江苏译林版高一下学期课外阅读材料.docx

MarvaCollins:KidsNeverFail

“Kidsdon’tfail.Teachersfail,schoolsystemsfail.Thepeoplewhoteachchildrenthattheyarefailures,theyaretheproblem.”–MarvaCollins

MarvaCollinsisagreatschoolfounderandeducator.Hermethodshavechangedthelivesofthousandsofstudents.

Background

MarvaCollins,calledMarvaKnightinearlyyears,wasbornonAugust31,1936inMonroeville,Alabama.Shewasveryfamiliarwiththeeducationalinadequacies(不足)inblackschoolsalsonoticedthatAfricanAmericanstudentsdidn’thavesomanyeducationalresourcesaswhitestudents.Librarieswereforwhitesonly,andmanyblackschoolslackedbooksoreventeachingaids.

ButCollins’sfatherHenryKnight,asuccessfulbusinessman,hadhighstandardsforCollinsandheryoungersisterandevenhigherexpectationsofthemintheclassroom.“Wewereexpectedtobeexcellent,”Collinsoncerecalled.Wedidnthaveachoice.”

CollinswenttoClarkCollegeinAtlanta,Georgia,whereshestudiedsecretarial(文秘的)skills.Aftertwoyearsofteachinginherhomestate,shemovednorthtoChicago,whereshemetClarenceCollins.Thecouplelatermarriedandhadthreechildren,Eric,PatrickandCynthia.

HerOwnSchool

InChicago,Collinsworkedasasubstituteteacher(代课老师)fornearlyfourteenyears.Asaneducatorandaparentofchildrenwhowereattendinghighend(高端的)privateschools,whatshesawastonishedher.Shebecamedisappointedwiththeteachingmethodsinpublicschools.Sheevenfeltthatsomechildrenwerereceivinglowlevelsoflearning.Therewastoomuchplayingyettoolittlestudying.

Sosheused$5,000ofherowntoopentheWestsidePreparatorySchoolinthesecondfloorofherhomeinChicago.

Onlyafewstudentsattendedherschoolatfirst.Collinscreateditforthepurposeofteachinglowineblackchildren,soshemadeitclearthatherclassroomwasopenlychildwhohadbeenrejected(曾被拒绝)bythebiggerschoolsystems,especiallythosewhohadbeen