回到一楼燕园提到的那本书(确切地书名是well trained mind), 里面提到一个now or never 的观点。作者是susan bauer. 目前正给儿子读她的另外的一本书,the story of the world. 我的中文今天有点短路,所以原文照抄如下:
why are the first four grades a paticularly fruitful time to concentrate on content?
this is the first time your child will encounter Egyptian embalming rites or the atmospher of Venus; this is the first time he will understand what light is made of or why Americans rebelled aganinst the British. He will never get a second chance to read 'the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe', or hear 'the Hobbit' read for the first time .
Size this early excitement. Let the child delve deep. Let him read, read, read. Don't force him to stop and reflect on it yet. Don't make him decide what likes and doesn't like about ancient Rome; Let him wallow in gladiators and chariot races. He wants to find out how things work, how ancient people lived, where Mount Vesuius is located, and what Pompeii looked like, covered with volcanic ash. This thirst for sheer accumulation won't ever die completely, but it is mor easily satified later on .
And the wonder of that first encunter with a strange civiliaztion will never come again.
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