Talking with Kids: Postcard from Hunan Sicong

Hunan Sicong Central Elementary School Library 

2010 Summer Volunteer Yuchen Wu shares anecdotes from interaction with the children:

"In my imagination, it should be really simple to communicate with kids. But, I've since found out that I have become a grown-up who doesn't know how to approach them. A boy in particular always seems to be able to throw me off. When I mentioned that I am still in university, he asked for my age. I suggested that he should take a guess. "Twenty-five!”He blurted after reflecting. At that moment, I felt like collapsing. Even though he made me much older, but hey, children tell that they think, so I corrected him, "Actually, I am only twenty years old".  After that I noticed that they are really honest. For example, when I asked them, one by one, whether they would like to volunteer as librarian assistants, some girls refused me bluntly, "No!" Their face and voice showed no hints of hesitation. Of course, there were also moments during which the children were not as honest. When I first got here, I once asked them, "Have you ever been to the library?" They thought about the question, their round eyes turning, looking here and there, then answered me in a quiet voice, "yes", and that they went there "quite often". At such times, I often wished that they talked to me with a more absolute tone, the one that they used when they declared that I was twenty five, "The teacher never opened the library!” There were other times that they seem to linger between telling the truth and bluffing, because it was really hard to tell one from the other.  For instance, I have asked many children, “what kind of book do you prefer?" About 90% of them chose fairy tales. Even now I wonder whether they really enjoyed fairy tales, or if the only books that they've read were fairy tales."

Only part of the whole passage is translated. Please refer to the complete Chinese version below.

Postcard from Sicong:  
Full of hope, a child can take the responsibility of an adult.

成长源自于希望。     ---小图书管理员活动

湖南思聪中心小学图书室

2010夏季志愿者吴宇晨分享与孩子们交流的轶事：

想象中，和孩子们交流特别简单。但是我发现我已经老到一种地步了。因为我不知道和他们聊什么。其中，一个小男孩儿更是让我手足无措。当我说到我还在上大学时，他问我多少岁。我说请你猜一下，然后他使劲的想了一下，说“25岁！”。我当时有点想晕倒在地的冲动。毕竟童言无忌，我只好说，其实我20。事后发现小孩子真诚实。他们诚实的地方还有很多，比如我单独问他们愿不愿意当小图书管理员，有些女孩子直接就对我说“不！”，表情和声音还都那么实在。当然，他们也有不实在的时候，比如我刚到这里的时候问他们，你们有没有去过图书馆，他们想了想，又转了转眼珠子，然后小声的说“去过！”，而且还是“经常去”。这个时候我通常希望看到他们用那种说我看起来像25岁的语气告诉我，“老师是从来不开图书馆的！”。还又的时候，他们介于诚实与不诚实之间，因为你也实在分不清楚。譬如，我问了好多孩子，“你们喜欢哪一种类型的书啊？”约有90％的人会回答我说“童话故事”！我到底也弄不清楚他们到底是真喜欢童话故事，还是只看过童话故事。

越和他们沟通，越发觉自己需要加倍努力。我觉得如果能和小学生沟通好，也算是迈出培养我良好沟通能力的第一步了。首先，我希望能记得一些小朋友的名字，比如徐观文，张原，唐志卷，毛志刚，还有一个留守儿童唐白雪。他们都特别乖，尤其是在我和他们沟通以后，坐在那里看书更加认真了。之后，我还让他们玩我的相机。在整个阅览室开放过程中，发生了一件让我最最囧的事情和一件让我最最得意的事情。最囧的事情是，当小朋友问我，姐姐们怎么不下来读书给我们听的时候，我告诉他们，“姐姐在上面整理书，不如我给你们讲吧。” 一个小男生说好好好，然后我起身向大家郑重的宣布，“有没有人想听哥哥讲童话故事？”，结果没有一个人应答。囧了半天，那个提议的小男孩吃力的举着手说，“我！”。这着实让我更囧了！然后，因为我很尴尬，所以我又宣布了一下，喜欢听童话故事的小朋友到门口我念给你们听，于是大家像看热闹一样跟拥着跑了出来。 我念了一篇“灰姑娘”和另外一篇（已经记不得叫什么名字的）故事。他们个个都露出一副不想听了但又不好意思走的神情，索性我停了下来，问有没有人想读下一段呢？他们还是没有人回答。如此这般，我尴尬到了一定程度，于是草草结束了讲故事环节，让他们回去自己阅读去了。最得意的事情是，我在让他们安静不要说话的时候，他们立马就安静下来了，可是没过3秒钟就又恢复成“菜市场”了。于是，我喊了一句，你们哪个小朋友再说话影响别人，我就拿我这台相机把你们拍下来，给你们班主任看！果然，他们屁颠屁颠的都安静下来去读书了。这样一来，既让他们安静下来去读书了，也顺便收集了很多他们调皮和认真样子的照片。哦也。

晚上，我去对面男声宿舍“访问”。他们在玩我小时候玩的洋牌。可是规矩不一样，不过我很快就和他们打成一片了。 其实，他们真的很可爱。比如，和我说话时候很拘谨的样子。再比如，偷偷地摸一下我的相机...... 最开心的是，相处了两个小时后的那种亲切感，他们不像之前那么害羞了。