I had broken it. It appeared that I was now going to receive a ticket in the presence of countless parents and students who were also stuck in traffic and would welcome some drive-time entertainment.

顯然，有那樣一條法規。顯然，我違反了那條法規。我似乎將要當著無數家長和學生的面收到一張罰單。他們也堵在路上，而且樂意在堵車時找點樂子。

I stopped. The officer came up to my open window， and I handed him my license without even looking at him. He glanced at it， then asked， “So， were you trying to help the highway department with the grass trimming there， maam？ Whats going on？”

我停下車。警察走到我開著的車窗前，我心虛得沒敢看他就把駕照遞給了他。他瞥了一眼，然后問道：“哦，你是想幫公路管理處修剪這里的草嗎，女士？發生什么事了？”

Id read that troopers dont like excuses， but wasnt he asking me for one？ I started babbling. “Well， I overslept， and...”—here my voice took on a plaintive， whiny tone， the very quality I advise my students to eschew—“I just wanted to get to school. I have to...”

我知道警察不喜歡借口，但他不是在問我話嗎？我開始語無倫次。“哦，我睡過頭了，而且……”——此時我的聲音帶著一種哀怨、嗚咽的口吻，這正是我建議學生們要避免的那種腔調——“我只是想趕到學校。我必須……”

“So youre a teacher？” he interrupted.

“你是老師？”他打斷了我。

“Yes， and I need... ”

“是的，我需要……”

“Youre a good teacher， and you help your students？”

“你是個好老師，你想去幫助學生？”

“Well， I try... and... oh... I just needed to be on time.”

“嗯，我盡力……還有……哦……我只是需要準時到校。”

“Because youre a good teacher，” the officer offered.

“因為你是個好老師。”警察說。

Well， this was devilish. To agree would seem immodest， but one doesnt wish to disagree with uniformed in-dividuals holding summons pads.

嗯，這太刁鉆了。認可他說的話似乎顯得我自吹自擂，但誰也不希望同穿著制服、拿著罰單簿的人產生分歧。

So instead I repeated， “I just wanted to be on time.”

所以我重復了一遍：“我只是想準時。”

And he repeated， “Because youre a good teacher.”

他也重復道：“因為你是個好老師。”

OK， what was going on？

好吧，他想怎樣？

A car drove by， and I recognized one of my eighth-graders gleefully waving at me， mouthing my name， pointing me out to his mother. As she drove by， her mouth in a prim bow， I heard the police officer say it again： “You wanted to be on time because youre a good teacher.”

一輛車開了過來，我認出我的一個八年級學生正興高采烈地向我揮手，嘴里念著我的名字，向他媽媽指了指我。他媽媽開車經過時撇著嘴，這時我聽到警察再次說：“你想準時，因為你是個好老師。”

At that point he paused before adding， “You were when I had you.”

說完，他停頓了一下，然后補充道：“你當年教我的時候就是個好老師。”

And then I did look at him. I read the name badge on his chest. A former seventh-grade student of mine. All grown up. Keeping people safe. Trying to keep me safe from myself.

這時我才好好看了看他。我看到了他胸口的名牌。他上七年級的時候，我教過他。如今他已經是個大人了。他在保護人們的安全，也在努力阻止我自己害自己。

He gave me a warning—not too dissimilar from ones Id given him years ago—and sent me on my way. And at last I arrived at my classroom， already schooled once that morning and wondering what I would learn next.

他給了我一個警告——和數年前我給他的警告沒什么不同——然后讓我走了。最后，我終于到達教室，那時的我已經在早上上過一節課了，我在想自己接下來會學到什么。

（譯者單位：山東省泰安第二中學）