主题：[英文美文] 英国学校开设幸福课程
导读：
In 2006, leading independent school Wellington College launched weekly happiness and well-being lessons for its 14- to 16-year-old students. The first course of its kind in the world, it was devised by one of the world’s leading specialists in the science of well-being, Dr. Nick Baylis of the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with Wellington College. Headmaster Anthony Seldon believes that the happiness lessons will greatly improve the school’s ability to produce happy and secure young adults.
英国顶尖的私立学校「威灵顿公学」（Wellington College），于2006年为该校14至16岁的学生开设了每周一次的快乐幸福课程。这种全球首见的课程，是由「幸福科学」领域的一流专家--剑桥大学的尼克.贝里斯博士（Dr. Nick Baylis）和威灵顿公学共同策划的。该校校长安东尼.塞尔顿（Anthony Seldon）相信，幸福课程的开办，将大幅提升学校的教育功能，以培养快乐又有安全感的年轻人。
By the age of 14 children are not only facing big exams and questions about their future, but also distractions from money, celebrity and material possessions from our society. When young people do not have the skills to put the pressures of modern life into perspective, they can quickly be overwhelmed. The happiness lessons developed by well-being specialist Dr. Baylis aim to equip the teens “with an understanding of what makes lives thrive and flourish - good health, a sense of accomplishment and lasting companionship.” For example, in the class, students are asked to think about positive forms of pleasure and happiness for themselves. They learn that alcohol, drugs, television or too much food can only bring them temporary satisfaction which quickly wears off, leaving them worse off than before. Dr. Baylis said, “I want these youngsters to understand that we can create happiness, rather than consume it.” The lessons also help children deal with bad experiences in life. Dr. Baylis added, “I would like them to learn from the example of someone like Lance Armstrong (a US cyclist who overcame testicular cancer to win the Tour de France), who has taken his pain and anger and channelled all that emotional energy into something positive.” Dr. Baylis hopes that these lessons will help teenagers to cope better both in and out of school and even later into their adult life.
孩子们到了十四岁这个阶段，不仅面临攸关未来前途的大考和问题，社会上充斥的许多关于金钱、名望和物质财富的诱惑也使他们容易分心，当年轻人缺乏审视现代生活压力的技巧和能力时，他们很快就会茫然失措。由幸福专家贝里斯博士所开发的这项课程，旨在使青少年了解：拥有良好的健康、成就感和持久的友谊，才能活出成功而丰富的人生。例如在课堂上，老师会要求学生为自己设想一些娱乐和追求快乐的正面做法，然后他们就可以从中学到：酒、毒品、电视或过多的食物只能暂时满足自己，而那种满足感不仅很快就会消失，还会使他们感觉更糟。贝里斯博士表示：「我希望这些孩子们了解，我们可以创造幸福，而不是把幸福挥霍掉。」这些课程也帮助孩子们处理生活中不愉快的经历。贝里斯博士补充说道：「我希望他们学习蓝斯.阿姆斯特朗（美国自行车手，他战胜睪丸癌，并连续赢得环法自行车大赛冠军）这类人士的典范，他们接受痛苦和怒气，并将所有的情绪能量导向正面的事物上。」贝里斯博士希望这些课程，可以帮助青少年更妥善处理他们在学校内外所面临的情况，甚至在他们成年后仍有所帮助。
The Headmaster of Wellington College, Mr. Seldon, reports that he has seen many positive results from this program, which has been running for a year now. He said that the school has gained experience in teaching children to be emotionally self-reliant and to be able to manage their emotions. The children, too, have gained a lot from the program. Oli Marjot, 16, who takes well-being lessons at Wellington College said, “The well-being lessons are a pool of calm. They don’t teach you to be happy all the time. They teach you how to deal with things when you are not happy.”
威灵顿公学的校长塞尔顿先生表示，他已经看到这项课程所产生的许多正面成效。该课程施行至今已有一年，他说学校已经获得经验，知道如何教导孩子们在情绪方面更为自主，并且能够管理自己的情绪；孩子们也一样，从课程中获益良多。欧力.马究特今年十六岁，修了威灵顿公学的幸福课程，他说：「幸福课程是宁静之泉，它不是教我们要时时保持快乐，而是教导我们在不愉快的时候该如何处理。」
In September 2007, the Education Secretary of the United Kingdom announced that lessons in happiness, well-being and good manners are to be introduced in all state secondary schools. In fact, an extensive pilot program known as SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) has already seen improvements in children’s academic performance and discipline by helping them to better understand their emotions. Research has also revealed that well-being education is equally beneficial for teachers, by reducing their stress levels and increasing their passion for teaching.
