The book ‘Tiger Mom’ about the extreme parenting of a Chinese American lawyer, is getting a lot of attention, making some parents worry they are being too lenient, while others defend the ‘American model’ as conducive to creativity.
I see a link between our lax child-raising and a public that laps up media trivia with no realization that there is a world beyond our shores where important things are happening that affect us.
Perhaps it’s not a conscious conspiracy to keep Americans ignorant and content to watch wrestling or football while wolfing down potato chips and beer on a lounger. If it’s not conscious, it’s certainly a result of the elite’s conviction that real democracy would hobble their aspirations.
Andrea Mitchell interviewed an Indian-American scholar who returned to India for six years after growing up in the U.S., and found that it was more forward-looking than we are. His book is India Calling .
As for school reform, it’s now the latest focus of attention. One school in Tennessee is going to replace books with iPads. If you look at the countries that score highest on math and science tests, I doubt they use advanced technology in the classroom. My children benefited from open classrooms, but apparently, not all American children did. For average learners, it may be that Tiger Ed is needed.
And also, X boxes and the like probably dispose American and other western children to view news programs as entertainment.
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