He was in the first third grade class I taught at Saint Mary's School in Morris, Minn. All 34 of my students were dear to me, but Mark Eklund was one in a million. Very neat in appearance, he had that happy-to-be-alive attitude that made even his occasional mischievousness1 delightful.
Mark talked incessantly2. I had to remind him again and again that talking without permission was not acceptable. What impressed me so much, though, was his sincere response every time I had to correct him for misbehaving3—“Thank you for correcting me, Sister!” I didn't know what to make of it at first, but before long I became accustomed to4 hearing it many times a day.
One morning my patience was growing thin when Mark talked once too often, and then I made a novice5-teacher's mistake. I looked at him and said, “If you say one more word, I am going to tape6 your mouth shut!”
It wasn't ten seconds later when Chuck blurted out7, “Mark is talking again.” I hadn't asked any of the students to help me watch Mark, but since I had stated the punishment in front of the class, I had to act on it.
I remember the scene as if it had occurred this morning. I walked to my desk, very deliberately8 opened my drawer and took out a roll of masking tape9. Without saying a word, I proceeded10 to Mark's desk, tore off two pieces of tape and made a big X with them over his mouth. I then returned to the front of the room.
As I glanced at Mark to see how he was doing he winked at me. That did it! I started laughing. The class cheered as I walked back to Mark's desk, removed the tape and shrugged my shoulders. His first words were, “Thank you for correcting me, Sister.”
At the end of the year I was asked to teach junior-high11 math. The years flew by, and before I knew it Mark was in my classroom again. He was more handsome than ever and just as polite. Since he had to listen carefully to my instructions in the “new math,” he did not talk as much in ninth grade as he had in the third.
One Friday, things just didn't feel right. We had worked hard on a new concept all week, and I sensed that the students were frowning12, frustrated13 with themselves—and edgy14 with one another. I had to stop this crankiness15 before it got out of hand. So I asked them to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then I told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.
It took the remainder16 of the class period to finish the assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed me the papers. Charlie smiled. Mark said, “Thank you for teaching me, Sister. Have a good weekend.”
That Saturday, I wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and I listed what everyone else had said about that individual17. On Monday I gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. “Really?”I heard whispers. “I never knew that meant anything to anyone!”“I didn't know others liked me so much!”
No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. I never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished18 its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another again.
That group of students moved on. Several years later, after I returned from vacation, my parents met me at the airport.
As we were driving home, Mother asked me the usual questions about the trip—the weather, my experiences in general. There was a light lull19 in the conversation. Mother gave Dad a side-ways glance and simply says, “Dad?” My father cleared his throat as he usually did before something important. “The Eklunds called last night,” he began. “Really?” I said. “I haven't heard from them in years. I wonder how Mark is.”
Dad responded quietly. “Mark was killed in Vietnam,” he said. “The funeral20 is tomorrow, and his parents would like it if you could attend.” I can still remember clearly my shock at the news.
I had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin21 before. Mark looked so handsome, so mature22. All I could think at that moment was, Mark, I would give all the masking tape in the world if only you would talk to me.
The church was packed with Mark's friends. The pastor23 said the usual prayers, and the bugler24 played taps25. One by one those who loved Mark took a last walk by the coffin and sprinkled26 it with holy water.
I was the last one to bless the coffin. As I stood there, one of the soldiers who had acted as pallbearer27 came up to me. “Were you Mark's math teacher?”he asked. I nodded as I continued to stare at the coffin. “Mark talked about you a lot,”he said.
After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates headed to Chucks farmhouse for lunch. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting for me. “We want to show you something,” his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. “They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.”
Opening the billfold28, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. I knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which I had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him.
“Thank you so much for doing that,”Mark's mother said. “As you can see, Mark treasured it.”
Mark's classmates started to gather around us. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly29 and said, “I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home.” Chuck's wife said, “Chuck asked me to put this in our wedding album30.” “I have mine too,” Marilyn said. “It's in my diary.”Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocket, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled31 list to the group. “I carry this with me at all times,” Vicki said without batting32 an eyelash33. “I think we all saved our lists.”
That's when I finally sat down and cried. I cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.
