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In the time that passes between when I was a kid in high school and when I started teaching,
在过去的这几年间，从我还在念高中到我开始教书的时候，
we really see the advent of the Internet.
我们真的亲眼目睹网络的发展。
Right about the time that the Internet gets going as an educational tool,
就在网络开始作为教学用的工具发展的时候，
I take off from Wisconsin and move to Kansas, small town Kansas,
我离开威斯康辛州搬到勘萨斯州，一个叫勘萨斯的小镇，
where I had an opportunity to teach in a lovely, small-town, rural Kansas school district,
在那里我有机会在一个小而美丽的勘萨斯的乡村学区教书，
where I was teaching my favorite subject, American government.
教我最喜欢的学科，“美国政府”。
My first year -- super gung-ho -- going to teach American government, loved the political system.
那是我教书的第一年，充满热情，准备教“美国政府”，我当时热爱教政治体系。
Kids in the 12th grade: not exactly all that enthusiastic about the American government system.
这些十二年级的孩子对于美国政府体系并不完全充满热情。
Year two: learned a few things -- had to change my tactic.
开始教书的第二年，我学到了一些事情，让我改变了教学方针。
And I put in front of them an authentic experience that allowed them to learn for themselves.
我提供他们一个真实体验的机会让他们可以自主学习。
I didn't tell them what to do or how to do it.
我没有告诉他们得做什么，或是要怎么做。
I posed a problem in front of them, which was to put on an election forum for their own community.
我只是在他们面前提出一个问题，要他们在自己的社区设立一个选举论坛。
They produced flyers. They called offices. They checked schedules. They were meeting with secretaries.
他们散布传单，联络各个选举办公室，他们和秘书排定行程。
They produced an election forum booklet for the entire town to learn more about their candidates.
他们设计了一本选举论坛手册，提供给全镇的镇民让他们更了解这些候选人。
They invited everyone into the school for an evening of conversation about government and politics
他们邀请所有的人到学校参与晚上的座谈，谈论政府和政治
and whether or not the streets were done well, and really had this robust experiential learning.
还有镇里的每条街是不是都修建完善，学生们真的得到强大的体验式学习。
The older teachers -- more experienced -- looked at me and went,
学校里比较资深年长的老师看着我说，
"Oh, there she is. That's so cute. She's trying to get that done."
“喔，看她，多天真呀，竟想试着这么做。”
"She doesn't know what she's in for."
“她不知道她把自己陷入怎么样的局面。”
But I knew that the kids would show up, and I believed it, and I told them every week what I expected out of them.
但我知道孩子们会出席，而我真的这样相信。每个礼拜我都对他们说我是如何期待他们的表现。
And that night, all 90 kids -- dressed appropriately, doing their job, owning it.
而那天晚上，全部九十个孩子，每个人的穿戴整齐，各司其职，完全掌握论坛。
I had to just sit and watch. It was theirs. It was experiential. It was authentic.
我只需要坐在一旁看着。那是属于他们的夜晚。那是经验。那是实在的经验。
It meant something to them. And they will step up.
那对他们来说具有意义。而他们将会更加努力。