2007年9月，英国教育部长宣布各公立中等学校将会开设快乐、幸福和礼仪的课程。事实上，一项名为SEAL（学习的社会层面和情绪层面）的大规模实验课程，在帮助孩子们更了解自己的情绪之后，已经观察到他们在学校的课业表现和纪律方面都改善了。研究也显示，幸福教育对老师们一样有益，可以减轻他们的压力，并增加教学热诚。
In 2006, leading independent school Wellington College launched weekly happiness and well-being lessons for its 14- to 16-year-old students. The first course of its kind in the world, it was devised by one of the world’s leading specialists in the science of well-being, Dr. Nick Baylis of the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with Wellington College. Headmaster Anthony Seldon believes that the happiness lessons will greatly improve the school’s ability to produce happy and secure young adults.
英国顶尖的私立学校「威灵顿公学」（Wellington College），于2006年为该校14至16岁的学生开设了每周一次的快乐幸福课程。这种全球首见的课程，是由「幸福科学」领域的一流专家--剑桥大学的尼克.贝里斯博士（Dr. Nick Baylis）和威灵顿公学共同策划的。该校校长安东尼.塞尔顿（Anthony Seldon）相信，幸福课程的开办，将大幅提升学校的教育功能，以培养快乐又有安全感的年轻人。
By the age of 14 children are not only facing big exams and questions about their future, but also distractions from money, celebrity and material possessions from our society. When young people do not have the skills to put the pressures of modern life into perspective, they can quickly be overwhelmed. The happiness lessons developed by well-being specialist Dr. Baylis aim to equip the teens “with an understanding of what makes lives thrive and flourish - good health, a sense of accomplishment and lasting companionship.” For example, in the class, students are asked to think about positive forms of pleasure and happiness for themselves. They learn that alcohol, drugs, television or too much food can only bring them temporary satisfaction which quickly wears off, leaving them worse off than before. Dr. Baylis said, “I want these youngsters to understand that we can create happiness, rather than consume it.” The lessons also help children deal with bad experiences in life. Dr. Baylis added, “I would like them to learn from the example of someone like Lance Armstrong (a US cyclist who overcame testicular cancer to win the Tour de France), who has taken his pain and anger and channelled all that emotional energy into something positive.” Dr. Baylis hopes that these lessons will help teenagers to cope better both in and out of school and even later into their adult life.
孩子们到了十四岁这个阶段，不仅面临攸关未来前途的大考和问题，社会上充斥的许多关于金钱、名望和物质财富的诱惑也使他们容易分心，当年轻人缺乏审视现代生活压力的技巧和能力时，他们很快就会茫然失措。由幸福专家贝里斯博士所开发的这项课程，旨在使青少年了解：拥有良好的健康、成就感和持久的友谊，才能活出成功而丰富的人生。例如在课堂上，老师会要求学生为自己设想一些娱乐和追求快乐的正面做法，然后他们就可以从中学到：酒、毒品、电视或过多的食物只能暂时满足自己，而那种满足感不仅很快就会消失，还会使他们感觉更糟。贝里斯博士表示：「我希望这些孩子们了解，我们可以创造幸福，而不是把幸福挥霍掉。」这些课程也帮助孩子们处理生活中不愉快的经历。贝里斯博士补充说道：「我希望他们学习蓝斯.阿姆斯特朗（美国自行车手，他战胜睪丸癌，并连续赢得环法自行车大赛冠军）这类人士的典范，他们接受痛苦和怒气，并将所有的情绪能量导向正面的事物上。」贝里斯博士希望这些课程，可以帮助青少年更妥善处理他们在学校内外所面临的情况，甚至在他们成年后仍有所帮助。
The Headmaster of Wellington College, Mr. Seldon, reports that he has seen many positive results from this program, which has been running for a year now. He said that the school has gained experience in teaching children to be emotionally self-reliant and to be able to manage their emotions. The children, too, have gained a lot from the program. Oli Marjot, 16, who takes well-being lessons at Wellington College said, “The well-being lessons are a pool of calm. They don’t teach you to be happy all the time. They teach you how to deal with things when you are not happy.”
威灵顿公学的校长塞尔顿先生表示，他已经看到这项课程所产生的许多正面成效。该课程施行至今已有一年，他说学校已经获得经验，知道如何教导孩子们在情绪方面更为自主，并且能够管理自己的情绪；孩子们也一样，从课程中获益良多。欧力.马究特今年十六岁，修了威灵顿公学的幸福课程，他说：「幸福课程是宁静之泉，它不是教我们要时时保持快乐，而是教导我们在不愉快的时候该如何处理。」
In September 2007, the Education Secretary of the United Kingdom announced that lessons in happiness, well-being and good manners are to be introduced in all state secondary schools. In fact, an extensive pilot program known as SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) has already seen improvements in children’s academic performance and discipline by helping them to better understand their emotions. Research has also revealed that well-being education is equally beneficial for teachers, by reducing their stress levels and increasing their passion for teaching.
2007年9月，英国教育部长宣布各公立中等学校将会开设快乐、幸福和礼仪的课程。事实上，一项名为SEAL（学习的社会层面和情绪层面）的大规模实验课程，在帮助孩子们更了解自己的情绪之后，已经观察到他们在学校的课业表现和纪律方面都改善了。研究也显示，幸福教育对老师们一样有益，可以减轻他们的压力，并增加教学热诚。