評(píng)論
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The student arrived early, sat front and center, and stood out in my classroom in more ways than one.
這個(gè)學(xué)生來(lái)的很早，坐在前排中間，他在我的教室里以不止一種方式脫穎而出。
I'd say that he had about 40 years on his classmates in my undergraduate communications class at California State University, Los Angeles.
在我洛杉磯加州州立大學(xué)的通信本科課程上，他比他的同學(xué)年長(zhǎng)40歲。
He eagerly jumped into class discussions, with his self-deprecating humor and wisdom of experience.
他會(huì)急切地加入課程討論，帶著他的自嘲式幽默和智慧的經(jīng)驗(yàn)。
And he was always respectful of the other students' perspectives, as if each of them were a teacher.
他總是尊重其他同學(xué)的觀點(diǎn)，把他們每個(gè)人都當(dāng)做老師。
Jerry Valencia walked in with a smile—and he left with one too.
杰里·巴倫西亞帶著微笑走進(jìn)教室，也微笑著走出教室。
"These students gave me the confidence that I didn't need to feel bad about my age," Valencia says.
巴倫西亞表示，“這些學(xué)生給了我信心，讓我不會(huì)為自己的年齡感到悲哀。
One day, I spotted Valencia on campus. He said he would have to stop taking classes that semester and reapply for next year.
一天，我在學(xué)校里看到了巴倫西亞。他說(shuō)這學(xué)期自己無(wú)法繼續(xù)上課了，會(huì)在下年繼續(xù)申請(qǐng)。
By then, he hoped to have earned enough money from construction jobs and have his student-loan papers in order.
到那時(shí)候，他希望靠建筑工作掙足夠的錢(qián)，而且整理好自己的學(xué)生貸款文件。
But he said he was still coming to campus to attend events or see friends.
但是他說(shuō)，他還會(huì)來(lái)學(xué)校參加活動(dòng)或者看望朋友。
He asked demurely whether he could still sit in on my communications class.
他認(rèn)真地問(wèn)我，他能否仍然聽(tīng)我的通信課程。
Sure, I said. But he wouldn't get any credit. No problem, he said.
我說(shuō)當(dāng)然。但是他不會(huì)得到任何學(xué)分。沒(méi)問(wèn)題，他回答道。
Soon there he was again, back at his old desk, front and center, jumping into our discussions on how to find and tell stories in Los Angeles—
很快他又來(lái)了，坐在前排中間，之前的桌子邊上。加入如何在洛杉磯發(fā)現(xiàn)和講述故事，
a 63-year-old Cal State LA junior with as much energy and curiosity as any of the youngsters in class.
這位63歲的加州州立大學(xué)的大三學(xué)生，他的能量和好奇心和班上年輕學(xué)生不相上下。
For an assignment on changing neighborhoods, Valencia wrote about a favorite local chain restaurant that was "unceremoniously closed."
在一個(gè)關(guān)于社區(qū)變遷的作業(yè)中，巴倫西亞寫(xiě)到了他最?lèi)?ài)的當(dāng)?shù)剡B鎖餐廳的突然關(guān)門(mén)。
He called it an "earth-shattering" development and a theft of childhood.
他稱(chēng)這是一個(gè)“驚天動(dòng)地”的變化，偷走了孩子的童年。
"It is almost as if someone has stolen that childhood and replaced it with a slippery hill where everything they cherish will slide away," he wrote.
他寫(xiě)道：“這就像是某人把童年偷走了，把它換成了一個(gè)濕滑的山坡，在那里，他們所有珍愛(ài)的東西都會(huì)溜走。”
A lot of Valencia's classmates apparently knew he couldn't afford that semester's tuition but was still doing the homework.
巴倫西亞的很多同學(xué)顯然知道他負(fù)擔(dān)不起那學(xué)期的學(xué)費(fèi)，但仍在完成作業(yè)。
"Here he is, willingly taking a class for the joy of it and benefit of learning," says Jessica Espinosa, a 25-year-old junior.
25歲的大三學(xué)生杰西卡·埃斯皮諾薩說(shuō)：“他就在這里，心甘情愿地為了學(xué)習(xí)的樂(lè)趣和益處去上課。”
"You don't see that in our generation." Valencia showed up and took the final exam too.
“你在我們這一代中看不到這種人。”巴倫西亞還來(lái)參加了期末考試。
Afterward, students were kibitzing, and I overheard Valencia say he wanted to stay in school until he earned a master's degree,
后來(lái)，學(xué)生們都在議論紛紛，我無(wú)意中聽(tīng)到巴倫西亞說(shuō)，他想留在學(xué)校，直到拿到碩士學(xué)位，
but it had taken him 12 years to finish community college, so he had a long way to go.
但是他花了12年的時(shí)間才完成社區(qū)大學(xué)的學(xué)業(yè)，所以他還有很長(zhǎng)的路要走。
Twelve years? He was in and out of school, he said, subject to his work schedule and whether he had money for classes.
十二年？他說(shuō)，這些年他在學(xué)校里進(jìn)進(jìn)出出，這取決于他的工作安排和是否有錢(qián)上課。
He had earned his associate of arts degree over the summer, then transferred to Cal State LA to start on his bachelor's. I needed to hear more.
他在今年夏天獲得了副學(xué)士學(xué)位，然后轉(zhuǎn)到加州州立大學(xué)洛杉磯分校開(kāi)始攻讀學(xué)士學(xué)位。我需要學(xué)更多東西。
