Emperor Cuckoo: Human interest in China

[Note: "pinyin" = alphabetic system for representing the sounds of the Chinese language]

November 2nd, 8 a.m.  The first class for first-year deaf children is language, and Zhang Yi, as the teacher in charge, has this class.  Today the children are studying the four tones for the pinyin sound "ia"; once they've grasped the four tones for "ia" and how to write it, they will be able to read. Even though this class has only seven students, the pace of learning is extraordinarily slow.
2日，早8时。一年一班聋班的第一堂课是语文课，身为班主任的章毅教这门课。今天要学拼音“ia”，掌握“ia”的四个声调，并学写、会读。虽然班级里只有7个学生，但学习进度却超乎寻常的慢。
2 rì, zǎo 8 shí.  Yì nián yì bān lóng bān de dì-yì táng kè shì yǔwénkè, shēnwéi bānzhǔrèn de Zhāng Yì jiāo zhè mén kè. Jīntiān yào xué pīnyīn "ia," zhǎngwò "ia" de sì gè shēngdiào, bìng xué xiě, huì dú. Suīrán bānjí lǐ zhíyǒu 7 gè xuésheng, dàn xuéxí jìndù què chāohūxúncháng de màn. 

Harbin's School for the Blind and Deaf is the city's only special education school for blind and deaf children, and among this year's first year students, six of the seven are from cities outside of Harbin. Because these students are deaf and come from impoverished families, they have not received any language training before coming to the school, and their families paid little attention to conversing with them, so even the simplest of sounds for these students present huge difficulties. 
市盲聋哑学校是我市唯一一所接收盲聋哑孩子的特殊教育学校，今年一年级7个新生中有6个是外县学生。因为是聋哑孩子，加之家中经济条件较差，这些孩子上学前基本没接受过语音训练，家长也不注意与他们交流，所以，即使简单的发音对这些孩子而言也十分困难。
Shì máng-lóng-yǎ xuéxiào shì wǒ shì wéiyī yì suǒ jiēshōu máng-lóng-yǎ háizi de tèshū jiàoyù xuéxiào, jīnnián yi niánjí 7 gè xīshēng zhōng yǒu 6 gè shì wàixiàn xuésheng. Yīnwèi shì lóng-yǎ háizi, jiāzhī jiā zhōng jīngjì tiáojiàn jiào chà, zhè xiē háizi shàngxué qián jīběn méi jiēshòuguò yǔyīn xùnliàn, jiāzhǎng yě bú zhùyì yǔ tāmen jiāoliú, suóyǐ, jíshǐ jiǎndān de fāyīn duì zhèxiē háizi ér yán yě shífēn kùnnan.

After several repetitions of pronouncing "ia" for five minutes, Zhang Yi goes and stands next to a student, takes the student's hand and places it on her vocal cords, lets the student feel the vibrations in her vocal chords, and then has the student study the shape of her mouth; she does this repeatedly seven or eight times for each student.  The classroom is tidy, on the windowsill there is a lily in full bloom. For the entire class, except when she is writing on the blackboard, Zhang Yi is in the two aisles of tables and chairs, standing right next to the students.
在重复了数十遍、近5分钟“ia”的发音后，章毅开始走到学生身边，拉着孩子的手放在自己的声带上，让孩子边感受声带的震颤，边看着她的口形跟着学读，如此每人反复七八遍。教室很整洁，窗台上摆着一盆盛开的“一帆风顺”花。整堂课，除在黑板上写字外，章毅一直站在只有两行桌椅的学生身边。
Zài chóngfù le shù shí biàn, jìn 5 fēn zhōng "ia" de fāyīn hòu, Zhāng Yì kāishǐ zǒudào xuésheng shēn biān, lāzhe háizi de shǒu fàngzài zìjǐ de shēngdài shàng, ràng háizi biān gǎnshòu shēngdài de zhènzhàn, biān kànzhe tā de kǒuxíng gēnzhe xué dú, rúcǐ měirén fǎnfù qī bá biàn. Jiàoshì hěn zhěngjié, chuāngtái shàng bǎizhe yì pén shèng kāi de "yìfānfēngshùn" huā.  Zhěng táng kè, chú zài hēibǎn shàng xiězì wài, Zhāng Yì yìzhí zhàn zài zhí yǒu liǎng háng zhuō-yǐ de xuésheng shēn biān.

