美国国家公共电台 NPR--Florida's public schools open this year under a slate of new education laws

Florida's public schools open this year under a slate¹ of new education laws

Transcript²

Teachers in Florida are navigating³ new rules on how they teach topics involving sexual orientation⁴, race and more. Some say the rules are stifling⁵ while others pledge they won't change how they teach.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Florida's public schools open this year under a slate of new education laws signed by Governor Ron DeSantis.

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RON DESANTIS: We have drawn⁶ a very clear line in the sand that says our school system is for educating kids, not indoctrinating kids.

(CHEERING)

MARTINEZ: The laws broaden parental⁷ rights and say no one should be taught to feel guilt⁸ for past actions by people of their same race or sex. From member station WUSF, Kerry Sheridan reports.

KERRY SHERIDAN, BYLINE⁹: As buses roll into Booker High School on a Friday morning, just over a week into the school year, senior Nora Mitchell says the laws are already having an effect.

NORA MITCHELL: The energy on campus has changed. Teachers are frustrated¹⁰. They are stressed out and understandably so. They can't teach to the fullest extent. Teachers who want to teach about all-encompassing issues, talk about current events, they are prevented from doing so.

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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Good morning, Booker High School...

SHERIDAN: Gail Foreman teaches history at Booker High and says the law's vague wording is creating a lot of uncertainty¹¹.

GAIL FOREMAN: I have a lot of students that would use preferred names, and they can't use them until we get the paperwork done. So I'm using last names.

SHERIDAN: Now students that want to be called a different name or pronoun must ask a counselor¹² and the principal, who must ask the parents, who can grant or deny permission. It's due to the new Parental Rights in Education law, sometimes called Don't Say Gay. It says all parents must be notified of any change to their child's mental, physical or emotional well-being¹³.

FOREMAN: One of them asked me yesterday, Ms. Foreman, are we really safe on this campus, or are we going to start dealing¹⁴ with gay bashing, homophobia? And I said, no, you're safe in the building; we're going to provide safety for all of our students. But in my heart, I don't know that that's true.

SHERIDAN: Sarasota district officials denied a request to visit a classroom, so I met with Foreman and Jeremy Baldwin, who teaches government and economics at Booker High, before school at 6:30, while it's still dark. We stand outside on the sidewalk.

JEREMY BALDWIN: It's really frustrating¹⁵, being vocal¹⁶ about it out here and then being in the classroom with the kids, who need to get that acknowledgement, and I've got to be sterile¹⁷. I can't say anything to affirm them or support them.

SHERIDAN: Last year, Baldwin was asked to remove a flag in his classroom that had rainbow colors and the word coexist. This year, he says the changes have been extensive.

BALDWIN: Everything that we teach in the classroom has to be documented. So from Day 1, I'm supposed to know what I'm going to do on the last day of school and be able to document every site I use, every text I use.

FOREMAN: Some of us have covered our bookcases up with paper. I just told the kids it's off-limit. I have tape up, and they took it down yesterday. I went and got some police tape, so I'm going to put that up today.

SHERIDAN: The Sarasota school district has frozen the purchase of new library books and stopped accepting donated books, even of dictionaries, until they can hire media specialists to vet¹⁸ each book. But not every district is doing the same. In nearby Pinellas County, the district said classroom teachers need not remove their classroom libraries, and issues of students' pronouns are being handled on a case-by-case basis there. Andrew Spar is president of the state's largest teachers union, known as the Florida Education Association.

ANDREW SPAR: These laws are meant to create confusion, are meant to create chaos¹⁹, and they are doing that. But overwhelmingly, parents see these laws as distractions²⁰ away from what matters. And we should focus on what matters, which is our kids.

SHERIDAN: Some teachers are vowing²¹ not to change how they teach, like Brandt Robinson, who teaches history at Dunedin High School and is in his 26th year of teaching.

BRANDT ROBINSON: I'm not really going to change not only anything that I teach, but I'm not going to change the way I teach about it because I'm really confident that my students understand that it doesn't matter how they feel about a political issue; the most important thing is that they feel valued.

SHERIDAN: Florida school districts are waiting for more detailed²² guidance from the state, and that could take a while. In the meantime, a number of legal challenges have been filed against the new laws.

For NPR News, I'm Kerry Sheridan in Sarasota.

1 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 navigating   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• These can also be very useful when navigating time-based documents, such as video and audio. 它对于和时间有关的文档非常有用，比如视频和音频文档。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Vehicles slowed to a crawl on city roads, navigating slushy snow. 汽车在市区路上行驶缓慢，穿越泥泞的雪地。 来自互联网

4 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

5 stifling   

a.令人窒息的

参考例句：

• The weather is stifling. It looks like rain. 今天太闷热，光景是要下雨。
• We were stifling in that hot room with all the windows closed. 我们在那间关着窗户的热屋子里，简直透不过气来。

6 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

7 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

8 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

9 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

10 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

12 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。

13 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

14 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。

15 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

17 sterile   

adj.不毛的，不孕的，无菌的，枯燥的，贫瘠的

参考例句：

• This top fits over the bottle and keeps the teat sterile.这个盖子严实地盖在奶瓶上，保持奶嘴无菌。
• The farmers turned the sterile land into high fields.农民们把不毛之地变成了高产田。

18 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

19 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

20 distractions   

n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱

参考例句：

• I find it hard to work at home because there are too many distractions. 我发觉在家里工作很难，因为使人分心的事太多。
• There are too many distractions here to work properly. 这里叫人分心的事太多，使人无法好好工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

22 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。