2. Kó͘-chá-sî, lāu-su sī lâng
Tommy kō͘ hong-sîn ê ba̍k-sek khòaⁿ yi. "In-ūi he m̄-sī lán chit-chióng ha̍k-hāu lah, hàu-tai. He sī kúi-nā pah nî chêng ê hit-chióng kó͘-chá ha̍k-hāu." I koh āng-siaⁿ án-ne kóng, siông-sè liām-chhut hit-ê jī-sû, "Kúi-ā pah nî chêng."
Margie kám-kak bô bīn-chú. "Hó lah, góa m̄-chai in tī hiah kú í-chêng ū siáⁿ-khoán ê ha̍k-hāu." Yi ùi i ê keng-thâu téng tha̍k hit-pún chheh chi̍t-khùn, jiân-āu kóng, "Chóng-kóng, in hit-sî ū lāu-su."
"Tong-jiân, in ū lāu-su, m̄-koh he m̄-sī pho͘-thong ê lāu-su. He sī chi̍t-ê lâng." "Lâng? Lâng án-chóaⁿ chò lāu-su ah?" "Hmh, i kà gín-á tāi-chì, kau-tài chok-gia̍p, koh mn̄g in būn-tê." "Lâng bô khó-lêng ū hiah khiáu." "Tong-jiân, i ū. Goán lāu-pē ê khiáu bē khah su goán lāu-su." "Bô khó-lêng. Lâng bô khó-lêng chhiūⁿ lāu-su bat hiah chē." "I chai ê chha-put-to pêⁿ chē, góa kap lí tó͘."
Margie bô siūⁿ boeh hām i sio-chèⁿ. Yi kóng, "Góa bô-ài chheⁿ-hūn lâng tī goán tau kà góa."
Tommy chhiò kah ki chhut-siaⁿ. "Lí chai ê chiâⁿ chió, Margie. Hit-sî ê lāu-su bô tòa tī chhù nih. In ū chi̍t-ê te̍k-pia̍t ê kiàn-bu̍t, só͘-ū ê gín-á lóng khì hia." "Só͘-ū ê gín-á lóng o̍h kāng-khoán ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ?" "Tong-jiân, chí-iàu in sī kāng nî-hòe."
"M̄-koh goán lāu-bú kóng, lāu-su tio̍h kin-kì só͘ kà ê gín-á khì tiâu-chéng, kō͘ bô-kāng ê hong-sek kà múi chi̍t-ê gín-á."
"Kāng-khoán, hit-sî in bô án-ne chò. Lí nā bô kah-ì, lí bô su-iàu tha̍k chit-pún chheh."
"Góa bô kóng góa bô kah-ì he," Margie kín án-ne kóng. Yi boeh ài tha̍k iú-koan hiah-ê chiâⁿ chhù-bī ê ha̍k-hāu.
In iáu-bōe tha̍k chi̍t-pòaⁿ, Margie ê lāu-bú tō hoah-siaⁿ ah, "Margie! Siōng-khò!" Margie gia̍h-thâu khòaⁿ. "Iáu bōe lah, Mamma."
"Kín lâi!" Jones Tt kóng. "Tommy ê sî-kan khó-lêng mā kàu ah."
Margie kā Tommy kóng. "Siōng-khò liáu, góa ē-sái koh hām lí tâng-chê tha̍k chit-pún chheh bô?"
"Khòaⁿ-māi lah," i léng-léng án-ne ìn. I ná kho͘ sut-á ná kiâⁿ khui, hit-pún kha̍h eng-ia ê kū-chheh gia̍p tī chhiú-kó͘-ē.
Margie kiâⁿ-ji̍p siōng-khò ê pâng-keng. He hām yi ê khùn-pâng sio keh-piah, ke-khì lāu-su í-keng khui-ki, teh tán yi. Tî-liáu pài-la̍k hām lé-pài, ta̍k-kang i chóng-sī tī kāng chi̍t-ê sî-kan khui-ki, in-ūi yin lāu-bú kóng, sè-hàn gín-á nā tī kò͘-tēng sî-kan ha̍k-si̍p, hāu-kó khah hó.
Êng-bō͘ tiám to̍h, téng-bīn siá: "Kin-á-ji̍t ê sǹg-su̍t khò sī iú-koan chin hun-sò͘ ê ke-hoat. Chhiáⁿ kā cha-hng ê chok-gia̍p khǹg-ji̍p sek-tòng ê chhah-chô."
Margie thó͘ chi̍t-kháu khùi, chiàu án-ne chò. Yi teh siūⁿ yin akong ê akong iáu sī gín-á hit-sî ê ha̍k-hāu. Só͘-ū hū-kīn ê gín-á lóng lâi, tī hāu-tiâⁿ kún-chhiò, hoah-hiu, chò-hóe chē tī kàu-sek, chi̍t-kang kiat-sok ê sî koh tâng-chê tńg-chhù. In o̍h kāng-khoán ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ, só͘-í in ē-tàng hō͘-siong pang-chō͘ chok-gia̍p, koh hō͘-siong thó-lūn.
Lāu-su lóng sī lâng...
Ke-khì lāu-su ê êng-bō͘ teh sih: "Lán lâi ke nn̄g ê hun-sò͘: 1/2 hām 1/4..."
Margie teh siūⁿ, kó͘-chá gín-á tiāⁿ-tio̍h chiok kah-ì hit-lō ha̍k-hāu. Yi teh siūⁿ in hit-sî ê lo̍k-thiòng.