Her voice is very loud, she uses fingerspelling and very patiently repeats the simplest sounds, and during quizzes often interacts with the students, and for students who come up to standard, she gives a thumbs up and lots of encouragement.  Many of the students sound like babies babbling, and they make the wrong sounds or confusing sounds that seem right, but aren't. 
她的声音很大，配合着指语，不厌其烦地重复着简单的拼音，并通过提问不时与孩子们互动，每每对发音相对较准的孩子竖起大拇指给个大大的鼓励。多数孩子就像咿呀学语的幼儿，怎么也发不准这个音，或者只是含糊地发出一个似是而非的音。
Tā de shēngyīn hěn dà, pèihézhe zhǐyǔ, búyànqífán dì chóngfù zhe jiǎndān de pīnyīn, bìng tōngguò tíwèn bùshí yǔ háizimen hùdòng, měiměi duì fāyīn xiāng duì jiào zhǔn de háizi shùqǐ dàmúzhǐ gěi gè dàdà de gǔlì. Duōshù háizi jiù xiàng yīya xué yǔ de yòu'ér, zěnme yě fā bù zhǔn zhè ge yīn, huòzhě zhǐshì hánhu dì fā chū yí gè sìshì'érfēi de yīn. 

After one hundred repetitions of the "ia" sound, the class period comes to an end, and Zhang Yi says, "Don't be anxious, we have to study this sound for at least a week."  Her son this year is beginning first grade, and each class period he has to study four sounds. 
在上百遍重复“ia”的发音后，一堂课很快过去了，章毅说：“不急，这个拼音要学一个星期呢。”她的儿子今年也上小学一年级，一堂课要学4个拼音。
Zài shàng bǎi biàn chóngfù "ia" de fāyīn hòu, yì táng kè hěn kuài guòqù le, Zhāng Yì shuō: "Bù jí, zhè ge pīnyīn yào xué yí gè xīng qī ne." Tā de érzi jīnnián yě shàng xiǎoxué yì niánjí, yì táng kè yào xué 4 gè pīnyīn. 

The class takes a ten-minute break; Zhang Yi organizes the seven kids into a line and they walk out of the classroom; she takes them to the bathroom, when they return she checks each child to make sure their pants are zippered, or to see if they've gotten wet and have to be changed.  Then she very quickly takes out the morning's cold boiled water, which is now at room temperature, and pours out a full cupful for each child, and watches until they drink every last drop; then she erases the blackboard and puts her teaching materials in order.
课间休息10分钟，章毅组织7个孩子排成一行走出教室，带着他们去上厕所，回来又仔细检查每个人的裤子是否提好、是否弄湿需要重新换一条。然后又麻利地拿出早上晾好的凉开水，给每个孩子的杯里倒满，看着他们喝完，才开始擦黑板、收拾教具。
Kèjiān xiūxi 10 fēn zhōng, Zhāng Yì zǔzhī 7 gè háizi páichéng yì xíng zǒuchū jiàoshì, dàizhe tāmen qù shàng cèsuǒ, huílái yòu zǐxì jiǎnchá měi gè rén de kùzi shìfǒu tí hǎo, shìfǒu nòngshī xūyào chóngxīn huàn yì tiáo.  Ránhòu yòu máli dì náchū zǎoshang liàng hǎo de liángkāishuǐ, gěi měi gè háizi de bēi lǐ dǎomǎn, kànzhe tāmen hē wán, cái kāishǐ cā hēibǎn, shōushi jiàojù. 

