我到底要考幾分？
How many points
"How many points do I need to score, anyway?
Back then, he was in the eighth grade, and I was his English tutor.
One day, I stroll into the classroom and do my usual routine: 'How are you doing today?' I ask with a grin.
'Huh! Not good at all,' Student A huffs.
'What's up?' I inquire, a tad confused.
'How many points do I need to hit?' he grumbles, a bit louder this time.
'What's the deal?' I ask again.
'Usually, if you put in the effort, you can kinda guess how many points you'll get, right?' I'm not sure why he's throwing this question at me.
'Oh, it's just that the teachers at our school think I'm cheating,' he says, running his hand through his hair in frustration.
'Why's that?' I prod.
'Um...' he hesitates. 'Well, I usually bomb the quizzes, like 20 or 30 points, but then I ace the exams with, like, over 80, so the teachers think I'm pulling a fast one.'
I...
'That English teacher at our school is so weird. If I score in the 20s, he chews me out; if I score in the 80s, he still gives me grief. What's the magic number to avoid getting chewed out?' Student A goes on.
I...
'The point isn't about dodging criticism based on your score.'
'Are you missing the point here?' I respond, feeling a bit exasperated.
'Ah, why do you tank the quizzes?'
'Ah, I usually wake up around five in the morning to bike around, and I stay up late at night on my phone. I end up snoozing in class during the day, and during exams, I usually zonk out after a few questions. If I managed to stay awake, I'd probably nail an 80,' he admits.
'Also, have you been chatting or passing notes during exams?' I inquire.
'Um...' he hesitates. 'Yeah, how did you know?'
'Do you see now why your school teachers got the wrong idea?' I rub my temples, feeling a bit vexed.
'Why aren't you jumping to conclusions like them?' he asks, tilting his head.
I sigh and say, 'Look around. It's just you and me here. How old were you when you started showing up to class?'
'I started coming in fifth grade,' he replies.
'Think about where you went to elementary school.'
'Um...'
P.S. He went to a private bilingual elementary school.
'Want to take another crack at it? I've been getting you to write all sorts of English diaries since elementary school, doing book reports, honing your language skills, reading English stories together. For your communication skills, I've coached you through English speeches. Plus, you started debating in English back in fifth grade at your elementary school, remember?'
'I do. I remember,' he says.
'I started giving you high school-level textbooks in sixth grade. I know your capabilities better than anyone!' I say, with a hint of sarcasm.
'I wish you were my school's English teacher,' Student A says.
'I'll have another chat with your mom. You didn't cheat. You need to fix your sleep schedule, get enough rest to stay awake during classes and exams,' I sum up.
'Don't stay up too late on your phone. It's bad for you. Aim for a solid eight hours of sleep every night,' I say firmly.
'I'll try,' Student A says, sheepishly.
'The point isn't about the marks you get. It's about taking your studies seriously and showing respect. And cut out the foul language. Got it?' I give him a firm look.
'Okay, okay. I'll do it for you,' Student A says, rolling his eyes.
"It's not for my sake, it's for yours. We need to focus on our character and keep up with good study habits."
I rub my temples again. These young gents really need some guidance toward the right path. Oh, the struggles of being a teacher."
回憶
這是挺久的事情了。
那年，他國二 (8年級)，我是他的家教英文老師。
有一天。我照常問學生說
「你今天好嗎？」我微笑道
「吼吼吼！一點都不好。」學生A氣呼呼地說道
「怎麼了？」我有點疑惑
「我到底是要考幾分？」他有點不悅又大聲地說道
「怎麼了？」
「通常不是你認真寫，看能得幾分嗎？」我不知道他為什麼問這個問題
「吼！你不懂啦」學生A有點煩躁地說道
「你不說我又怎麼可能懂？到底？」我挑了挑眉回道
「喔！就是我們學校老師說我作弊。」
他抓了抓頭髮困擾地說
「為什麼呢？」
「ㄜ......」
「就我平常小考 好幾次考的挺爛，才20, 30分；可是我段考 考八十幾，老師就懷疑我作弊。」
我......
「學校的英文老師也太奇怪了吧，我考二十幾他罵我，我考八十幾也罵我。我到底是要考幾分才不會被罵啊！」學生A 巴拉巴拉說了一大段
我......
「重點不是你要考幾分才不被罵。」
「你是不是搞錯重點了。」我有點無奈的回答
「啊你為什麼平常小考會考二、三十分？你的實力不只如此」
學生A不好意思地撓了撓頭
「啊就我早上五點多去騎腳踏車，晚上滑手機又滑太晚。白天就去學校睡覺，老師考試時，我常常寫完前面幾題，就睡著了。我如果醒著的話，我大概會考八十分吧。」
「還有，你是不是又給我考試時間講話或是傳紙條？」
「ㄜ......」
「對，你怎麼知道？」
「你的老師畢竟是你的老師。」我挑了挑眉毛
「這樣你知道為什麼你的學校老師會誤會你了嗎？」我揉了揉眉心嘆了口氣
「那老師你為什麼不會誤會我？」他歪了歪頭看著我
「你看看這個場所，只有我跟你。你說說你幾歲過來上課的？」
「我小學五年級過來的。」他說
「你在想想你國小就讀哪裡。」
「ㄜ......」
P.S. 他是念私立雙語國小
「你要不要再想想，我從國小就叫你寫各種英文日記、寫英文讀書心得，為了訓練你的語感，陪你看英文故事。為了你的表達能力，教你英文演講。而且你們國小 小學五年級就在英文辯論課，你還有印象嗎？」
「有。我有印象。」
「你小六我就給你在上高一的教材了。你的實力我最好是不清楚啦！」我用有點反諷地口氣跟他說
「如果你是我學校英文老師就好了。你很了解我的實力，你就不會誤會我。」學生A說道
「被誤會的感覺真的很糟糕！」他說
「我再跟你媽解釋。你沒有作弊。你是要調整作息，睡飽一點，上課和考試才不會睡著」我總結道
「回去不要滑手機滑太晚，對身體不好。一天要睡滿八小時。」我嚴肅地對他說
「我盡量。」學生A皮皮地說道
「重點不在於你考幾分，重點在你的讀書態度要認真、嚴肅一點。尊重你學校老師，不要再罵髒話。知道了嗎？」我定定地看著他說道
「好啦。看在你的面子上，會啦。」學生A撇了撇嘴說道
「跟我的面子沒關。不是為了我，是為了你自己。我們要注意自己的品德，保持良好的學習習慣。要認真！」
我又揉了揉我的眉心，這些大少爺，真的是需要人引導
老師好難當
