她是一個普通的弱女子，一所普通小学——惠特尼小学的校长。如果你站在学校的墙外远远地望着她，你肯定觉得此人并无任何特别之处;但如果你踏进了那所学校，你将看到那副瘦弱的肩膀正担负着无数孩子的梦想。

一所被无人管教的贫困生塞满的学校，一位势单力薄的女校长，她将如何带领孩子们度过难关？让我们拭目以待……

Im Sherrie Gahn and Im the principal of Whitney Elementary School. Whitney is very unique because we service very high needs population.

We had a lot of homeless children here， more than 85﹪ of our students are free and reduced lunch and a lot of those 85﹪ are homeless. When they leave here on the daily basis， sometimes we dont know where they are going. Their environment changes everyday： somedays they may live in their apartment; somedays they live in a hotel motel; somedays they may be in the streets. We dont know where theyre gonna go.

When I first came to Whitney and I was in the lunch room and walking around helping the kids， and they kept pocketing their ketchup， putting them in their pocket. When I asked my staff what were they doing， they told me that they do that often because they needed to. It was their…its gonna be their dinner， its ketchup soup. Theyre gonna go home and make ketchup soup with it， because they had no food.

My goal was if I can take that off their play. If I can make them come to school and feel safe and warm and they have clothes， and just like any other child. And they are under same level playing field as any other child in school. Then they can learn. I guess its sort of like that fairy tale that， you know， you go to school， you get new backpack， you get new clothes， Christmas you get presents and birthday you get a present and a cake， and these kids dont get that. Its huge...its huge self-esteem， its who you are. So I decided to do it， I decided to get them those things.

I made a deal with the…the families. I ask them that if you give me your child， I will give you whatever you need， your…like Ill pay your electrical bill， your utilities， Ill give you food or clothes whatever you need as long as you give me your child. And then help raise that child as a person of character.

Its started out with me actually going to every person I knew， and calling them up and saying “Hey， I have this school and I need help，” thats how I started the donations. Almost everyone who donates to Whitney is an individual or a small business. We take everything. We take everything because when youre in poverty， you need everything.

My biggest motivator are the kids， and that thought and the whole that they dont have to live in this existence when they grow up， that they break the cycle. Thats my biggest motivator， and their hugs when hug me.

When I was four years old， I told my mother that I was gonna be a teacher， and I have teachers who changed my life， and I didnt even want to be a principal， and then I walked in Whitney and I thought this is my purpose， this is what I meant to do. This does not define who they are， they can be better. And if I can give them that and teach them that and show them that， then…then Ive done my job.

我叫雪莉·佳恩，我是惠特尼小学的校长。惠特尼小学非常特别，因为我们为极其需要帮助的人们服务。

我们学校有很多无家可归的孩子，85%以上的学生都享用免费或低价午餐，而且在这85%当中的许多孩子还无家可归。每天当他们学完功课离开学校后，有时候我们也不知道他们会去哪里。他们的生活环境每天都在变：有时候他们可能住在租赁的公寓;有时候住在汽车旅馆;有时候他们可能流落街头。我们不知道他们能去哪儿。

我初到惠特尼时，我会在午餐室忙着帮忙照顾孩子们，而我看到孩子们一直在收集番茄酱，把自己那份装进口袋。当我问起我的员工孩子们在干嘛的时候，他们告诉我孩子们经常那么做是因为他们需要那么做。那些番茄酱将是他们的晚餐，煮番茄汤用的。他们要用那些番茄酱回家煮汤，因为家里已经没有食物了。

我的目的就是看能否让他们结束那样的生活。如果可以，我希望他们都能上学，感到安全和温暖，并且有衣服穿，就像其他孩子一样。让他们与其他读书的孩子一样享有同样的机会。那样他们就可以安心学习了。我想那有点儿像童话故事，你上学了还可以有新書包、新衣服，圣诞节你会收到礼物，生日有礼物和蛋糕，这些孩子没有那些。这很重要……重要到关乎自尊，这让你肯定自己。所以我下定决心要让他们拥有那些东西。

我跟那些家庭达成协议，我请求他们：如果把孩子交给我，我会提供你们所需要的一切，比如你们的……比如我会支付你们的电费、生活杂费，我会提供你们需要的所有食物和衣服，只要你们把孩子交给我。然后帮衬着将孩子养育成为一个品格高尚之人。

一开始我给每个我认识的人打电话，并跟他们说：“嘿，我有所学校，我需要帮助”，那是我最初获得捐赠的方式。几乎所有给惠特尼捐赠的都是个人或者小企业。我们什么都收。我们什么都收，是因为如果你陷于贫困，你会需要一切。

我最大的动力是孩子们，而且想想这一切，孩子们长大后不用再过这样的生活，他们可以打破这个恶性循环。这就是我最大的动力，还有他们给我的拥抱。

在我四岁的时候，我告诉母亲长大后我要当一名老师，我遇到了几位改变了我人生的老师，我从未想过成为一名校长，但当我走进惠特尼的时候，我觉得这就是我的人生目标，这就是我该做的事。现状并不能定义他们会是什么样的人，他们可以变得更好。如果我能教给他们或是让他们知道这一点，那么……那么我便是尽到自己的职责了。

实 情

The swimsuit issue of a magazine that displayed a model wearing a skimpy bikini on its cover was occupying the attension of  a  wide-eyed  man.  Disturbed，his  wife  said，"That's shameful！If I looked like that I wouldn't leave my house！”

有个男人出神地盯着一本杂志的封面。那上面是一位穿着紧身比基尼泳装的女郎。他的妻子很生气，说：“真不像话，如果我穿的像她一样，我绝不出家门。”

“To tell you the truth，” the husband replied，“if you looked like that neither would I.”

“说句实话，”那男人说，“如果你像她那样，我也不会出家门的。”