<p class="ql-block">When Life and Reading Meet: A Letter Between Two Students</p><p class="ql-block">Write a Letter to Kevin giving him to advice about his various reading problem. Help him by taking about your own relationship with reading. </p><p class="ql-block">在大寶哥八年級的閱讀課上，同學們收到了一封來自一位十年級男孩的信。這位男孩名叫 Kevin，曾經(jīng)也是同一位閱讀老師的學生，如今依然在閱讀這條路上苦苦掙扎。他寫下自己的困惑、痛苦和無助，作為鼓勵與交流，老師要求八年級的同學們給 Kevin 寫一封回信，用自己的經(jīng)驗和體會去回應他、鼓勵他、幫助他。</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p> <p class="ql-block">大寶哥寫了他的回信，并在課堂上朗讀。這封信打動了老師，也打動了全班同學。后來我向他要回了那封信稿。當我讀著他的字句，就像老師所說的那樣：我看見了大寶的智慧，也看見了他的成長。</p><p class="ql-block">Kevin的掙扎，其實是我們每個人在讀書路上都曾面對的挑戰(zhàn)。而讓我特別動容的是，大寶僅僅十三歲，作為一個用第二語言在異國他鄉(xiāng)求學的孩子，不僅經(jīng)歷了這些困難，還能用如此清晰、共情、溫暖而成熟的方式給予回應。</p><p class="ql-block">他沒有引用大道理，也沒有炫耀解決辦法，他只是用真實的經(jīng)驗、試錯的過程和一點一點摸索出來的堅持，告訴對方：“我懂你，我也曾是你，你可以撐過去?！?lt;/p><p class="ql-block">讀到那封信的那一刻，我的眼淚涌了出來。</p><p class="ql-block">我想起我們初來美國時的日子。我還在適應陌生的文化，學習全新的語言，同時還要照顧嗷嗷待哺的二寶哥。而大寶哥，在那樣的年紀，就已經(jīng)明白了什么叫“不容易”。</p><p class="ql-block">還記得剛來美國的半年，有一天他忽然問我：“媽媽，我們?yōu)槭裁磥砻绹?？我一個朋友也沒有?！?lt;/p><p class="ql-block">我回答他：“因為爸爸在這里，我們一家人要在一起?！?lt;/p><p class="ql-block">那之后，他就再也沒有問過。他默默地承擔了成長的孤獨，努力適應，努力前行，從未抱怨。</p><p class="ql-block">而我，也是在今天，讀到他的信時，才真正感受到：他的努力、他的不易，他在無聲中經(jīng)歷的蛻變。</p><p class="ql-block">他長大了。</p><p class="ql-block">在理解別人不容易的那一刻，他也超越了自己。</p> <p class="ql-block">Alan wrote his reply and read it aloud in class. His letter moved the teacher, and it moved the entire class. Later, I asked him for a copy. As I read his words, I saw exactly what the teacher saw: I saw Alan’s wisdom, and I saw that he had grown.</p><p class="ql-block">Kevin’s struggles are challenges many of us face on the path of learning and reading. What touched me deeply was that Alan, only thirteen years old and learning in a foreign country in a second language, not only experienced these difficulties, but was able to respond with such clarity, empathy, warmth, and maturity.</p><p class="ql-block">He didn’t cite big philosophies or show off a perfect solution. Instead, he simply shared his real experiences—his mistakes, his efforts, and the persistence he discovered along the way—to tell the other student:</p><p class="ql-block">“I understand you. I was once where you are. You can get through this.”</p><p class="ql-block">As I read his letter, tears welled up in my eyes.</p><p class="ql-block">I thought of the days when we first arrived in the United States. I was still adjusting to a new culture, learning a new language, while taking care of baby Er Bao. And Alan, at such a young age, had already learned what it meant for life to be “not easy.”</p><p class="ql-block">I still remember—six months after we arrived—he suddenly asked me,</p><p class="ql-block">“Mom, why did we come to America? I don’t have any friends here.”</p><p class="ql-block">I replied,</p><p class="ql-block">“Because Dad is here. Our family has to be together.”</p><p class="ql-block">After that day, he never asked again.</p><p class="ql-block">He quietly carried the loneliness of growing up, worked hard to adapt, and moved forward with strength—never once complaining.</p><p class="ql-block">And it was only today, reading his letter, that I truly felt the depth of his effort, the weight of his struggle, and the silent transformation he went through.</p><p class="ql-block">He has grown up.</p><p class="ql-block">And in the moment he understood how hard it is for others—he rose above his own hardship.