我們學校炸鍋了
1
通常，教室意味著老師重複的說教，看不完的教科書，做不完的考卷，或學生機械朗讀課文的嘰嘰喳喳。
美國學校的教室，情況大相徑庭。老師的說教瞬間可能會被師生之間的唇槍舌劍所代替。
而學校走廊呢 - 你最可能會看到學生眉飛色舞八卦的場景。如果有眼福，你還能目睹一場小型的打架。但不管怎樣，都是一樁小事，沒啥稀奇的。
而在美國，學校走廊可能會成為學生示威運動的場所，也是對學校甚至社會秩序抗爭的發源地 （沒錯，我對此有親身經歷）。
美國教育強調培養學生的創造性與獨立思考能力，並鼓勵學生表達自己的見解。
而這些教育信條把學生推向了社會風雲變幻的風口浪尖，同時學校也反映了矛盾的美國政治圖景。
於是，我們的教室成了啟蒙時代的政治文化沙龍，而我也不知不覺的成為沙龍中的忠實會員。
圖片：啟蒙時代的文化沙龍
2
一天，在歷史課上，老師正在講美國西進運動之類的事。我記得我前一天缺了課，所以老師講的啥我聽的是雲山霧罩。即便如此，我還是努力裝出一副心領神會的模樣，裝腔作勢的頻頻點頭。
但老師突然進入互動階段。當同學們積極踴躍發言，就西進運動與其對美國文化影響的主題說得頭頭是道時，我也不甘落後。儘管跟不上節奏，我仍然勇敢地舉手，裝模做樣地清了清嗓子，用佶屈聱牙的詞藻（而不是特朗普式的小學生辭彙），磕磕巴巴地吐出了一句關於特朗普與美國文化的評論。
聽到了特朗普的名字，同學們跟打了雞血一樣，愈加踴躍地闡述自己的觀點。於是教室里炸鍋了。
瞬間，我們個個國家政要附體，運籌帷幄，皺緊眉頭，一副先天下之憂而憂的表情，充滿了心繫天下的使命感。唉，可笑吧？乳臭未乾的小屁孩，也敢妄談國家大事。
經過一番觀察，我發現美國教育確實在鼓勵我們思考國家大事。每年，我們都會就全球最棘手的社會問題做「研究」，並提出我們自己的「解決方案」。幾個星期之後，我們身著正裝，在課堂上發表自己關於公共衛生、販賣人口、貧窮落後、環境污染、以及恐怖襲擊等世界難題的「真知灼見」。
圖片：我們為世界大事研究項目做的PPT
在我看來，美國式教育的目的不是培養學霸，而是培養未來社會懂得包容的締造者與先驅。但對於許多人來說，這種教育可能會摧毀我們對傳統學校概念的理解。
3
「你們是一群大鯊魚，聞到血腥時就會發動攻擊，從而反駁老師。」
這是我們歷史老師一天不由自主的感慨。的確，一些美國學生蠻喜歡跟老師對著干，而批判老師錯誤的習慣恰恰源於這裡的教育模式。對獨立思考，探討世界大事，打破慣例，與發表獨特見解的強調與鼓勵已經把我們都慣的傲慢無比；從而，老師們也都失去了課堂上的絕對權威。
有趣的是，一些老師居然欣然接受了這個改變。我甚至懷疑我們的歷史老師認為學生的反駁是一件大好事，因為跟老師吵架也可以算在課上積極發言的一種方式嘛。
其實我也有好幾次當面拆老師的台（儘管我自己肚子里也沒都多少貨）。在正常情況下，我可能早就挨罵，甚至被逐出教室了。
記的有一次我又跟老師產生分歧（這次他真把歷史事實記錯了），幾天後，當我正在上音樂理論課時，我的音樂老師把我叫到了他跟前。看他臉上的表情是一頭霧水。
「你歷史老師讓我告訴你他錯了，你對了。 他到底啥意思我也不知道。」
原來，歷史老師把我們探討的問題上網查了一下，對自己的錯誤感到歉意，等不及第二天告訴我。
說明啥？美國老師的職責可能與我們理解的大不相同，因為老師不再是高高在上的權威，而是學海的導遊。前者會僵化思想，而這恰恰是美國教育最大的禁忌。
4
跟老師的衝突還只是小菜一碟，校園中的遊行才真的讓人大開眼界。
學校劇團表演完第二天，似乎魔咒降臨校園。我周圍的同學一個個交頭接耳，神色慌張，我試著問他們到底發上啥事兒，他們都無可奈何地搖搖頭。
「不知道最好。」
半天晃過，我終於得知了事情的真相。原來，一名主演，由於他的性取向，成了Snapchat群聊的攻擊對象。群聊中的一員主張對他群起而攻之，其他人都隨聲附和。聊天截圖被公布在Twitter上。
圖片很快傳遍校園，形勢隨之惡化 - 許多同學對這種攻擊性言論感到憤恨，要求開除群聊成員學籍，甚至開始組織針對反LGBT（同志）文化與暴力言行的示威遊行。
但對我來說，最有趣的現象是同學之間明顯的政治分歧。一位較保守的同學（其名約翰）起草了一份請願書，聲稱群聊內容為個人隱私，從而，由於美國保護隱私的慣例，群聊成員不應該因此受到嚴重懲罰。
「真是太荒謬了，」午飯時他對我說。「他們根本不是唯一對此開玩笑的人。」
他認為即將到來的示威運動是一場獵巫行動，是對自由言論的嚴重威脅。
「你應該在請願書上簽字，」他說。
我開玩笑說，「唉，哥們兒，別拉我上賊船。讓我平平安安熬到畢業吧！」
午餐結束後，我跟一名女同學（她比較左）走向下一堂課。
「嘿，你知道約翰居然還寫了請願書，企圖保護這幫人嗎？」
「沒錯！他還讓我簽字呢！」
她驚恐地看了我一眼。「別告訴我你真簽了。」
「其實他說的也不是全無道理。」我從手機里調出了請願書讓她看。「讀讀，寫的蠻不錯的。」
她掃了一遍，然後翻了翻白眼。「呃。」她啼笑皆非地嘆了一口氣。「雖然我覺得約翰人不錯，但我真不理解他到底咋想的。」
我對校園雙方言論進行反思，發現美國政壇上的政治見解分歧正淋漓盡致的呈現在我的眼前。
那天上課時，一向笑容滿面的老師拉著個臉給我們宣讀了校長的公開信。學校警告我們不要進行示威，不然我們就要面臨相應的處罰。學校又答應搞一個由學校組織的集會。
圖片：美國某校學生示威（圖片來自網路）
但學生義無反顧，堅持遊行。在約定的日子，當我從一堂課趕赴下一堂課時，看到我的同學們聚集成一大群，個個手持手工標誌，齊呼「傳播友愛，遠離仇恨！」他們的吶喊聲在校園裡回蕩，不絕於耳。
看著浩浩蕩蕩的示威遊行，我也感慨萬千。
我們學校到底成了啥？美國教育方式真的引領國家走在正確的道路上嗎？還是預示著超級大國日落西山前的狂風驟雨？呃，山雨欲來風滿樓......
Our School Is A Mess
Freedom of expression, critical thinking, and what they do to American education
When you walk into a classroom, what would you expect to hear? Probably the drooling voice of a teacher, the crisp sound of shuffling paper, or maybe the mechanical voice of a student timidly reciting a chapter from the textbook.
