公校v.s.私校 那种教学更适合令爱？

许多加国华裔父母仍被一个老生常谈的问题困扰，那就是孩子上私立学校好还是公立学校好？从公校的学业指导员，到顶尖私校的教师，在这个问题上没有共识。就我个人而言，我的父母一直在尽力为我提供最好的教育。我即上过公校也读过私校，私校的学习让我的学业出类拔萃，公校的教育让我懂得谦逊和谦虚的价值。

For many Chinese-Canadian parents, the age old question has continued to endure:  Should I enroll my child in private or public education? From public guidance counselors, to educators in elite private schools, there is no consensus. Personally, my parents have always tried to provide me with the best education possible. I have been through both public and private education, and while my late private schooling allowed me to excel academically, my public upbringing taught me the value of humility and humbleness.

由于我的父母是第一代移民，在我小的时候家里经济条件并不宽裕，自然也没有钱送我读私校。和绝大多数加拿大学生一样，我就随大流读了公校。但我的父母竭尽全力想方设法将我送进了最好的公立小学和初中。

When I was young, my parents who are first generation immigrants struggled financially and certainly did not have the resources for me to attend private school. Like the vast majority of Canadian students, I was hulled into the public system. My parents, by bending rules and using any loopholes they could find, sent me to the best performing elementary and junior high schools.

但是多伦多的公校也存在和其他公校相同的问题——过度拥挤的教室，陈旧老化的学校设施，以及疲惫不堪的教师，即使是排名居首的公校也没有例外。但是名列前茅的公校都有一个相同的特征，那就是学生群中绝大多数位亚裔。因此，在我就读的公立小学和初中里，至少有90%的学生是亚裔也就不足为奇了。

But Toronto’s public schools suffer from the same problems--overcrowded class rooms, deteriorating school facilities, and overworked teachers. The highest ranked schools are no exception. But the best ranking public schools all share one same trait—a predominately Asian student populace. It should come as no surprise that in both my elementary and junior high school, at least 90% were of Asian ethnicity.

我发现想要在优秀的同龄人中脱颖而出是非常困难的事情。和大多数亚裔父母一样，在我小时候父母也让我学钢琴。尽管我一直很喜欢弹钢琴，但我的才能在公校却无用武之地。虽然我在音乐节拿了很多奖项，但我只是学校里众多会演奏乐器的华裔学生之一。此外，符合我爱好的课外活动机会很少，我在政治和新闻方面的兴趣也被埋没。

I found it exceedingly difficult to stand out amongst my high achieving peers. Like most Asian parents, my parents made me learn piano at young age. Personally, I have always had a passion for the piano, but in public school my talents went to waste. Although I won numerous awards at music festivals, I was just one of the many Chinese kids who played an instrument at my school. There were few extra-curricular opportunities for my passions and my other interests for politics and journalism ultimately went unnoticed. .

或许公校最大的失败之处就是教师缺乏积极主动。而缺少机会也令我失去学习热情，最终导致我成绩平平。在7年级时我的数学、科学和英语成绩都不及格，就这么一路跌跌撞撞地混到了9年级。虽然我的学习成绩很差，但我的老师从未通知或联系我的父母。在初中毕业时，我开始厌恶公校并痛恨我的初中学校。我妈妈为我的前途深感担忧，因此将我送进了一所北约克私校。

Perhaps the biggest failure in the public system is the lack of proactivity from teachers. The lack of opportunities eventually carried over to my academics as I became demotivated academically. In grade 7, I failed math, science, and English. My academics would continue to struggle until grade 9. I was lost as a student and yet, my teachers never noticed or contacted my parents. By the end of junior high, I resented my public education and hated my junior high school. As my mom became anxious for my future, she enrolled me in a North York private school.

