學習應該充滿樂趣嗎？

Should learning always be fun?

I don’t quite get why so many people say that learning should always be fun.

不太能理解為何有許多人說學習就該是快樂的。

Sure, learning “can” be fun, but the process is often discomforting. 

學習「可以」充滿樂趣，惟其過程卻時常讓人感到不適（discomforting）。

From day one in kindergarten, we can clearly observe that learning is not an easy process. Initially, most kids know nothing about classroom norms, and how to interact with their peers and teachers. Sometimes, we see them cry, hide in corners, or simply refuse to talk.

從幼兒園開始，看孩子上學的第一天就知道，這並非是個容易的過程（not an easy process）。事前，多數孩子對班級規範（classroom norms）、同儕與老師一無所知，有時他們會哭泣、躲進角落或拒絕交談。

It is only through the building of trust, the process of learning, and the mastery of new skills, do children find confidence and experience joy in doing what they could not do before.

在學習、練習與掌握新技能的過程中，唯有建立信任，他們才能在陌生的事情中找到信心，並從中發掘樂趣。

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It’s the same for college students, and the same is true for those learning a new language. Learning is difficult and quite discomforting! Interacting with new classmates is hard! Taking advanced courses is hard! Communicating with foreigners is hard! Competing with native speakers in other countries is hard! My goodness, sometimes even communicating with our friends is hard.

大學生也是如此，學習一門新的語言更是如此。學習很難。與新同學互動很難。修習高階課程很難。與外國人交流很難。到他國與當地的母語人士競爭很難。天啊，有時與朋友溝通也很難。

When we are learning, all the aforementioned can be discomforting. I dare say if you don’t feel a bit of discomfort in class or at work, you’re either a genius or not learning. Or, perhaps you are pretending everything is easy or avoiding all challenges.

正是因為你在學習，上述情況都令人感到不安。我敢說，若你在課堂上或工作場合裡沒有一絲的不適，你要麻是天才、要麻不適合在那個地方學習、要麻正試著避免任何問題，或假裝一切都很容易。

Of course, learning is not devoid of fun. As a second language learner, learning grammar is not fun, but being able to decode and comprehend complex text certainly is. Spending months writing your thesis in English is definitely not fun (it sucks), but submitting or presenting the paper can be extremely rewarding. Making mistakes when communicating to native speakers is not fun, but being able to clearly present your ideas to an international audience is undoubtedly fun and joyful.

當然，學習並非毫無樂趣。學習文法並不有趣，但能夠解碼和理解（decode and comprehend）複雜的句子則充滿了樂趣。花幾個月用英語寫論文並不好玩，但提交或發表論文卻是件有趣的事。與他人溝通時犯錯並不討喜，但能清晰地向國際受眾發表自己的想法，無疑是有趣、快樂的。

Even at the doctoral level, learning is not just about fun. My cohort and I are here to learn out of our own free will, and despite decades of work experience, we still face difficulties in our courses. I think most people wouldn’t find it fun to decode Heidegger, Foucault, or other esoteric philosophers. But once someone enlightens you and helps you understand their ideas, that eureka moment can be the best feeling in the world. You know you’ve grown, and are ready to face the next stage of discomfort, before ultimately experiencing happiness that comes with growth.

即使在博班的階段，學習也並非只是樂趣。我和同伴們（cohort）都是自動自發地在這裡學習，即便我們都有數十年的工作經驗，仍會遭遇困難。我想，多數人都不會覺得讀懂海德格（Heidegger）、傅柯（Foucault）或其他哲學家是件好玩的事吧？可一旦有人點撥你，那醍醐灌頂的瞬間（the eureka moment）就是世上最棒的感覺。你知道自己已經學會了，並有所成長，業已準備迎接下個階段的不適，以及那最終的——快樂。

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Thus, I don’t quite understand why everyone expects teachers to make learning as much fun as going to Disneyland or the latest Marvel blockbuster.

因此，我不太能理解，為什麼每個人都希望老師要把學習變得像去迪士尼玩或看最新的漫威電影那樣。

Their job is to listen to you, guide you, and aid you in grasping and using what you’ve learned. Of course, not all teachers can help students achieve their goals. To acquire the skills they need, teachers must undergo rigorous training, regular evaluations, and continuous guidance, and they must often reflect and improve their own teaching with colleagues.

