當「菜鳥」老師遇上「老鳥」學生  趙惠蘭

站在千橡中文學校十年級的教室裡，一切都是陌生又新鮮的。我在此地是一個全新的老師，要面對的是一群在學習中文方面經驗老到的「老江湖」。一思及此，不免有些兒惶恐，更何況他們正是青春期的少年男女呢！

當一個個俊男美女搖搖擺擺的晃進教室，我趕忙擺出慈祥和藹的笑容，向大家道聲早安！有的露出甜美的笑容，爽朗地回應著，也有人很酷的應聲〝早！〞。

剛開學，領書、發書、印講義；陷入一片混亂狀況中。我只好請出這些有經驗的學生們幫我跑腿；一時之間，人人都踴躍加入，眼睛亮了起來，精神也抖擻了起來！

為了讓學生們了解，我把清白的家世一一說出，也把這學期課程仔細介紹，說明我會配合他們的程度來進行教學活動。最後不忘誇獎他們—聽你們以前的老師說你們程度很好。誰知大家都非常「謙虛」的說自己只有台灣「小二」的程度，使我一時為之語塞。

按照一般慣例，第一堂課都不上文化課（遵老鳥們所叮囑），那麼大家就玩了文字遊戲吧！我坦言對漢語拼音不熟悉，老鳥們紛紛要教我，一份純真赤子之心，令我不禁感動萬分！

國字、注音、拼音輪番在台上、台下交流，在台上的〝老師〞—絞盡腦汁來考學生；台下的人們也是竭盡所能的回應。反而是我這隻〝菜鳥〞可以翹著二郎腿看熱鬧啦！

已經畢了業的學長「王心琪」女俠閃身而出，霎時間教室裡非常「金庸」，充滿了「問世間情為何物，直叫人生死相許」的浪漫情懷。

第二週的課堂上，我把暑假作業一一發還，同時也去告訴他們，每個人的「中文」工夫都很好，不但聽、說能力高強，竟連讀和寫也是大有看頭！老鳥們喜形於色，也紛紛認可自己的優點。能擁有和這班有自信的孩子相處的機會，是件令人高興的事！

看著這群老鳥在我用中文夾雜著我那三腳貓工夫的英文講解時，個個振筆疾書，用英文寫下重點，真是由衷地佩服。在一個星期的正規學校課程之後，不但要來研習方塊字，還能仔細聆聽記錄，可見他們對祖國文化的認同與興趣。

還珠格格的歌曲聲中結束了今天這堂課，感恩我能在課堂上繼續教職；感恩老鳥們的貼心與認真；感恩外子和小女對我的鼓勵；感恩………..。

 

青少年領導才能訓練班 吳茵茵

“望子成龍望女成鳳”向來是父母對子女的期望。青少年領導才能訓練班的主要目的就是為培養孩子們如何面對大眾，以演講技巧有效地、成功地表達個人的理念，同時訓練如何領導會議的進展，幫助他們建立信心以發揮領導才華。

有關訓練班的基本情況，在前面兩期的千橡通訊中已介紹過。這期我想介紹一些我們增加的教學內容，其中包括邀請幾位Toastmasters 成人會員來班上演講示範；觀看Toastmasters 國際演講比賽的錄影帶，高班學生還要在中文學校以外，做一次校外演講；參加成人Toastmasters 聚會並到初級班做示範演講；我們還要求學生們在學期之初訂下學年度的個人目標及計劃，並定期查驗計劃的進展，我們還增設了Jokemaster ,使學生們在嚴肅氣氛中帶有娛樂性的詼諧渡過每一堂課。成功的因素有很多，不少人以為主要是與生俱來的智商 (IQ) ，事實上領導才能以及人際間溝通的技巧，都是不可忽略的要素。而這些都可以經過後天的訓練而加強的，一旦學到這些技巧，在以後生活中就會自然地應用出來，一輩子都會受益無窮。

Youth Leadership Group

What did I learn from Toastmasters…

I came to Toastmasters with an intent to improve on my speeches and to add confidence when speaking. I’ve now learned to be more confident, but I still have room to improve.

- Suyun Wu

At first, I didn’t want to come to Toastmasters but my mom forced me to. After a few classes in Toastmasters, I found that the class is fun and a good experience for me.

                                                                        - Diana Wu

Toastmasters is fun because we can learn how to improve our speaking and on presenting speeches. We also have the opportunity to be different functions, like President, Vice-president, Secretary, Sergeant of Arms, Table Topic Master, and even Joke Master. It is a very fun and interesting class.

- Iris Jiang

Through training in Toastmasters, we have learned the importance and applications of speaking. To be efficient, distinct, and precise is the main essence in presentations in everyday life. This class teaches us to express ideas more fluently and convey important issues to the audience.

                                                                 - Albert Hwu

Toastmasters has really helped me express my ideas through words. I have become a more efficient speaker and I hope to become a even better speaker this year.

                                                                 - Max Wu

Last year’s class was fun because I learned to be a better speaker and look at the audience while I speak. Also, I learned to relax in front of a class or a group of adults.

- Jamie Hsiao

In Toastmasters, we learn many important skills that are useful in life. We learn how to manage time, public speaking skills, and how to improve our leadership. It is a positive experience for everyone, especially those who participate with anticipation.

                                                                 - Julia Fong

Toastmasters has been a great experience for me. I have been attending this class for three semesters and it has benefited me greatly. I no longer fear public speaking and it has helped at school as well as outside of school. What I enjoyed most though, is learning how to add humor and enthusiasm to my speeches; humor really grabs the audience’s attention!

                                                                 - Howard Chou

Toastmasters is a very beneficial class where students are allowed to express their thoughts and ideas in an open and confident manner. I learned a lot from this class like leadership, organizing speeches, and public speaking. Most importantly is that it has really helped me in all my classes at school.

- Emily Cheung