我在明尼苏达州莫里斯的圣玛丽学校执教时，他在三年级一班就读。全班34个学生都是我的宝贝，但马克·艾克路德更是万里挑一。他外表干净整洁，他那与生俱来的乐天本性，使得他偶尔的淘气也变得可爱起来。
马克常喋喋不休地讲个不停。我得一再提醒他，未经许可不许交谈。让我印象深刻的是每次我纠正他时他那诚恳的回答：“修女，谢谢你纠正我。”刚开始我还真不知作何反应，但不久我习惯了一天听上好几次。
有天早上，马克又说个不停，我再也忍不住了。我犯了个刚入道的老师常犯的错误。我注视着马克说道：“如果你再说一个字，我就用胶布把你的嘴巴贴起来！”
不到10秒钟，查克突然说：“马克又讲话了！”其实我并未交代任何学生帮我盯着马克，但既然我事先在全班同学面前宣布了这项惩罚，那么我就必须执行。
我清楚记得那一幕，仿佛今天早晨刚发生。我走向桌子，非常慎重地打开抽屉，取出一卷胶带。我一言不发，走向马克的座位，撕下两片胶带，在他嘴上粘了一个大大的×。然后走回讲桌。
我看看马克的反应，他竟然向我眨眼睛！够了，我不禁笑了出来！我走回马克的座位撕去胶带，无奈地耸耸肩，全班欢呼雀跃。他的第一句话竟是：“修女，谢谢你纠正我。”
那个学年末，学校要我教初中数学。一晃几年过去了，不知不觉中，马克又出现在我的班上了。他比以前更英俊了，还像以往一样彬彬有礼。由于九年级的“新数学”并不容易，他必须专心听讲，所以不像三年级时那么多话。
有个礼拜五，事情好像不太对劲。整整一个星期以来，我们一直在学一个新数学概念，而且我察觉到学生们自身的挫折感愈来愈深，彼此间烦躁不安。我必须缓和这种不安的气氛，免得难以收拾。所以我要大家拿出两张纸列出同班其他同学的名字，名字之间留出一点空隙。然后我要他们想想每个同学的优点，把它们写下来。
这项任务占用了剩余的课堂时间，学生们离开教室时，每人交给我两张纸条。查理离开时微笑了。马克说：“修女，谢谢你的教导，周末愉快！”
那个星期六，我把每位学生的名字写在单独的一张纸上，还把其他人对那个人的评语一一写上。礼拜一，我把记有每位学生优点的纸发给他们。不一会儿，每个人的脸上都露出了微笑。我听见有人小声说：“真的吗？”“我从来都不知道别人会这样觉得耶！”“我没想到别人竟然会这么喜欢我！”
班上再也没有人提起那些纸条。我也不知道学生们是否会在课后讨论过或与他们的父母谈过那些纸条，但这并不重要。这个活动达到了它的目的，学生们对自己满意了，彼此间又恢复了往日的愉快。
那班同学继续升学。若干年后，我度假回来，父母到机场来接我。
开车回家途中，母亲一如既往问起我的旅途情况——如天气啦、有何见闻啦。但语气间似乎流露出些许迟疑。母亲向父亲使了个眼色，简单说了声“你爸爸有话说吗？”父亲清了清嗓子，就像平常讲述某件重大事情之前一样：“艾克路德家昨晚打电话来了。” “真的？我好几年没有他们的消息了！马克还好吗？”
父亲平静地说：“马克在越战中死了！葬礼就在明天。他的父母希望你能参加。”直到今天，我还清清楚楚地记得听到这个消息时的震惊。
在此之前，我从来没见过军人躺在棺木里的样子。马克看起来如此英俊、如此成熟。那一刻，我满脑子都在想：马克，只要你能和我说话，我愿意把世界上所有的粘胶带都扔掉。
教堂挤满了马克的朋友。神父像通常那样做着祈祷，喇叭手轻轻吹着号。深爱马克的人依次在马克的棺木旁绕了一周，洒下圣水。
我是最后一个在棺木旁祝福的人。我伫立在那里，一位护棺的军人向我走来，问道：“你是马克的数学老师吗？” 我望着棺木点点头。他说：“马克经常向我谈起你。”
葬礼之后，大部分马克的生前好友都前往查克的农场用午餐。马克的父母也在那儿，显然是在等我。他的父亲说：“我们想给你看样东西。”接着他从口袋里拿出一个皮夹。“马克遇难时他们从他身上找到的，我们想你可能会认得。”
打开皮夹后，他小心翼翼地取出两张破旧的笔记本纸，显然这两张纸已被无数次粘补，也被折叠了无数次。我不用看就知道，这就是那两张纸，上面抄有马克的同学对他的一大堆好评。
“非常谢谢你这么做。”马克的母亲说。“你瞧，马克十分珍惜它。”
马克的同学开始聚集在我们周围，查理羞怯地笑着说：“我也留着我那张纸，放在家里书桌最上面的抽屉里。” 查克的妻子说：“查克要我把那张纸放在结婚相簿里。”“我的也在！”玛丽莲说：“夹在我的日记本里。” 接着马克的另一个同学维琪，从口袋里取出皮夹，把她那张又破又旧的纸条拿给大家看。“我总是随身带着。”维琪一眼不眨地说，“我想大家都保留着自己的纸条。”
此时我终于坐下来开始哭泣，我为马克及那些再也见不到他的朋友们而哭。
1． mischievousness n． 淘气，恶作剧
2． incessantly adv． 不停地
3． misbehave v． 行为不端
4． be accustomed to 习惯于
5． novice n． 新手
6． tape [teip] v． 用胶带把…粘牢
7． blurt out 脱口而出
8． deliberately adv． 故意地；深思熟虑地
9． masking tape 粘胶带
10． proceed v． 继续
11． junior－high 初中
12． frown [fraun] v． 皱眉
13． frustrate v． 受挫；灰心
14． edgy adj． 急躁的；易怒的
15． crankiness n． 不正常
16． remainder n． 剩余物
17． individual n． 个人
18． accomplish v． 达到，完成
19． lull n． 呆滞，暂停
20． funeral n． 葬礼
21． coffin n． 棺材；灵柩
22． mature adj． 成熟的
23． pastor n． 牧师
24． bugler ] n． 号手
25． tap n． 号
26． sprinkle v． 撒；洒在…上
27． pallbearer n． 抬棺材的人
28． billfold n． 皮夹子
29． sheepishly adv． 羞怯地
30． album n． 相册
31． frazzle v． 磨损
32． bat v． 眨（眼睛）
33． eyelash n． 睫毛