我就读的这所新私校只有300个学生，其采取小班教学并且拥有丰富的资源，可以帮助每一个学生充分发展。学校的所有老师都会密切关注每一个学生。在告别每天面对斑驳墙壁和破旧教室的日子后，我感恩父母有能力供我就读奢侈的私校。

With only 300 students in my new private school, class sizes were small and the resources were abundant to help each and every student flourish. All the teachers had a close and watchful eye. Gone were the days of crumbling walls and shabby classrooms--I felt blessed that my parents could afford to spoil me with luxuries not found in the public system.

由于我是全校唯一一个获得钢琴演奏ARCT资格证的学生，我在这所学校里也成了明星。在公校里有许多钢琴家，而在私校里我绰号“piano man”。学校为学生提供了大量展现才华的机会，我利用每一个机会发挥自己的特长，包括在汤姆森音乐厅演奏，甚至在我们的毕业合奏中领奏。与此同时，我的学业成绩也蒸蒸日上，我成了同龄人中的佼佼者。此外，由于学校有各种俱乐部，我对新闻和政治的热情也有了释放之地。

I also became a star at my school as I was the only student accredited with an ARCT diploma in piano performance. In the public system, there were dozens of pianists; yet in private school I was nicknamed the ‘piano man’. Opportunities to shine were abundant, and I exploited every chance to my advantage, from performing at Roy Thompson Hall to even leading our graduate ensemble. My academics rebounded and I excelled amongst my peers.My passions in journalism and politics were also fulfilled as there was a club for any interest.

但是对于我那些从孩提时代就一直娇生惯养的私校同学来说，私校已经是司空见惯。由于根本没有动机促使他们攀登最高峰和利用他们拥有的所有资源，他们渐渐变得优越感爆棚和懒散不足为奇，他们不断批评私校教育，对私校提供的奢侈享受并不感激。与公校相比，私校就是一座只适合国王的宫殿。

But as for my private school classmates, they’ve been spoon-fed since they were toddlers; private school is all they’ve ever known. It should come as no surprise that over the years, they became entitled and lazy—nothing motivated them to achieve their highest and utilize all the resource they had available. They consistently criticized the private system and they didn’t appreciate what they’ve been offered. Compared to public schools, private school was a palace, fit for only a king.

但是多年的公校教育令我和他们有所不同，我深知谦逊和谦虚的重要性，尽管并非传统意义上的谦逊和谦虚。

But many years of schooling in the public system made me different from them. I learned -- even though not in the traditional sense -- the importance of humility and humbleness.

在两周前，我私校的毕业班举行了校友聚会。校友闲谈之余, 有一个话题总是不绝于耳，那就是大学。我那些成绩不佳的朋友对自己就读的专业并不满意。他们难以适应公校，因为在那里学生只是一个学号。他们回想起私校的优质教育资源，并后悔没有充分发挥自己的潜力。我有时会想，如果将他们的上学过程颠倒一下，他们今天会是什么样。

Two weeks ago, my graduating class from private school held an alumni reunion. During the conversation, one topic in particular kept recurring—university. My underachieving friends were dissatisfied with the program they were studying. They struggled to adjust to public education where you’re just a number.They reminisced how great they had it in private school and regretted not having reached their full potential. It makes me wonder where they would be today if only they had reversed the order of their education.

不幸的是,我的大部分私校同学表现欠佳。但是，我那些成绩出色的公校老同学也不尽如人意，由于课外项目上表现天赋平平，使他们难以进入加国顶尖大学。因此，公校好还是私校好的问题并无定论，虽然公校和私校都培养出济济英才，但至少从我的个人经验来说，将两者结合是最有益于学生的选择。

It’s a shame that most of my private school classmates are doing poorly. Yet, my old academically achieving peers from public school aren’t faring better—their lack of extra-curricular opportunities has impeded their chances at Canada’s top universities. Ultimately, the question of public or private is not clear cut but many shades of grey—sure there are high achievers from either systems, but a combination of both – at least in my experience -- is to the best advantage of students.