--
2. 古早時, 老師是人
Tommy kō͘ 風神 ê 目色看她. "因為彼毋是咱這種學校 lah, 孝呆. 彼是幾若百年前 ê 彼種古早學校." 伊 koh āng 聲 án-ne 講, 詳細念出彼个字詞, "幾若百年前."
Margie 感覺無面子. "好 lah, 我毋知 in tī hiah 久以前有啥款 ê 學校." 她 ùi 伊 ê 肩頭頂讀彼本冊一睏, 然後講, "總講, in 彼時有老師."
"當然, in 有老師, 毋過彼毋是普通 ê 老師. 彼是一个人." "人? 人按怎做老師 ah?" "Hmh, 伊教囡仔代誌, 交代作業, koh 問 in 問題." "人無可能有 hiah 巧." "當然, 伊有. 阮老爸 ê 巧袂較輸阮老師." "無可能. 人無可能像老師捌 hiah 濟." "伊知 ê 差不多平濟, 我 kap 你賭."
Margie 無想欲和伊相諍. 她講, "我無愛生份人 tī 阮兜教我."
Tommy 笑 kah 吱出聲. "你知 ê 誠少, Margie. 彼時 ê 老師無蹛 tī 厝 nih. In 有一个特別 ê 建物, 所有 ê 囡仔 lóng 去 hia." "所有 ê 囡仔 lóng 學仝款 ê 物件?" "當然, 只要 in 是仝年歲."
"毋過阮老母講, 老師著根據所教 ê 囡仔去調整, kō͘ 無仝 ê 方式教每一个囡仔."
"仝款, 彼時 in 無 án-ne 做. 你若無佮意, 你無需要讀這本冊."
"我無講我無佮意 he," Margie 緊 án-ne 講. 她欲愛讀有關 hiah-ê 誠趣味 ê 學校.
In 猶未讀一半, Margie ê 老母 tō 喝聲 ah, "Margie! 上課!" Margie 攑頭看. "猶未 lah, Mamma."
"緊來!" Jones Tt 講. "Tommy ê 時間可能 mā 到 ah."
Margie kā Tommy 講. "上課了, 我會使 koh 和你同齊讀這本冊無?"
"看覓 lah," 伊冷冷 án-ne 應. 伊 ná kho͘ sut-á ná 行開, 彼本 kha̍h 坱埃 ê 舊冊挾 tī 手股下.
Margie 行入上課 ê 房間. He 和她 ê 睏房相隔壁, 機器老師已經開機, teh 等她. 除了拜六和禮拜, 逐工伊總是 tī 仝一个時間開機, 因為姻老母講, 細漢囡仔若 tī 固定時間學習, 效果較好.
螢幕點 to̍h, 頂面寫: "今仔日 ê 算術課是有關真分數 ê 加法. 請 kā 昨昏 ê 作業囥入適當 ê 插槽."
Margie 吐一口氣, 照 án-ne 做. 她 teh 想姻阿公 ê 阿公猶是囡仔彼時 ê 學校. 所有附近 ê 囡仔 lóng 來, tī 校庭滾笑, 喝咻, 做伙坐 tī 教室, 一工結束 ê 時 koh 同齊轉厝. In 學仝款 ê 物件, 所以 in 會當互相幫助作業, koh 互相討論.
老師 lóng 是人...
機器老師 ê 螢幕 teh 爍: "咱來加兩个分數: 1/2 和 1/4..."
Margie teh 想, 古早囡仔定著足佮意 hit-lō 學校. 她 teh 想 in 彼時 ê 樂暢.
--
2.
Tommy looked at her with very superior eyes. "Because it's not our kind of school, stupid. This is the old kind of school that they had hundreds and hundreds of years ago." He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, "Centuries ago."
Margie was hurt. "Well, I don't know what kind of school they had all that time ago." She read the book over his shoulder for a while, then said, "Anyway, they had a teacher."
"Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn't a regular teacher. It was a man." "A man? How could a man be a teacher?" "Well, he just told the boys and girls things and gave them homework and asked them questions." "A man isn't smart enough." "Sure he is. My father knows as much as my teacher." "He can't. A man can't know as much as a teacher." "He knows almost as much, I betcha."
Margie wasn't prepared to dispute that. She said, "1 wouldn't want a strange man in my house to teach me."
Tommy screamed with laughter. "You don't know much, Margie. The teachers didn't live in the house. They had a special building and all the kids went there." "And all the kids learned the same thing?" "Sure, if they were the same age."
"But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently."
"Just the same they didn't do it that way then. If you don't like it, you don't have to read the book."
"I didn't say I didn't like it," Margie said quickly. She wanted to read about those funny schools.
They weren't even half-finished when Margie's mother called, "Margie! School!" Margie looked up. "Not yet, Mamma."
"Now!" said Mrs. Jones. "And it's probably time for Tommy, too."
Margie said to Tommy, "Can I read the book some more with you after school?"
"Maybe," he said nonchalantly. He walked away whistling, the dusty old book tucked beneath his arm.
Margie went into the schoolroom. It was right next to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her. It was always on at the same time every day except Saturday and Sunday, because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.
The screen was lit up, and it said: "Today's arithmetic lesson is on the addition of proper fractions. Please insert yesterday's homework in the proper slot."
Margie did so with a sigh. She was thinking about the old schools they had when her grandfather's grandfather was a little boy. All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day. They learned the same things, so they could help one another on the homework and talk about it.
And the teachers were people...
The mechanical teacher was flashing on the screen: "When we add the fractions 1/2 and 1/4..."
Margie was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days. She was thinking about the fun they had.
--
// 2022-8-12
Written in 1951 for a syndicated newspaper page, 'The Fun They Had' was later published in Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine.
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