But in America, you never know. You might be walking right into the middle of an intense political debate between angry students and teachers that』s about to blow the roof off.
What about when you』re walking in the school』s hallway? You might be expecting to hear some gossip between giggling students, some complaining about the loads of homework, or even a fight. Whatever. Normal stuff.
But in America, you never know. You might be walking right into the middle of a protest organized by student activists rebelling against society (yes, this has happened to me two times).
The prevalence of the freedom of expression, along with the emphasis on creativity and the ability tothink- characteristics that define both American education and the 「free citizens」 it seeks to nurture - has made students the pioneers of a new world order and the school a mirror of the conflicted American political landscape.
The classrooms have become the salons of the Enlightenment, and I have unknowingly become a participant in the midst of it all.
***
One day, we were going over something along the lines of westward expansion in our U.S. history class. I remembered clearly that I had been absent the day before, so I sat in my chair awkwardly while pretending to know what the teacher was talking about by nodding my head while he spoke.
But then our teacher started asking for class participation, and my classmates raised their hands eagerly, eloquently putting forth compelling contentions on abstract topics like how the frontier shaped the 「American psyche」.
Despite my cluelessness, I spoke up in a desperate attempt to impress those around me. I made up a vague claim about modern American culture and Trump, throwing in as many big words as possible as I stuttered hopelessly in front of judging eyes.
To my surprise, it worked.
Countless hands shot up, and the class exploded with fiery passion. The teacher』s lecture turned into a heated political discussion as we delved into Trump-related grave topics - the state of America today, globalization, and the political divide plaguing America. We nodded thoughtfully as our classmates spoke as if we were listening to the words of a sage; our brows furrowed with concentration and melancholy as we pretended to be pensive global leaders concerned with the world』s fate.
All of a sudden, sitting in that classroom, I felt amused by the situation - there was something ironic about teenagers who have barely stepped out of the cozy confines of home embracing such grandiose topics.
But then I realized that we』ve been encouraged to do this. Throughout each school year, we would always be required to do a project along the lines of identifying a global issue and providing a solution. So after weeks of 「research」, we would walk up in front of the class in suits and ties and propose a 「plan」 to combat the lack of sanitation, human trafficking, poverty, pollution, or terrorism.