</p> <p class="ql-block">A Letter from 10th Grader Kevin</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">Dear Amar's Reading student,</p><p class="ql-block">When I got into the eighth, ninth, and tenth grades, reading became a really difficult process because I had to read a lot for school. Each night might have to read fifteen pages in biology book, ten pages in an English book and fifteen more for history. That's an immense for me. I start to read, and I get down the first line, OK, second line, OK, third line, OK, but i just can't concentrate after that, I'm reading but my mind is trying to distract me from the book. It's the most frustrating feeling. I say, " Ok, think." slap myself on the face, and go back to the beginning. Or I ask myself,"What have I just read?" and I know nothing about what I just read. I might have read six pages and I know nothing.</p><p class="ql-block">I get totally uncomfortable when I try to read. and there are always other things I'd rather be doing than making myself uncomfortable and straining myself. I get emnarrassed when I read, not because there's someone else around, but because I embarrasss myself when I can't do it. I say, "jeez, you're fifteen and you can't read a whole book, or even a chapter." Why should I put myself in this kind of discomfort on purpose? Sure, I have to do school work, but I can call up a friend to brief me on a chapter, or if I have to answer questions from the reading. I can skim, looking for important words and write out answers. I'm definitely smart in a lot of other subject, but when it gets down to reading, there I am, in the thirteenth percentile. </p> <p class="ql-block">來自10年級Kevin的信：</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">親愛的 Amar 閱讀課的學生：</p><p class="ql-block">當我升到八年級、九年級、十年級時，閱讀對我來說變得非常困難，因為學校的功課實在太多了。每天晚上，我可能要讀 15 頁的生物書、10 頁的英文書、還有 15 頁的歷史書。對我來說，這簡直是巨大的負擔。</p><p class="ql-block">我開始讀書：第一行，還行；第二行，還可以；第三行，還能跟上；但接下來，我就完全無法集中注意力了。我眼睛還在讀，可大腦已經(jīng)在分心，完全不受控制。這種感覺非常令人沮喪。我對自己說：“集中精神！”甚至扇自己一巴掌，然后從頭再來一遍?；蛘呶視栕约海骸拔覄偛抛x了什么？”結果完全想不起來。我可能已經(jīng)讀了六頁，卻什么都不記得。</p><p class="ql-block">當我嘗試閱讀時，整個人會變得非常不舒服。而且總會有其他我更愿意做的事，而不是強迫自己感到不適和吃力去讀書。我讀書時常常感到尷尬，不是因為身邊有人，而是因為我對自己感到羞愧——因為我居然做不到。我會對自己說：“天啊，你都 15 歲了，居然連一本書、甚至連一章都讀不完?！蔽視耄骸拔覟槭裁匆室獍炎约悍旁谶@種不舒服的狀態(tài)里？”當然，我得完成學校作業(yè)。但我可以打電話讓朋友給我講一下這章的內容，或者如果有閱讀題，我可以跳讀、找關鍵詞，然后寫答案。</p><p class="ql-block">其實我在很多其他科目上都很聰明，但一旦回到閱讀上，我就……只是30%的水平。</p> <p class="ql-block">A Reply from Alan in 8th Grade to Kevin ：</p><p class="ql-block">Dear Kevin,</p><p class="ql-block">I really understand how hard it is for you and how you feel. Because the same thing happened to me back in 7th grade(3 years in Ameica). Seventh grade; the book, vocabulary, tests... all the things I don't really understand or enjoy goes in to the trash bin in my brain. I try to reread, like you, but the information I needed never seem to exist in my brain. I struggled in most of my classes beacuse of all the reading and vocabulary I need to remember, and sometimes I am so busy I forget some of my other homework. I alway try my best but my work never come out the way I thought it would be. Fortuately as I matured I found my ways through my hard times. I'm sure you will find your way too and all you need are these 3 things:</p><p class="ql-block">1. Patience 2. Oranization 3.DO NOT complain/think positive</p><p class="ql-block">Life, is not about getting good grades, life is not about money and wealth, but life is about taking in the information around you with patience, even if you fall, get back up and try again, to prepare you for the never ending future. Life is also about love and hate, if you love somthing you will do better than what you hate just like school, so try to love/enjoy what you have </p><p class="ql-block">even some are stressful to be successful. Always remember time does not stop, try to do improve fast as you can before the "clock" stops, But do not stress. All you need is confidence. Now here is some solutions for your problem that I thinks is </p><p class="ql-block">awesome. In general when you stress listen to some music, any music that does not have lyrics, and do not ever feel bad about yourself and complain that just make things worse. Use flash cards for words you do not understand. Also when you read, read out loud. If all of these solutions do not work please send Ms. Amar a letter I will think of someting else.