| Chinese mothers VS Western Mothers | |
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| Jan 12, 2011 21:23 |   |
 | Amy Chua, a professor at Yale Law School, writes an article to the Wall Street Journal on how she educates her two daughters. Her two daughters (Sophia and Louisa) were never allowed to do the following 10 things: • attend a sleepover • have a playdate • be in a school play • complain about not being in a school play • watch TV or play computer games • choose their own extracurricular activities • get any grade less than an A • not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama • play any instrument other than the piano or violin • not play the piano or violin. She has made a comparison between Chinese Parents and Western Parents and figured out some differences. For example, if a child comes home with an A-minus on a test, a Western parent will most likely praise the child. The Chinese mother will gasp in horror and ask what went wrong. If the child comes home with a B on the test, some Western parents will still praise the child. Other Western parents will sit their child down and express disapproval, but they will be careful not to make their child feel inadequate or insecure, and they will not call their child "stupid," "worthless" or "a disgrace." Privately, the Western parents may worry that their child does not test well or have aptitude in the subject or that there is something wrong with the curriculum and possibly the whole school. If the child's grades do not improve, they may eventually schedule a meeting with the school principal to challenge the way the subject is being taught or to call into question the teacher's credentials. If a Chinese child gets a B—which would never happen—there would first be a screaming, hair-tearing explosion. The devastated Chinese mother would then get dozens, maybe hundreds of practice tests and work through them with her child for as long as it takes to get the grade up to an A. Her way of teaching kids has attracted many people’s attention. Some agrees with her and some don’t. Is it necessary to be too strict with children? Which do you think is good? |
| Jan 13, 2011 04:46 | #1 |
| Educational systems vary from country to country and opinions change like the wind direction. What educationalists and parents fail to understand is that some children are academically gifted and some are not. Some might excell in literature, some in science, some in art, some in sport, some in vocational subjects, but it is rare to find one who excells in all fields. Regardless of what threats or inducements are made, some kids do not have the ability to learn enough to reach the high grades required. Chinese education is expensive and very competitive. Every parent wants their child to obtain good grades to get a place in a good university. Unfortunately not all can, and some would be far better trained in practical subjects. The world will always need plumbers, electricians, hairdressers etc. On the other hand some western cultures are perhaps too lax and remove the competitiveness. There are no failures, everyone wins but in varying degrees. This does not prepare a child for a competitive world. There has to be a sensible compromise between the two extremes. |
| Jan 15, 2011 06:58 | #2 |
| Sounds like a really sad Mother to me. But the key point to this post is as follows, ‘If a Chinese child gets a B—which would never happen—there would first be a screaming, hair-tearing explosion. The devastated Chinese mother would then get dozens, maybe hundreds of practice tests and work through them with her child for as long as it takes to get the grade up to an A.’ In other words, just teach the student how to pass exams. If you tried hard enough you could probable get a monkey to do that. Dodger. |
| Jan 15, 2011 09:38 | #3 |
| Engineers are needed, economists are needed, all kinds of professors are needed (?)... Plumbers are needed, postmen are needed, seems like there is a need for prostitutes too... What good does it make to give every year a nice hat to all time growing amount of over educated people the universities spits out to be unemployed or sew jeans in some basement? To what does a plummer need the university education and A+? We all need a plummer if there is problems in pipeline and I bet the first question to a plumber is not "errm... I suppose you have at least A+ graduation from a university, yes?" I suppose there has been a time here when people noticed that the education does not go to head from the butt even if helped with a belt. Carlos |
| Jan 15, 2011 22:46 | #4 |
| There is nothing wrong with wishing children having great expectations. Chinese education systems do block the ways of lots of talented children from entering over the threshold towards high education by putting the same weight on all subjects, ignoring individual development tendency and setting the marks of one college entrance exam as final counts, which is not reasonable and criticized by educators and scholars in China. And things are changed now and high education has become an industry (business). It’s normal phenomenon that the high schools rank high as long as It comes to Asians, and now mainlander Chinese children dominated high schools. It’s parents responsibility to shape children’s attitudes to life, let children know the aims of study. Generally speaking, Chinese children are more self-disciplined than other Asians and other races. Due to more reasonable edu. System in North America, i.e., High school students can choose curricula where their talents belong to in Grade 11, most Chinese children perform very well in accumulating their credit scores in the field of science, technology, arts and business and prepare them well for the university and future career. I am suspicious of whether or not the author is Chinese. Her ‘allow’ and ‘not allow’ for her children, I am afraid, is potential family violence and abuse which is high likely to ruin her children healthy development. And the other possibility is that her children have already seriously misbehaviored and only ‘the close to violence’ rule can get back her children on track. The conclusion is she is not Chinese. And the author accidentally gets the chance having the title “law prof.” Title without more real Chinese competing with her at her times! |
| Jan 16, 2011 23:27 | #5 |
| GUEST567 | I taught in a Chinese school, i gave them "grades" and the range was between 50-100. (60 is just passed) most of the scores i gave in the area between 75-85, i talked with my students about different education systems and found out that many also range in this area. I even had some who (when we were alone) cried that their parents would be more then disappointed and were afraid to send them the information that they just got 73 points (not in my subject) I think that many westerner dont trust their children and think "my child should want it" in China the parents dont care what the child wants they just do what they think is right. But you also have to see the other side... western kids dont get everything they want (toys,...) Chinese parents try to buy the love of their kids with gifts and presents. (also some western parents do this) In some parts it is right that the child probably will be better in school, etc. but my "kids" (i call them kids but they are 22-25 years old, i m also 25 years old) are so inmature.. i can not see them as the same age.. they behave like kids. (i think because they never really had a childhood) Also they are everytime thinking "I" "me" "mine" They dont think so much about it that in there city are around 80 000 other people. |
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