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Portraits from memories
Lugusun
Again I came to FuDanUniversity, with same purpose but different state of mind. Last year, I audited the classes of LuGusun for half a year. A moment ago, I read an article on Fudan campus net, saying that he was rewarded the title of “national teacher model of teaching moral”. I was not surprised at all. Personally, I appreciate him for his generosity so that I could enjoy his English essays.
Last year, I still suffered the nonchant languor of my mind, I could not find more drive in study except for the idle inertia, and rather stayed whither my rut would bring. And in September, I moved to a slum close to the Northern Zone of the university. By accident, I knew the subject the essays of modern American and British he would give to his senior students. And so I decided to attend it.
He is a little older than his age, caused by his long burden of plowing in the field of Dictionary compiling. White hair well combed but still with a sense of inobidient bristle. He walked slowly but stately, ponderouly.
Actually I knew him in the ceremony of the establishment of foreign languague college, which was updated from the former foreign language department of Fudan Univercity, which I hopefuly think it’s not only an elevations in name, or organization, but in essence. And he, as the director or dean of the new-established college hosted the ceremony. I happened to pass by and attracted by the conspicuous posters and banners displayed in front of the YuFu building. And out of sheer curioucity, I hustled into the hall and stood in the corner because there is nearly no place even for standing.
As customs went, some programs performed by students and polite praise and good wishes from reps from other cities. But only Lu’s speech gave me an impression deep enough for me to recall it after more than one year. He said : “I hope that we can cultivate a peaceful air of academy in the present ‘energy-worship’ era, according to Irving Babitt.” He even referred to the epigram of Kant “ the heaven above, and the moral principle inside”. His speech was short but eloquent.
Before he stepped into the classroom, a chair would be carried to the classroom in advance, maybe it’s a little advantage that he, as an old teacher, enjoyed, in which he could sit when he felt the tiredness of standing.
He often began his class with comments on student’s compositions or their presentation involved with the lesson he would teach. As for the presentationers, I observed, he always gave correspondent and appropriate comments, mostly praised him and then pointed out some errors in a very mild way. The last class of this term a boy was nominated to show up beside him. Actually, he didn’t prepare for the presentation, and meanwhile his ability and knowledge could hardly support him to extemporize a shameproof speech. He murmured and stammered some scraps of Churchill, turning his inquiring eye to our professor several times. After he retrieved his seat, Professor fumbled for a while and said: “ at least he is a lovely boy!” And the whole class bursted into laughter.
Professor likes humour, and selected quite a few humorous proses in his selected reading essays. And his voice is resonent like a drum, when he entered into his role completely, he frequently associate his talk with gesture, for example, he would point his forfinger upward and shook it rhethmically in tune with his words, while generally he propped up himself with his arms, each hand holding a corner of the teaching desk.
He professed with a familiar way, like rambling or chatting with us, leading his students to explore the humours and beauties of the essays. He had said that as a successful teacher, he should have the capability to hold the tempo of his class, sometimes strike it out in a bombardment way, and then relieve students by arranging certain suitable jokes to arouse laughters.
A teacher never professes knowledge without conveying his living philosohphy. He frequently digressed from the text to voice his opinions to a problem, or sighed over a social phenomenon he think absurd. I guessed he is ensthusiastic in social activity. And seemed to hold an attitude of tolerance, seldom used conspicuous words to criticize one, especially when it is about persons. But he was inequivocal when English is involved. Once I asked him how he thought of J. H. Newman, he firmly shook his head, posing to a point with an apperance of unconcealed disagree. And when I dropped the name of G.Gissing, he gave me a forceful agreement with his forceful motion of nod.
“ Learn foreign language well while learn to be good chinese” he repeated it for many a time, and I found it appeared even in the net station of foreign languge college, I suspected that Professor suggested it. And he raised himself as an example, “I won’t be American even my wife and daughter had moved to American and attempt to persuade me to.” Sometimes someone can misundstand it seeing that he moved his family to America. In fact，his daughter has married in America.
（附记：记忆中的肖像，取自罗素的一本书书名。现代科技发达，手机也可以照相了。但我觉得那摄下来的是皮相而已，我想，用文字给自己身边的人画像。以上挂的是第一张，两年前草就，也没做修改。）
逛外文书店，看到了新出的《英汉大词典》，还是那种厚实的装帧。摩挲着封皮，我想起了这本词典的主编，陆谷孙先生。上面这篇文章是两年前写的。后来，还买过他的一本《余墨集》，记他自己及复旦学人旧事，读起来也颇温馨。他工作应酬之余，用数载工夫出了这个新版，实属不易。
说实在的，自己亲历的老师里，很少有让我感佩，并愿写点东西回忆的。但我从陆老师身上看到一位真正的大家老师的风范。所谓“‘高山仰止，景行行止’，虽不能至，然心向往之”自己还谈不上别的，只是想无论在哪，也不论教什么，只要是教书育人，便不可一丝马虎。
posted on 2007-07-01 00:34 林皓 |
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发表于 2007-7-1 14:02:24