他們的工作是幫助你學習、傾聽你、指導你，讓你掌握所學。當然，並非所有老師都能幫助學生達成目標。為了提供教師們所需的技能，他們須接受嚴苛的測驗、定期的評量、不停的培訓，並時常與同事一起反思、改進自己的教學。

Our education system undoubtedly has its flaws, but teachers still do their best to work in such an environment, gradually changing this education system to help their students. Nevertheless, we can’t expect teachers to do everything – including parenting. In fact, whether learning is “joyful” or not also depends on the students themselves.

我們的教育系統也有缺陷，但老師仍須盡最大的努力在這樣的環境裡工作，逐漸改變這個教育系統，幫助他們的學生。但我們不能指望老師包辦一切——包括對子女的養育。其實，學習的「快樂」與否，也取決於學生自身。

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In short, while learning itself is both a behavioral and intellectual activity, the “experience” of learning is emotional. It is this emotional experience—the discomfort of being a beginner and making mistakes—that often keeps people from even trying to learn.

簡言之，學習本身雖是一種行為也攸關智力（behavioral and intellectual），但學習的「體驗」卻是感性的（emotional）。正是其感性的體驗——身為初學者並犯錯——所造成的不適感（feeling of discomfort），常使人不願跨出學習的第一步（keeps people from even trying to learn）。

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Indeed, being a beginner can make one feel awkward, uncoordinated, inept, or even shameful, especially when learning and using a foreign language. But this is a phase we all must go through to become graceful and competent in all our pursuits.

事實上，身為一個初學者——笨拙（awkward）、不協調（uncoordinated）、無能（inept）——甚至會令人感到羞恥（shameful）。在語言學習中更是如此。但這只是我們必經的一個階段，此後才能變得優雅且有能力（become graceful and competent）！

Our unwillingness to experience this stage of discomfort can hinder our future growth.

若不願經歷這個階段，便會阻礙我們未來的發展。

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So, how can we find joy in the struggles of learning?

那麼，如何在學習時「苦中作樂」呢？

Here are a few suggestions:

以下是幾個建議：

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1. First, know that you are brave to be a beginner.

Know that exposing your weaknesses and trying new things takes courage. Next, find a low-stakes learning environment. Acknowledge that you’ll be venturing into something new and that discomfort, like for everyone else in the class, is part of the process. However, do be the first to raise your hand and try something new. Worry not! No one expects you to be perfect, because no one is.

1、首先，你要知道身為初學者很勇敢。

要知道，暴露自己的弱點並嘗試新的事物，需要勇氣。然後，找個壓力較小的學習環境（low-stakes learning environment）。承認你將冒險以新的方式應對（approach）某事。確知你會感到不適，就像班上的其他人一樣。但成為第一個舉手的人並嘗試新事物，沒有人會期望你是完美的，因為我們都不是。

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2. Be willing to change your learning strategies.

Perhaps the method taught by your teacher doesn’t fit you. Perhaps a course heavy on grammar doesn’t help you much as a language learner. Forget not that there are plenty of online resources for personalized learning goals. For example, maybe you feel that 12 years of compulsory English education is not helping you achieve your goal of studying abroad. You must realize though, that while many teachers are practicing differentiated instruction, general education can’t possibly meet every student’s unique needs. If you have special needs, then you’ll need to seek out additional resources. You must adopt new learning strategies, acquire additional materials, and build upon what you’ve already learned. This leads to my next suggestion.

2、願意改變自己的學習策略。

或許老師教的方法不適合你。或許對你而言，這門以文法為重的課程沒有太大的幫助。網路上有大量資源可實現個人化的學習目標。舉例來說，也許你覺得１２年國民義務教育無助於你出國或成為一名英語教師。遺憾的是，即便已有許多教師努力地以「區分性教學」（differentiated instruction）來解決此一問題，通識教育仍無法滿足每個學生的需求。若有特殊需求，那麼你將需要額外的資源——非所有學校都能提供。你必須學習新的學習策略，獲取額外的教材，並於先前所學的基礎上再接再厲。這就帶出了我的下個建議。

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3. Seek help.