8:50 a.m.:  The second class is physical strengthening, and this also is Zhang Yi's class.  She and the class begin "tongue scrubbing" -- open the mouth wide, stick out the tongue, push up the tongue, curl the tongue, move the lips, rub the face, do breathing exercises, do relaxation exercises, do the whole set eight times.  After this warm-up, Zhang Yi takes out a strip of paper, and in a game of competition the children practice blowing air, and then using gestures for "gun" they practice the sound "dadada," and in a game of tug-of-war they practice the sound "lalala" ... 
8时50分，第二堂课是康复课，仍是章毅的课。她和孩子们开始做“舌操”：张大嘴、伸舌头、顶舌头、卷舌头、活动嘴、揉脸、呼吸运动、放松运动，全套八节。“热身”过后，章毅拿出小纸条，让孩子通过游戏比赛练习吹气，并通过挥枪的手势练习“dadada”音节、通过拔河的手势练习“lalala”的发音。
8 shí 50 fēn, dì-èr táng kè shì kāngfù kè, réng shì Zhāng Yì de kè. Tā hé háizimen kāishǐ zuò "shé cāo"： zhāngdà zuǐ, shēn shétou, dǐng shétou, juǎn shétou, huódòng zuǐ, róu liǎn, hūxī yùndòng, fàngsōng yùndòng, quántào bā jié. "Rèshēn" guò hòu, Zhāng Yì náchū xiǎo zhǐtiáo, ràng háizi tōngguò yóuxì bǐsài liànxí chuīqì, bìng tōngguò huī qiāng de shǒushì liànxí "dadada" yīnjié, tōngguò báhé de shǒushì liànxí "lalala" de fāyīn. 

In order to correct the shape of the students' mouths for pronunciation, Zhang Yi takes out her personal "magical charm" -- a big mirror -- and looking into the mirror, she makes expressive movements, and the children are side by side practicing.  The children begin to get very animated, the sunlight floods into the classrom and shines on their little red faces, and although the sounds they are making are not clear or standard, everyone is trying their hardest to make sounds. 
为校正孩子的发音口形，章毅拿出了自己的“法宝”———一面大镜子，照着镜子，手舞足蹈地一遍遍和孩子并排练习。孩子开始活跃起来，阳光透过窗户洒进教室，照在他们红扑扑的小脸上，虽然声音不清楚也不规范，但每个人都在努力地发出声音。
Wéi jiàozhèng háizi de fāyīn kǒuxíng, Zhāng Yì náchū le zìjǐ de "fábǎo" — — — yí miàn dà jìngzi, zhàozhe jìngzi, shǒuwǔzúdǎo dì yí biàn biàn hé háizi bìng pái liànxí.  Háizi kāishǐ huóyuè qǐlái, yángguāng tòuguò chuānghu sǎjìn jiàoshì, zhào zài tāmen hóngpūpū de xiǎo liǎn shàng, suīrán shēngyīn bù qīngchu yě bù guīfàn, dàn měi gè rén dōu zài nǔlì dì fāchū shēngyīn.

Because deaf children speak very little, their lung capacity is much less than that of the average child; they don't use breath normally, and this influences their ability to speak; therefore studying how to use one's breath is the basis of a deaf child's ability to speak:  "From the beginning of the term right up until now, twenty days have passsed, and the children now know how to do breathing exercises, I'm really happy about that."  Zhang Yi can't hide her sense of pride. A child studies how to produce the sound "dadada" and, adopting the pose of waving a gun, shows off to the parents while making the sound; the child's father is in tears and cooperates with the child by falling down.  Zhang Yi is right there, and she's crying too, and she feels all the effort has been worth it.
因为聋孩儿说话少，肺活量比普通孩子小很多，他们也不会正常用气，这直接影响说话，因此学会用气是聋孩儿说话的基础。“从开学到现在20天过去了，孩子们终于学会做呼吸运动了，我真高兴。”章毅毫不掩饰自己的自豪。一个孩子学会发“dada－da”的音，并用挥枪的姿势向父母炫耀时，孩子的爸爸哭了，并马上倒地配合孩子的手势。在场的章毅也哭了，觉得所有的付出都很值得。
Yīnwèi lóng hái'ér shuōhuà shǎo, fèihuóliàng bǐ pǔtōng háizi xiǎo hěn duō, tāmen yě búhuì zhèngcháng yòngqì, zhè zhíjiē yíngxiǎng shuōhuà, yīncǐ xuéhuì yòngqì shì lóng hái'ér shuōhuà de jīchǔ. "Cóng kāixué dào xiànzài 20 tiān guòqù le, háizimen zhōngyú xuéhuì zuò hūxī yùndòng le, wǒ zhēn gāoxìng." Zhāng Yì háobù yǎnshì zìjǐ de zìháo. Yí gè háizi xué huìfā "dadada" de yīn, bìngyòng huī qiāng de zīshì xiàng fùmǔ xuànyào shí, háizi de bàba kū le, bìng mǎshàng dǎodì pèihé háizi de shǒushì.  Zàichǎng de Zhāng Yì yě kū le, juédé suóyǒu de fùchū dōu hěn zhídé. 

