哈佛一学生跳楼了,助教宽解学生:开心远比全A重要
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分类: 国外名校和留学信息 |

哈佛一个大二的学生星期一跳楼死了
作者:沈诞琦
2014-04-11 14:21
星期一接到学校官方的email,正在读大二的学生Andrew
我先讲讲我这学期助教的一门本科生的课吧,“中级宏观经济”,经济系专业的必修课。三百多人的大课,我负责教其中的三个小班,一共六十几个学生,大多是大二大三。有谣言说哈佛本科生课的平均成绩是A-,我不知道这个数据出处是哪里。至少这门课绝对不简单,两次期中考试的班级平均都是不及格, curve好之后大部分人都只能得B。
这学期因为教这门课而和我变得比较熟的学生是大三的Marie,因为她这学期遇到了很多麻烦。
按理说这门课每周一次的小班课是不强制出席的,可是Marie这孩子特认真,每次缺席都会给我写email。
第一次缺席的email是二月中,学期刚开始,她说她要临时回家一趟,因为奶奶查出了皮肤癌晚期。
第二次缺席的email是二月末,她说她爸爸刚刚查出肝癌。
二月末第一次期中考试,30道题,每题一分。Marie得了8分,全班垫底。
第三次缺席的email是三月中,奶奶突然过世了。她后来说,她觉得挺幸运的,因为当时正好因为爸爸的病而回家照顾,所以奶奶去世的时候她也在身边。
四月初,也就是上周,这门课第二次期中考试,35道题,每题一分。Marie得了15分,虽然比上次的表现好多了,但是仍然处于班级下游。
最开始的几周,我一直以为这孩子在说谎,怎么可能这么多不幸都同时降临呢?直到有一天,教授发email给我确认了Marie的家庭情况。
除了这些缺席的email,Marie还经常给我发其他的email:我非常非常担心我的成绩,我该怎么办;我今天不能来见你问作业了,我们改时间好吗;我今天临时加了一场排球训练(她是学校排球队的队员,每天训练四小时),我们改时间好吗;我今天临时有一个会,我们改时间好吗?
有时候读她的email,觉得她急得都快哭了。可是每次见面的时候,她总是面带微笑,不提家事,只讨论学习。
这个周一,我把第二次期中考试的成绩发布在网上。不久就收到Marie的email,她显然对自己的表现很不满意:“我非常担心我的成绩。我这一次期中的分数比上一次期中要好一点,不过我仍然非常非常失望。我总是去上课,我总是在课前预习,我在考试之前复习了好久……你觉得我在期末考试之前还有什么可以补救的呢?我真的已经非常努力了,我不想让你以为我没有考好是因为我还不够努力。”
我不知道该怎么去安慰Marie,我知道她说的都是真的。
我的朋友Michael是这门“中级宏观经济课”的另外一个助教。星期一他对我说,跳楼的那个Andrew Sun是他班上的学生。
他说,“最诡异的是,他跳楼的那一会儿,我正在批他的期中考试卷。他得了几乎满分。”
其实除了Marie之外,我所教的六十个学生当中,还有三个经常email骚扰我。
这三个学生骚扰我的时间就是考前的两三天和考后的两三天。
考前的email:你能不能讲解一下2013年期中考试第五题;2012年期中考试第三题;2011年期中考试第十八题……在一封email里面,他会让你讲解七八道不同的题目。
考后的email,基本上一小时一封:你批完了吗;成绩出来了吗;我自己估计我得了XX分,不知道你批出来结果是不是一样;你快批吧;你批完能不能直接email我?
这样的情况久了,我就学会了忽视这三个学生,因为他们根本不需要我回信就能自问自答自high起来。
最让我震惊也不平的是,他们三个,居然就是我班上成绩最好的学生!两次期中考试,他们都和Andrew Sun一样,几乎得了满分。
班上成绩最最好的那个学生,两天前居然给我一封email,“我的作业全满分,第一次期中考试错了一题,第二次期中考试错了一题,你觉得我这样的表现能在这门课上得A吗?”