If learning becomes overwhelming, ask for help. In most cases, teachers are willing to lend a hand. You can also consult peers, class advisors, counselors, parents, and community members. There are plenty of resources out there if you’re willing to explore. Of course, be cautious and not blindly follow others’ advice. Seek advice from multiple educators and proceed with caution. If you are willing to ask and persevere, there will be someone willing to help you. Even if no one assists you, finding resources on your own is a valuable learning experience.

3、求助。

如果學習變得過於繁重（become overwhelming），請向他人求助。多數情況下，老師都願意伸出援手。你還可以諮詢同儕、班導、輔導人員、家長以及團體成員（community members）。若你願意，外界有大量資源供你探索。當然，你亦須小心，別一味相信他人的建議。尋求多位教師（educators）的建言，並謹慎行事。若你努力不懈，就會有人願意幫助你。即便無人從旁協助，自己尋找資源也是寶貴的學習經驗。

Do know that teachers are human beings, and they do make mistakes. Teachers must care for hundreds of students every few years, so don’t expect them to only cater to the unique needs of specific students. They also have their own lives, families, and responsibilities. Of course, teachers and our education system can always be improved, but we play a crucial role in our own education. We must always be especially considerate when seeking help from others. From my personal experience online, consideration for others seems rare.

但你要知道，老師是有血有肉的人，也會犯錯（It’s true! We’re human beings, too.）。老師每幾年要照顧數百位學生，別指望他們只滿足特定學生的特殊需求（unique needs）。他們也有自己的生活、家庭與責任。當然，教師與整體教育總能有所提升，但我們自身才是教育的關鍵。我們要永遠體諒他人（be considerate），尤其是在尋求他人幫助時。就我個人在網路上的經驗，體諒他人似不常見，這點讓我頗為難過。

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4. Don’t be afraid to take a break.

Sometimes, life can be miserable. Learning itself is already difficult, and with the accumulation of various problems—health, family issues, work—learning can become unbearable. At this point, you need to take a step back and rest. It’s not worth harming your health and well-being.

４、別害怕休息

有時，生活讓我們難受。學習本身已相當艱難，無論是健康、家庭問題還是工作，隨著種種問題的積累，學習可能變得難以承受。此刻，你需停下腳步（rest or take a step back）。為了學習而損害自己的健康與福祉，並不值得。

We all have stress in our lives, and it would be naïve to think everyone can just rest and let go of their work and school. But from my personal experience, nothing is more important than your mental, physical, and social health. Learning should help improve your life and that of others, not overwhelm you. There’s a clear distinction between learning’s discomfort and detriment.

我們確實都有一些壓力，如果我說「休息」與「放下」很容易，未免太過天真。但就我個人的經驗：健康、身體、精神與社交最為重要。學習理應幫助你提升自己與他人的生活，而非壓垮生活。學習中的「不適」（discomforting）與「有害」（detrimental）當涇渭分明。

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5. Embrace everything.

This is what is known as “emotional courage.” If you’re willing to experience everything—embarrassment, shame, failure, awkwardness—then you’re an unstoppable force.

Embracing everything is not going to turn you into the mighty Thor. Nevertheless, whatever your job is, never stop learning. Engage and try new courses, change your environment, make new friends. Push yourself, especially in areas you’ve already mastered, to become better. Always keep a childlike heart, daring to pursue and try new things. 

５、擁抱一切。

這就是所謂的「情感勇氣」（emotional courage）。若你願意感受一切——尷尬、羞恥、失敗、笨拙——那麼你幾乎無所不能。

擁抱一切，並不會讓你成為雷神索爾。無論你的工作是什麼，都不要停止學習。參與並嘗試新的課程，改變你的環境，結交新的朋友。推動自己，尤其是在你已完成的領域，這樣你才能變得更好。永保赤子之心，勇於嘗試新的事物。

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Yes, this journey can be discomforting, especially when you work with a group of people you think are ten times more capable than you. You might feel like an imposter at times. But you know, they were once like you. Know that learning and mastering new skills take time. Be willing to experience new things!

是的，這段旅程可能會使人不適，尤其是當你與一群你自認能力１０倍於你的人一起工作時。你可能會覺得自己根本是冒名頂替的（imposter syndrome）。但你可知道，起初他們也曾和你一樣。學習與掌握新技能都需要時間。樂於體驗新的事物吧！

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I hope these suggestions make your discomfort in your journey of learning just a little bit more “comforting.”

希望這些建議能讓你學習中的不適感變得稍微「comforting」一些～