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He was in the first third grade class I taught at Saint Mary's School in Morris, Minn. All 34 of my students were dear to me, but Mark Eklund was one in a million. Very neat in appearance, he had that happy-to-be-alive attitude that made even his occasional mischievousness delightful.
我在明尼蘇達州莫里斯的圣瑪麗學校教書，他在我教的第一個三年級的班上。全班34個學生每一個都討我喜歡，但馬克埃克隆卻是獨一無二的。他外表干干凈凈，是個樂天派，所以即便是他偶爾的調皮搗蛋，也依然討人喜歡。
Mark often talked incessantly. I had to remind him again and again that talking without permission was not acceptable. What impressed me so much, though, was his sincere response every time I had to correct him for misbehaving. "Thank you for correcting me, Sister!" I didn't know what to make of it at first, but before long I became accustomed to hearing it many times a day.
馬克常常說個不停。我不得不一而再、再而三地提醒他，未經允許不能講話。不過，令我印象深刻的是，每當我不得已指出他的過錯的時候，他都非常誠懇地對我說：“謝謝你指出我的問題，修女！”起初，我不知該作何反應，但很快，我便習慣了一天聽到這句話好多遍。
One morning my patience was growing thin when Mark talked once too often, and then I made a novice-teacher's mistake. I looked at him and said, "If you say one more word, I am going to tape your mouth shut!"
一天早上，馬克又一次講個不停，我終于不耐煩了，于是犯了個新老師才會犯的錯誤。我盯著他說：“再說一個字，我就拿膠帶把你的嘴封上！”
It wasn't ten seconds later when Chuck, another student, blurted out, "Mark is talking again." I hadn't asked any of the students to help me watch Mark, but since I had stated the punishment in front of the class, I had to act on it.
結果不到十秒鐘，另一個學生查克就脫口而出：“馬克又在講話了。”我并沒有讓任何同學幫我盯著馬克，不過既然我已經當著全班的面說過他再說話就要罰他，我得說話算話。
I remember the scene as if it had occurred this morning. I walked to my desk, verydeliberately opened my drawer and took out a roll of masking tape. Without saying a word, I proceeded to Mark's desk, tore off two pieces of tape and made a big X with them over his mouth. I then returned to the front of the room.
接下來的一幕我至今仍記憶猶新，仿佛就發生在今天早上。我走到講桌前，不慌不忙拉打開抽屜，拿出一卷膠帶，然后一言不發地走到馬克桌前，撕下兩截膠帶，在他嘴上貼了個大大的“X”，然后轉身走回教室前面。