这是我第一次正儿八经地教书,最大的感触就是大家的压力都太大了。无论是因为家庭原因而垫底的Marie,还是班上那三个成绩最好的学生,还是跳楼的Andrew。
其实这学期我也特别特别特别压力大,此生没有那么累过。没什么特别的原因,无非是自己学业紧张,接了太多的工作,教三个小班,居然最近还开始创业了(!),所有这些加在一起,我已经记不得上一次悠闲地看闲书是什么时候了。有时候晚上躺在床上,想起来好久没有认真写些自己真心想写的文章了,居然就哭了。
在班上只有Marie会问我,你最近是不是很忙;如果你太忙我们可以改时间;你脸色不好应该多休息……
有一次因为去纽约面试,所以取消了一节小班课,承诺下周补上。成绩最好的那个学生马上email说:“我要email教授转去其他小班。”Marie说,面试加油呀!就在那天之前,Marie刚知道爸爸得了癌。
我不知道直接导致Andrew
在哈佛,Andrew的学业成绩特别好,课余是金融分析小组的一员,可是已经很久没参加活动了。大一的暑假,Andrew在西雅图的一个投资公司实习。
他是一个虔诚的基督徒,非常愿意倾听大家的心事。他是一个基督教小组的活跃成员,积极参与组织活动。每天早上8:45分,他总是带着一群朋友做晨祷。
我能想象这样一个孩子会不开心。
从Michael那里知道Andrew的情况之后,我写信给对自己的成绩失望的Marie。“我知道你已经非常努力,你第二次期中考试的表现已经证明你进步了。不要太担心。有件事情我可以告诉你:这门课成绩最好的学生是大二的Andrew Sun,我想你已经知道他的事情了。开心远比全A的成绩重要。”
不久收到Marie的回信。
昨天在小班课上看到Marie,像往常一样的微笑,认真回答所有问题。
以下是哈佛学生校报 The Harvard Crimson的相关报道:
Humble and Faithful, Andrew Sun ’16 Was Quick to Listen, Friends Say
Whether he was on the basketball court or in a Bible study, friends and teachers remembered Andrew ‘Andy’ Sun ’16 as a bright student, a humble listener, and a passionate spiritual mentor.
Sun, an Economics concentrator from New Jersey, died early Monday morning in Massachussets General Hospital, where he was being treated for injuries he sustained after jumping off a Boston building on Sunday. Sun, who was 20 years old at the time of his death, was a resident of Pforzheimer House.
In an email to Pforzheimer House residents, co-House Masters John R. Durant and Anne Harrington ’82 invited students to a community gathering in Pforzheimer on Thursday at 8 p.m. According to the email, there will be readings, music, a candle-lighting ceremony, and collective and private opportunities to share memories of Sun.
Well-known on campus for his active involvement in Harvard College Faith in Action, a non-denominational Christian group, Sun spent much of his time at the College praying with classmates and reading scripture, according to friends.
“He was always really eager to reach other people and pray for and with other people,” Shaun Y.S. Lim ’15, the president of HCFA, said.
According to Lim, Sun and a few of his friends started a morning prayer initiative last fall and invited community members to pray and read scripture with them at 8:45 a.m. every weekday.
John T. Hoffer ’16, a member of the service organization Phillips Brooks House Association, wrote in an email that Sun was also dedicated to mentoring with PBHA and had spent this past J-term tutoring children with the South Boston School program.
“I love everything I remember about Andy Sun,” Hoffer wrote. “His personality is genuine, and that's what made his long laugh so breathtaking.”
Sun attended Montville Township High School in New Jersey, after moving from China the summer before his sophomore year of high school, according to his high school principal Douglas Sanford. During his time at Montville Township, Sun served as president of the math club and was active in the environmental club, robotics club, and the Key Club, according to Sanford, who added that Sun also helped with many other student initiatives.
“Andrew was known as a motivated, inquisitive, and hardworking student, who participated in national and international robotics competitions and co-founded a tutoring business while at MTHS,” Sanford said in a statement.
Sun was also nominated for the Presidential Scholar award during his senior year of high school, took courses at Columbia University, and was a research assistant in the Biomedical Engineering department at Columbia’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences all before he matriculated at Harvard.
Sun’s academic success continued once he arrived at the College, according to Yaron G. Nili, Sun’s teaching fellow for “Economics 970: Sophomore Tutorial.”
“Andrew was very intelligent and kind mannered,” Nili wrote in an email. “His participation in class sessions and assignments always demonstrated remarkable analytical ability, creativeness, and knowledge.”
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