From the Wall Street Journal: "The vast majority of the Chinese mothers said that they believe their children can be 'the best' students, that 'academic achievement reflects successful parenting,' and that if children did not excel at school then there was 'a problem' and parents 'were not doing their job.' . . . Nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences... Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America. Once a child starts to excel at something—whether it's math, piano, pitching or ballet—he or she gets praise, admiration and satisfaction. This builds confidence and makes the once not-fun activity fun. This in turn makes it easier for the parent to get the child to work even more. . . . Chinese parents demand perfect grades because they believe that their child can get them. If their child doesn't get them, the Chinese parent assumes it's because the child didn't work hard enough."
Email from Mom (Monkey) to Faffy and Ellie:
Hmmmm. That is interesting. However, I immediately thought of 2 things. 1) how can ALL children excel? 2. Is excelling academically, and ultimately career-wise, the only worthwhile goal for all kids and parents? Are artists and writers and playwrights scum, or at least shameful and worth less as people because they choose to excel in areas other than the ones their parents choose for them?
Great article. And the kids upbringing was a lot closer to this than most of their peers, so it must be right! :)
L
Mam
Email from Ellie to Mom (Monkey):
I agree that forcing kids to keep practicing and to work until they excel is a good strategy. I also agree that its important to have high academic expectations and to assume that if kids are not getting As, they're not working hard enough.
American schools aren't that challenging. Kids can have more than one goal - they should be able to excel both academically and socially, artistically, and otherwise.
i certainly expect teddy will be towards the top of his high school class.
