Guan-Bok Kwok
English 101H MW 9:30-10:55 am
Professor McKeever
3 November 2013
Word Count: 874
Is Amy Chua Right?
Every parent hopes for the best future for their children; Amy Chua demanded it. The self-proclaimed “Tiger Mom” went to extreme measures to force her daughters to excel. She was successful; both her daughters had their pick of any Ivy League University. Her article, "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior", in The Wall Street Journal compares methodologies of the “Western parents” to the “Chinese mother”, terms which she uses very loosely. However, her methods, some of which may be borderline illegal in America, have sparked many controversial arguments against her. She argues that parents should push their children to their limits to enforce self confidence and discipline. Amy Chua believes that with enough drills and practices, children will excel at anything. She also states that children should not have a choice in their own extracurricular activities.
In her article, she states that Western parents don't view academic success to be of much importance; instead, they push their children to participate in various sports and more enjoyable extracurricular activities. A study of 50 Western American mothers and 48 Chinese mothers showed that nearly 70% of Western mothers agree that stressing academic achievement is not good for children; whereas, Chinese mothers disapprove of this concept. To Chinese mothers focusing on studies is a high priority. They view the participation in sports and nonacademic activities as a waste of time- time which could be better spent improving grades.
Amy Chua believes that strict parenting pushes children to become independent and will secure their future. Many Western parents will not insult their children when they are gaining weight, getting low grades, or when they don’t play a piece of music correctly; they believe insults will cause low self-esteem. However, Amy Chua suggests in her article that insults, if handled properly, towards children will not only boost self-esteem, but also prepare them for the future. When the children graduate college, employers and even co-workers will critique and insult them to weed out the employees who are insecure in what they do. Because they learned how to take judgments and insults as children, those who were raised the “Chinese way” can learn to adapt and excel at their career choice. This personality trait will help them cope with the harshness of Corporate America.
During the school year, many Western parents hope their children will get above-average grades; Amy Chua claims that Chinese parents demand nothing less than an A. In many Western families, when children come home with a B or higher, they are awarded with praise, new video games, or money. Conversely, in Chinese families a B is usually unacceptable and the child would be scolded or disciplined different ways. When Chinese children bring home an A, they are normally not awarded or praised because it is expected from them. If Chinese students ever brought home a grade lower than an A, the parents, after they calmed down, would take dozens of practice tests with them, as long as they can raise the grade back to an A.
Chinese parents believe that there should be no time limit put on study or practice for any academic or extracurricular activity. When a child is given a time frame for how long he has to study for school or practice his instruments, he will either sloppily rush through everything or slowly work through the material to push time, neither of which is good. Many Western parents believe that 10-30 minutes is adequate time for a child to complete each assignment or activity; however, 30 minutes is only enough time to get in the rhythm of studying or playing music. When the child is told that he can not stop until the assignment or piece of music is finished to perfection, he will actually try harder in order to achieve the set standards.
However, A few approaches towards parenting set by Amy Chua are too harsh on children and do have a negative effect on their psyche. When children do something wrong or don't achieve the grades expected from them, the parents do not need to scream and punish them to such extremes. Parents should be able to sit down and talk to their children about what happened and ways of improving. Also, children should be able to choose one or two enjoyable extracurricular activities that are approved by the parents. Having an activity of their choice will give children a release from all the stress that comes from the high expectations of their parents. Aside from all the activities chosen for them, allowing children to select an activity that personally interests them will help them later in life, when deciding which career to pursue.
Amy Chua's method of parenting, though extreme, proved effective in securing her children's education and careers. There are many strategies Western parents should take into consideration while raising children, even if it seems more drastic and time consuming. If children are not pushed to their limits by their parents, they will not know what they could be capable of accomplishing. Even though some of Amy Chua's methods are inappropriate, most of her techniques are examples which parents should follow for raising children.
English 101H MW 9:30-10:55 am
Professor McKeever
3 November 2013
Word Count: 874
Is Amy Chua Right?
Every parent hopes for the best future for their children; Amy Chua demanded it. The self-proclaimed “Tiger Mom” went to extreme measures to force her daughters to excel. She was successful; both her daughters had their pick of any Ivy League University. Her article, "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior", in The Wall Street Journal compares methodologies of the “Western parents” to the “Chinese mother”, terms which she uses very loosely. However, her methods, some of which may be borderline illegal in America, have sparked many controversial arguments against her. She argues that parents should push their children to their limits to enforce self confidence and discipline. Amy Chua believes that with enough drills and practices, children will excel at anything. She also states that children should not have a choice in their own extracurricular activities.
In her article, she states that Western parents don't view academic success to be of much importance; instead, they push their children to participate in various sports and more enjoyable extracurricular activities. A study of 50 Western American mothers and 48 Chinese mothers showed that nearly 70% of Western mothers agree that stressing academic achievement is not good for children; whereas, Chinese mothers disapprove of this concept. To Chinese mothers focusing on studies is a high priority. They view the participation in sports and nonacademic activities as a waste of time- time which could be better spent improving grades.
Amy Chua believes that strict parenting pushes children to become independent and will secure their future. Many Western parents will not insult their children when they are gaining weight, getting low grades, or when they don’t play a piece of music correctly; they believe insults will cause low self-esteem. However, Amy Chua suggests in her article that insults, if handled properly, towards children will not only boost self-esteem, but also prepare them for the future. When the children graduate college, employers and even co-workers will critique and insult them to weed out the employees who are insecure in what they do. Because they learned how to take judgments and insults as children, those who were raised the “Chinese way” can learn to adapt and excel at their career choice. This personality trait will help them cope with the harshness of Corporate America.
During the school year, many Western parents hope their children will get above-average grades; Amy Chua claims that Chinese parents demand nothing less than an A. In many Western families, when children come home with a B or higher, they are awarded with praise, new video games, or money. Conversely, in Chinese families a B is usually unacceptable and the child would be scolded or disciplined different ways. When Chinese children bring home an A, they are normally not awarded or praised because it is expected from them. If Chinese students ever brought home a grade lower than an A, the parents, after they calmed down, would take dozens of practice tests with them, as long as they can raise the grade back to an A.
Chinese parents believe that there should be no time limit put on study or practice for any academic or extracurricular activity. When a child is given a time frame for how long he has to study for school or practice his instruments, he will either sloppily rush through everything or slowly work through the material to push time, neither of which is good. Many Western parents believe that 10-30 minutes is adequate time for a child to complete each assignment or activity; however, 30 minutes is only enough time to get in the rhythm of studying or playing music. When the child is told that he can not stop until the assignment or piece of music is finished to perfection, he will actually try harder in order to achieve the set standards.
However, A few approaches towards parenting set by Amy Chua are too harsh on children and do have a negative effect on their psyche. When children do something wrong or don't achieve the grades expected from them, the parents do not need to scream and punish them to such extremes. Parents should be able to sit down and talk to their children about what happened and ways of improving. Also, children should be able to choose one or two enjoyable extracurricular activities that are approved by the parents. Having an activity of their choice will give children a release from all the stress that comes from the high expectations of their parents. Aside from all the activities chosen for them, allowing children to select an activity that personally interests them will help them later in life, when deciding which career to pursue.
Amy Chua's method of parenting, though extreme, proved effective in securing her children's education and careers. There are many strategies Western parents should take into consideration while raising children, even if it seems more drastic and time consuming. If children are not pushed to their limits by their parents, they will not know what they could be capable of accomplishing. Even though some of Amy Chua's methods are inappropriate, most of her techniques are examples which parents should follow for raising children.