11:30 a.m.: Lunch break.  Zhang Yi takes the children to the cafeteria for a meal.  Although there are only two dishes, she lifts up the children who aren't tall enough to see the food counter and let's them choose which dish they prefer.  "Some of the children are picky, I have to look after them, I eat with them." During the lunch break, she takes the opportunity when the children outside to go to the stationery store; some of the kids in math classs don't have rulers, and she chooses two of the best to give them.
11时30分，午休开始。章毅带着孩子去食堂打饭。虽然只有两个菜，她还是举着不够食堂售饭口高的孩子，让他们自己选择要吃哪个。“有的孩子挑食，我得看着他们点儿，和他们一块吃。”午休时，趁着孩子们在操场上游戏的空当儿，章毅又去了趟文具用品店，有两个住校的孩子上数学课没有格尺，她挑了两个好看的送给他们。
11 shí 30 fēn: Wǔxiū kāishǐ.  Zhāng Yì dàizhe háizi qù shítáng dǎ fàn. Suīrán zhíyǒu liǎng gè cài, tā háishì jǔzhe búgòu shítáng shòufàn kǒugāo de háizi, ràng tāmen zìjǐ xuǎnzé yào chī nǎgè.  "Yǒude háizi tiāoshí, wǒ děi kànzhe tāmen dián'ér, hé tāmen yíkuài chī." Wǔxiū shí, chènzhe háizimen zài cāochǎng shàng yóuxì de kōngdāng'ér, Zhāng Yì yòu qùle tàng wénjù yòngpǐn diàn, yǒu liǎng gè zhùxiào de háizi shàng shùxué kè méiyǒu géchǐ, tā tiāole liǎng gè hǎokàn de sònggěi tāmen.

In the afternoon there also is language class; this is a review of the morning's content.  Another round of repetitive sounds begins in what resembles a tape recording for teaching and studying; Zhang Yi,  confident in her lesson plan, says, "I estimate that by the end of the semester, the children will have studied the sounds of all 26 alphabetic letters"
下午第一堂课还是语文课，内容是复习上午的学习内容。新一轮的重复发音又开始了，面对像录音机一样的教与学，章毅胸有成竹地说，“估计到下学期，孩子们就能学会26个字母的发音了。”
Xiàwǔ dì-yì táng kè háishì yǔwénkè, nèiróng shì fùxí shàngwǔ de xuéxí nèiróng. Xīn yì lún de chóngfù fāyīn yòu kāishǐ le, miànduì xiàng lùyīnjī yíyàng de jiāo yǔ xué, Zhāng Yì xiōngyǒuchéngzhú dì shuō, "Gūjì dào xià xuéqī, háizimen jiù néng xuéhuì 26 gè zìmǔ de fāyīn le."

Zhang Yi says many of her classmates who studied special education with her already have changed careers, she also has thought about it, but ultimately she can't abandon these children, and she persists. "Although their parents no longer hope to have "dragons and phoenixes," I still want these deaf children to be able to speak, to provide for themselves in life, to stand on their own two feet, that is what I really wish for, and that is my ultimate goal."
章毅说，很多当年一起学习特教专业的同学现在都已改行了，自己也有一点心动，但最后还是因为放不下这些孩子而坚持下来。“虽然家长并不期望孩子成龙成凤，但我想让聋孩儿都学会说话，今后生活自理、自立，这是我的最大心愿和‘终极目标’。
”Zhāng Yì shuō, hěn duō dāngnián yìqǐ xuéxí tèjiāo zhuānyè de tóngxué xiànzài dōu yǐ gǎiháng le, zìjǐ yě yǒu yìdiǎn xindòng, dàn zuìhòu háishì yīnwèi fàngbúxià zhèxiē háizi ér jiānchí xiàlái. "Suīrán jiāzhǎng bìngbù qīwàng háizi chéng lóng chéng fèng, dàn wǒ xiǎng ràng lóng hái'ér dōu xuéhuì shuōhuà, jīnhòu shēnghuó zìlǐ, zìlì, zhè shì wǒde zuì dà xīnyuàn hé 'zhōngjí mùbiāo'."

Source: 《哈尔滨新闻网》 2011-11/05：“盲聋哑学校特教老师心愿——让每个聋孩儿会说话”  online