</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p> <p class="ql-block">8年級大寶哥的回信</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">親愛的 Kevin：</p><p class="ql-block">我真的很理解你現(xiàn)在有多辛苦，也明白你的感受。因為我在七年級的時候（在美國三年）也經(jīng)歷過一模一樣的事。七年級的課程、課本、單詞、測驗……那些我聽不懂、也不喜歡的內容，全都像被丟進大腦的垃圾桶一樣，完全記不住。我也會像你一樣嘗試反復閱讀，但我需要的信息似乎從來不在我腦子里。</p><p class="ql-block">我在大多數(shù)課程里都很掙扎，因為有太多閱讀和詞匯要記，有時候太忙，還會忘記其他作業(yè)。我總是盡力而為，但最終寫出來的東西，常常和我心里想的完全不一樣。</p><p class="ql-block">幸運的是，隨著我慢慢長大，我終于找到了走出困難的辦法。我相信你也一定會找到屬于自己的方法。而你現(xiàn)在需要的，只有這三樣東西：</p><p class="ql-block"> 1. 耐心</p><p class="ql-block"> 2. 條理與整理</p><p class="ql-block"> 3. 不要抱怨 / 保持積極</p><p class="ql-block">人生不是只為了拿好成績；人生也不是只為了金錢與財富。人生是要學會帶著耐心去吸收你周圍的信息；即使跌倒，也要站起來再試一次——這就是為永不停歇的未來做準備。</p><p class="ql-block">人生也包括愛與恨：你熱愛的事情，你一定會做得比你討厭的事更好。就像上學一樣，盡量去喜歡、去享受你擁有的一切——即使其中有些事會讓你感到壓力，但正是這些，能讓你變得更強、更成功。</p><p class="ql-block">永遠記?。簳r間不會停下來。盡你所能盡快進步，在“時鐘”停止前完成自己該做的。但也不要太緊張——你真正需要的，是信心。</p><p class="ql-block">最后，這是我想到的一些具體解決方法，我覺得很有用：</p><p class="ql-block"> ? 當你感到壓力大時，聽一些沒有歌詞的音樂來放松；</p><p class="ql-block"> ? 千萬不要對自己感到失望，也不要抱怨——那只會讓事情變得更糟；</p><p class="ql-block"> ? 把不認識的單詞寫在單詞卡上反復練習；</p><p class="ql-block"> ? 閱讀的時候盡量大聲朗讀出來。</p><p class="ql-block">如果這些方法都不管用，請給 Ms. Amar 寫封信，我會再幫你想別的辦法。</p> <p class="ql-block">轉眼間，十一年過去了。</p><p class="ql-block">當我再次回看Alan在八年級時寫給Kevin的那封回信，心中依然感觸良多。那不是一封簡單的作業(yè)回復，而是一段少年內心深處的回響，是一個孩子在面對困境時所流露出的理解、同理與堅韌。</p><p class="ql-block">那時的我，更多的是心疼——心疼他年紀尚輕，便要面對語言的障礙、文化的沖擊，以及成長過程中那份無聲的孤獨與掙扎。同時，也為他的堅持與真摯表達感到由衷的自豪。</p><p class="ql-block">而如今再讀，心中卻多了一份寧靜與自省。</p><p class="ql-block">我開始從更長遠的角度，去理解一個孩子是如何在真實的挑戰(zhàn)中，一點一滴地成長起來；也開始反思：作為父母，我們是否真正意識到，孩子所面對的世界，其實從來不比我們輕松？</p><p class="ql-block">作為父母也需要終身學習，去給予孩子們一份不帶評判的理解，一份始終如一的家的溫暖。</p><p class="ql-block">家，是孩子們的脊梁，是他們在風雨中能始終倚靠的地方。</p><p class="ql-block">成長，從來不是一瞬間的飛躍，而是由無數(shù)個看似平凡的努力，慢慢積累而成。那封信，是他的成長印記，也是我作為母親一次次被提醒、被感動的源頭——</p><p class="ql-block">孩子，正在成為他自己。</p><p class="ql-block">Eleven years have passed in the blink of an eye.</p><p class="ql-block">As I reread the letter Alan wrote to Kevin back in eighth grade, I still feel deeply moved. It wasn’t just a classroom assignment—it was a genuine reflection of a young heart, a response born from struggle, empathy, and quiet strength.</p><p class="ql-block">At that time, my heart ached for him—for a boy so young, having to face language barriers, cultural adjustments, and the silent loneliness and struggles that come with growing up in a foreign land. At the same time, I was genuinely proud of his perseverance and the sincerity in his .</p><p class="ql-block">Now, reading the letter again, I feel a quiet sense of reflection and calm.</p><p class="ql-block">I’ve begun to understand, from a longer and broader perspective, how a child grows—bit by bit, through real-life challenges. I’ve also started to ask myself: as parents, do we truly recognize that the world our children are navigating is no less difficult than our own?</p><p class="ql-block">As parents, we too must be lifelong learners—learning to offer our children understanding without judgment, and a warmth that remains constant—a sense of home that never fades.</p><p class="ql-block">Because home is the backbone of a child.</p><p class="ql-block">It is the place they can always lean on, even in the storms of life.</p><p class="ql-block">Growth is never a sudden leap. It is built through countless small, seemingly ordinary efforts, day after day.</p><p class="ql-block">That letter was a mark of Alan’s growth—and for me as a mother, it has been a source of repeated reminders and quiet emotion.</p><p class="ql-block">My child is becoming who he is meant to be.</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p>