美国官员返回学校帮助学生处理暴力

US Officials Turn to Schools to Help Students Deal with Violence 美国官员返回学校帮助学生处理暴力

When students return to the J.J. Hill Montessori School in Minnesota next month, they will find counselors² ready to help them.

The students will also find teachers and other school workers offering hugs and other support, Principal Fatima Lawson told VOA. She said her employees will show the children they care and want to help.

After J.J. Hill sent its 500 students home for their summer break, the school’s popular cafeteria supervisor³, Philando Castile, died. He was shot and killed by a police officer at a traffic stop.

His death and another killing⁴, by police of an African-American man in Baton⁵ Rouge⁶, Louisiana, fueled protests across the United States. It led to claims that some police officers target African-Americans for use of deadly force.

Later, a gunman killed five police officers in Dallas, Texas. Three other police were shot and killed in Baton Rouge. The Dallas officers were on duty at a demonstration⁷ called to protest the police shootings of African-Americans in Minnesota and Louisiana.

All this violence has set off emotional debate across the country -- about the dangerous work police do to protect people and continued charges of police discrimination against African-Americans.

‘We Are Here to Help’

Many Americans are counting on schools to help young people make sense of the violence and the state of race relations in the country.

Fatima Lawson, the J.J. Hill Montessori School principal, expects students to be emotional when they return to school September 6. It will be their first day back since Philando Castile was shot and killed.

“We will let our students know we are here to help them,” Lawson told VOA. She said Castile was loved by the students, aged⁸ 4-11, because he always looked out to make sure they were doing well.

Castile’s death became news around the world. After he was shot, his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, posted live cell-phone videos on social media as her daughter sat in their car’s backseat.

The police officer’s gun was aimed at Reynolds as she spoke⁹ about what happened. "He let the officer know that he had a firearm and he was reaching for his wallet, and the officer just shot him in his arm," she said.

Dealing¹⁰ With Baton Rouge’s Violent Summer

Warren Drake heads public schools in Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s capital. He agrees with Lawson that the most important thing school employees can offer returning students are “hugs and love.”

Drake told teachers and administrators¹¹ the word that should drive their work is “respect.”

By respect, he means showing appreciation¹² for the opinions and concerns expressed by students, their parents and other school employees.

“We need to listen to each other and respect each others opinions and concerns,” Drake told VOA.

Donald Hunter is a clergyman at the New Beginning Baptist Church in Baton Rouge. He also directs the city’s Black Family Initiative, an organization set up to support families.

Hunter said he hears often from young African Americans “concerned, if not fearful,” of being pulled over by police in their cars for a minor¹³ problem and “not surviving.”

The killing of the three Baton Rouge police officers has put the city on edge, Hunter said. All three officers did their jobs well and fairly, he said.

Hunter credits Louisiana’s new governor, John Bel Edwards, with putting the two “tragedies,” the killing of the officers and the earlier killing by police of Alton Sterling¹⁴, an African-American, into balance.

Hunter said, like the governor, he hopes Baton Rouge city residents and the police will develop new respect for each other.

“Sometimes, good comes from tragedy,” Hunter said.

Schools Need to Ready Day One

Vicki Zakrzewski serves as education director at the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley.

She said that starting with the first day of school, teachers and other workers “should reassure¹⁵ children that they are in a safe place.”

Dallas Police Shootings Affected¹⁶ Many

The Dallas police shootings affected many people. Hundreds of demonstrators protesting police shootings had to flee as gunman Michah Johnson fired down from a nearby building.

Johnson told police he was trying to kill as many officers as possible, according to Dallas police reports.

Some students and teachers were trapped at Dallas’ El Centro College, where Johnson held police in a standoff for hours before police killed him.

Mark Harrington, who teaches history at a Dallas high school, said for many children violence is common in their neighborhoods.

“But with what happened this summer, and all the publicity¹⁷ it got, I expect more kids will want to discuss it,” Harrington said. Harrington said his job will be to observe the discussions, and correct “statements that are not factual.”

Words in this Story

counselor¹ - n. a person who gives students advice

cafeteria - n. a room in a school where people get food at a counter and carry it to a table for eating

wallet - n. a small folding case that holds paper money, credit cards

appreciation - n. an ability to understand the worth, quality, or importance of someone

reassure - v. to make someone feel less afraid, upset, or doubtful

trauma¹⁸ - n. a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time

stand-off - n. an argument, competition of conflict in which there is no winner

1 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

2 counselors   

n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 )；律师；（使馆等的）参赞；（协助学生解决问题的）指导老师

参考例句：

• Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。） 来自超越目标英语 第4册

3 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 baton   

n.乐队用指挥杖

参考例句：

• With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
• The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒，乐队开始演奏起来。

6 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

7 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

8 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

11 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

12 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

13 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

14 sterling   

adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
• Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。

15 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

16 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

17 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

18 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。