But I always think that a really good movie deserves our patience. On a quiet night, we should slow down and immerse ourselves in it. Mr Bachmann and his students are such a film.
In this three-hour German documentary, we can see how a primary school class of about 20 students, the second-generation immigrant children from 12 countries, under the education and guidance of their teacher, Mr. Bachmann, broke through the barriers of language, race, religion and history and established their own unique outlook on life and values.
This film not only shows the audience a kind and responsible teacher, but also gives us a clearer answer about what a "good education" is.
In an important exam before junior high school, four students in Mr. Bachmann's class got "F" and faced with the crisis of further education. He suggested that the students with good grades help the students with poor grades one by one, and he asked other teachers to give these four students a chance to retake the exam.
But a kid named Jamie objected. He thought everyone studied together. "Who are you to blame for not learning well?" And refused to help others.
Mr. Bachmann did not reprimand him or "order" him to help others as a teacher, but analyzed the reasons for the poor performance of these four students. They have just come to Germany, and they don't know German or English, so they have great difficulties in learning. He asked another classmate who had been bullied because of his language barrier to tell his story. The child had a hard time until he learned German.
Finally, Mr. Bachmann mentioned that Jamie's father had a hard time making a living because he didn't know the language when he first immigrated to Germany. At that time, he should also hope to get help from people around him. At this point, Jamie finally understood the difficulties of his classmates and gradually unloaded his inner defenses.
In the whole process, Mr. Bachmann does not comment on whether Jamie's point of view is right or wrong, but guides him step by step, putting himself in other people's situations and difficulties, thus establishing a child's "empathy".
This also made me start to reflect on whether there is a problem with my daughter's education. When she didn't want to share toys with other children, I simply criticized her for not being too selfish, instead of patiently helping her analyze the reasons. She saw that other children were in trouble and didn't offer help. I just rudely taught her to care more about others, but I didn't discuss with her why it was necessary from an equal perspective.
We always accuse our children of selfishness, lack of empathy and disrespect for others ... In fact, many times, as parents or teachers, we just throw a sentence "You should" and "You must" at our children without telling them that this result is derived, and children naturally don't want to do what adults say.
A really good education should, like Mr. buckman, allow children to express their views freely, not in a hurry to deny them, and guide them to learn to put themselves in other's shoes with more patience. It is very important for every child to respect and understand others from the heart.
When it comes to the topic of "homosexuality", a girl named Staffe in the class shows strong disgust. She believes that "this is not normal love." Mr. Bachmann tried to explain that "homosexuals are normal people" with the examples of friends around him, but Staffe kept repeating "It makes me sick".
The girl can't tell why she feels this way. In the consciousness of social inertia, she may just listen to someone who has made a similar point of view and naturally think that she thinks so.
Instead of imposing his opinion on her, Mr. buckman kept asking "Why": Why do you feel uncomfortable? They're people, too. Why are two people in love disgusting?
The girl couldn't give an answer, but she stuck to her point of view. Mr. Bachmann didn't give up and continued to ask, "Are you afraid that others are different from you? Do you feel sick, physically or just verbally? " Under the gentle guidance of the teacher, the girl thought for a moment and then replied, "I don't know." Mr buckman nodded. "Well, this is much better than before."
One mistake people often make is to think that they are right and the group they belong to is normal. Anything that is different from yourself should be classified as "different".
As I once read a passage: someone asked, what does it mean for a girl to have a tattoo? Does she have a story or an open personality? The answer is that you are biased.
"Prejudice" will confine us to a narrow space, thinking that what we see is everything, and adults still do, not to mention the influence on children. In Mr. Bachmann's view, the words "I don't know" represent another kind of "knowing", so that children can think and examine more when they encounter uncertain things in their future lives, and they are no longer so eager to give answers that they think are correct.
The world is diverse, and many problems are either black or white. Compared with teaching children "don't be partial" directly, it may be more important for Mr. Bachmann to guide them step by step, so that children can learn to judge and think for themselves in communication.
There is a boy named Hassan in Mr buckman's class. He likes boxing very much, but when it comes to his future ideal, he said that he "wants to be a barber" for practical reasons: even if the weather is bad, he can stay in the barber shop, which is a sheltered room; You can earn 10~ 12 euros by cutting your hair once, and people can make a living by cutting 10 every day. ......
Mr. Bachmann said "not bad", but suggested that he could consider becoming an amateur boxer, not only because he has talent, but also because that is his passion.
Staffe likes singing, but he always feels that he is not doing well. Mr. Bachmann encouraged her, "Even with all the noise around, your singing is still in E minor. You are very talented, and I am serious. " At the parent-teacher conference, Staffe's father didn't support his daughter's musical dream. Mr. Bachmann encouraged her to sing a song in front of her father, and firmly believed that "Staffe can certainly".
This reminds me of Guo Chuyang, a very famous Chinese teacher in China. Guo Chuyang is known as the leader of the new generation in middle school Chinese. In his class, there is always more than the knowledge in books. He encourages students to think, expand and dream bravely, not to be bound by utilitarian reading, and more importantly, to shape a person's "spiritual foundation" besides grades.
Students once said that the most precious thing they got from Mr. Guo Chuyang was to follow their inner courage. This makes them dare to pursue what they really love and enlarges their courage. In the face of countless life forks, they are less entangled and more determined.
In fact, whether it is Mr. Bachmann in the film or Guo Chuyang, a Chinese teacher, their value lies in planting a seed in the hearts of students. They don't rush to make judgments and seek a result like other adults, but spend enough time and patience waiting for it to take root and sprout, and finally blossom an uncertain flower of life.
In any era, "education" is a pivotal topic, especially after the "double reduction" policy, people are more concerned about: Who will teach children in the future? How to teach?
We often say that we want our children to get a good education, but what is a "good education" is a question with no standard answer. But "Mr. Bachmann and His Students" at least provides a reference answer for us, whether teachers or parents:
Education is not a top-down "full stop" and a full conclusion, but a "question mark" to guide and explore.
Ask yourself, in the face of children, are we always condescending to judge and then just cancel a result? However, one day children will know that there are still many problems in the world that cannot be solved by a simple conclusion.
Compared with achievements, it is more important to guide children to learn to respect others, abandon prejudice, pursue love and eventually become their true self in the process of communication, communication, analysis and exploration.