缅怀美国一代数学名师海梅·阿方索·埃斯卡兰特

    This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
    这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。

    Today we remember a man who was considered one of the best teachers in the United States. Jaime Alfonso Escalante was born in nineteen thirty in La Paz, Bolivia. Both his parents were teachers. He taught math and science in his home country for twelve years.
    今天我们缅怀被认为是美国最好的教师之一。海梅·阿方索·埃斯卡兰特1930年出生于玻利维亚的拉巴斯,他的父母均为教师,他在祖国玻利维亚做了12年数学和科学课程的教学工作。

    In the nineteen sixties, Jaime Escalante and his wife Fabiola came to the United States. During the next several years, he learned to speak English and repeated his college education and teacher training.
    二十世纪六十年代,埃斯卡兰特和妻子法比奥拉来到美国。在接下来的几年,他学会了英语,重新就读大学并参加教师培训。

    In nineteen seventy-four, Mr. Escalante was hired at Garfield High School to teach mathematics.
    1974年,埃斯卡兰特先生被加菲尔德高中聘请教数学课程。

    The school was in a poor area of Los Angeles, California. Many of the students had serious problems with illegal drugs, gangs and violence. The school was in danger of losing its official approval to operate.
    这所学校位于加州洛杉矶市的一个贫民区。许多学生都曾有毒品、帮派和暴力方面的严重问题。这所学校处于即将失去官方开办许可的风险中。

    Mr. Escalante's students were mostly Mexican-Americans from a Spanish-speaking area of the city. Many were the worst students at the school and thought to be "unteachable." But Mr. Escalante pushed the group to work hard. He told them basic math was too easy and that they had the ability to do harder work.
    埃斯卡兰特的学生大多是墨西哥裔美国人,来自该市一个讲拉丁语的地区。他的很多学生都是这个学校最差的学生,被认为是“愚钝不可教”。但埃斯卡兰特推动了这个群体努力学习。他告诉学生们,基础数学太简单,他们有能力学更难的数学课程。

    He told his students that he believed in them, but they must have the desire to be successful.
    埃斯卡兰特对学生们说,他相信他们,但他们必须有成功的欲望。

    Jaime Escalante started an advanced math program with a small group of students. Advanced Placement is a program of college-level classes and tests. In nineteen eighty-two, eighteen of his students took the Advanced Placement test in calculus. They all passed.
    埃斯卡兰特在一小群学生中开设了高等数学课程。AP(大学先修课程,Advanced Placement)是一项大学水平的课程和考试。1982年,他的18名学生参加了AP微积分考试并全部通过。

    Officials at the testing company suspected the students of cheating. Mr. Escalante protested. He said the students were being rejected because they were Hispanic and from a poor school. He urged his students to take the test again.
    AP考试官方机构怀疑他的学生作弊。埃斯卡兰特先生提出抗议。他说他的学生被否定,是因为他们是拉美裔,来自一个不好的学校。他呼吁他的学生重新参加考试。

    Twelve of the students repeated the test. And again, all of them passed. Five earned top scores. Mr. Escalante's students went on to become engineers, scientists and university professors. The advanced math program at Garfield became extremely successful over the next several years.
    12名学生再次参加考试并再次全部通过,其中5人获得满分。埃斯卡兰特的学生后来成为工程师、科学家和大学教授。加菲尔德高中的高级数学课程在未来数年变得非常成功。

    Jaime Escalante received many teaching awards including the Presidential Medal of Excellence in Education. A movie about his success, "Stand and Deliver," was released in nineteen eighty-eight. It influenced other teachers to use his methods.
    埃斯卡兰特获得包括总统卓越教育勋章等许多教学奖项。一部关于他的成功的电影《为人师表》(Stand and Deliver)于1988年发行,并影响到其他教师采用他的教学方法。

    Jaime Escalante retired from teaching in nineteen ninety-eight and later moved back to Bolivia with his wife. He died earlier this year. He was seventy-nine years old.
    埃斯卡兰特1998年从教学上退休,随后与妻子搬回玻利维亚。今年早些时候他与世长辞,享年79岁。