Thus, for me, American education isn』t about training better test-takers - it』s about cultivating the next generation of worldly citizens of society who can think openly and critically, but for many people, this type of education seems to betray the traditional notion of what 「school」 means.
***
「You guys are like sharks,」 our history teacher said to us one day. 「You guys attack when you smell blood, and when you do, you like to pick the teacher apart.」
Our teacher was commenting on the class』s tendency to disagree with what he was saying, and his claim was quite on point - students often enjoy questioning and criticizing teachers like sharks hunting their prey. I think that this habit of telling the teacher 「you』re wrong」 came from the style of education here; all the talk about politics and the projects that make us feel like the saviors of the world have inflated our heads, making our big egos even bigger, and by encouraging us to think, to challenge conventions, to inflate our own self-importance, the adults in the classroom have in turn lost absolute authority.
Interestingly, some teachers have gladly accepted this loss. In fact, I have a feeling that our history teacher rather enjoys being told that he is wrong because to him, it』s a form of class participation.
I』ve actually blatantly told him multiple times that he got his history facts wrong (not that I ever get my own history facts right), and I figured that under some circumstances, I would』ve either gotten dirty looks, angry yelling, or a trip to detention.
I remember there was one disagreement between us where he was actually mistaken. I was in music theory class when the teacher called me up, his expression confused.
「Your history teacher asked me to tell you that you were right and he was wrong.」
Apparently, my history teacher had searched the topic of discussion up afterwards, and since he felt a little bad about his mistake, he didn』t want to wait until the next day during class to tell me. The point? Sometimes, the role of the teacher in America is dramatically different - the teacher is an equal rather than a superior; the teacher is a source of guidance rather than the source of absolute truth because the latter stifles the open-minded thinking American education cherishes.
***
Far more dramatic than little skirmishes with teachers is the time when our students staged a rally on campus.
It was the day after our school』s theatre presented a play, and it seemed as if a curse had descended upon the school. Glancing at students around me, I noticed hushed, nervous gossips, and when I tried to inquire what all of it was about, some of my friends shook their heads sadly.
「You don』t want to know.」
After being quite oblivious for half a day, the truth was finally unveiled to me. Apparently, one of the main actors of the play had been targeted by a group conversation on Snapchat (a multimedia messaging app) due to his sexual orientation. One of the members texted something along the lines of 「let』s beat the gay out of him,」 with many others responding in the affirmative, and a screenshot of the conversation was released on Twitter.
The picture spread throughout the school, and the tension began to escalate. Many people were furious at those who wrote these comments and called for their expulsion from school. As the reaction over these text messages escalated to a dramatic peak, theatre students began organizing a 「walkout」 (where students would literallywalk outin the middle of class to protest in a rally) against anti-LGBT sentiment and intolerant rhetoric.
But the most interesting thing about what happened was the appearance of an obvious political divide I saw among students. In response to the call for the expulsion of the conversation』s members, one of my more conservative friends, whose name is John, wrote a 「counter-petition,」 in which he claimed that the text messages were private and taken out of context.
「It』s ridiculous,」 he told me during lunch one day. 「It』s not as if they were the only ones joking around like this.」
He thought that the outcry and the walkout embody a crusade against free speech and a witch-hunt.
「You should sign my counter-petition,」 said John.
I smiled at him nervously. 「C』mon, man. Don』t pull me into this mess. I just want to graduate.」
Right after lunch, I walked to class with a girl who is more of a liberal, and inevitably, the ongoing controversy became a topic of our conversation.
「So you know apparently John wrote a 『counter-petition』 to protect the people in the Snapchat conversation,」 she said, clearly frustrated.
「Yeah! He just asked me to sign it.」
She looked at me, horrified. 「Tell me you didn』t do it.」
「You know, maybe he』s got a good point,」 I began, pulling up the petition on my phone and showing it to her. 「Read this, it』s pretty well-written.」
Her eyes skimmed through the text, and when she was done, she rolled her eyes. 「Ugh,」 she sighed, half exasperated, half amused. 「You know, John』s a great person, but sometimes, I just can』t stand his ideas.」
I reflected on what each of them said, and I realized that the ideological dichotomy so prevalent on the American political arena was also right in front of me.
That day, during our fifth period class, our normally cheerful teacher approached us with a grim face, holding a solemn letter from the principal that they were asked to read to their classes. The school administration warned against any sort of walk-out and informed the students that such actions would entail certain consequences. They promised a school organized rally instead.
However, the students were defiant and angry. On the set date, they nevertheless held a walkout on campus. As I went from one class from another, I saw my peers gathered in a large crowd, holding hand-made signs while chanting together - 「spread love, not hate!」 And even as I arrived in my next classroom, the deafening cries of the student protesters still rang in my ears.
As the scene of the walkout played again and again in my mind, I could not help but wonder - what has our school become? Do the values of American education really lead the nation in the right direction? Or is it a storm on the horizon, the clap of thunder that could sound the demise of a superpower?
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