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The Changing Face of Higher Ed
Recently, The Atlantic published Derek Newton’s “Higher Education Is Not a Mixtape,” in which he argues that – contrary to many popular arguments and articles – higher education is not going the way of the music industry (i.e. people won’t begin shopping for individual professors instead of for universities the way they now shop for individual songs instead of for entire albums). Along the way, Newton makes some compelling points:
Though many universities have not done a great job of keeping up with technological advancements or at keeping costs down, many of the people making arguments for the tech future of higher ed are also personally and financially invested in the companies and technologies necessary to make this future possible. Moreover, the arguments for increased technology and the “unbundling” of higher ed also seem to be missing a basic truth: Unlike music – which listeners buy because of the artist, not the artist’s record label – students “shop for schools, not professors” knowing that their future career success is often tied, at least initially and in part, to the reputation of their university.
However, a simple (and obvious) response to many of Newton’s arguments is: Yes…for now.
As a more recent graduate of an MA program, I well remember just what “distance learning” and “online learning” courses can look like – and it wasn’t pretty. This gets back to Newton’s concession that many schools and degree programs haven’t done a great job of keeping up with the technological times, so that if they do offer online courses and learning opportunities, many of them aren’t yet all that they could be (which means that many students either elect not to use them or view them as a last resort). But this isn’t something that’s likely to last for much longer, and improved distance learning tech could very well lead to an “unbundling” of universities, to a marketplace for professors and courses over entire schools.
Given the constraints of rising tuition rates coupled with the increased number of non-traditional students (e.g. middle-aged and older adults coming back to school for degrees, training, certifications, and so forth), online learning opportunities and distance courses are likely to only increase in number and quality over the next few years. These increases will undoubtedly change the way people view online opportunities and, in turn, how they shop within the industry of higher education generally.
What’s more, many institutions, like Ft. Worth’s TCU for example, now offer comparatively cheap, non-degree opportunities (both online and in-person) to students (traditional and non-traditional alike) who are interested in auditing particular courses rather than in pursuing a full degree. This trend may be evidence that certain demographics are in fact interested in shopping for higher ed opportunities on a professor or course-basis rather than on a university-basis, similar to the trend of buying a $0.99 song rather than a full album.
In my opinion, Newton throws his best possible argument for the traditional college experience under the bus by only barely mentioning it in his final paragraph:
As a liberal arts student myself with three degrees, including English and American Studies, I appreciate better than most the difficulties and benefits of pursuing an education that doesn’t directly lead to an obvious, lucrative career path. And there certainly are difficulties – jokes bashing the putative usefulness or wisdom of liberal arts degrees are classic and many professors within these fields do an amazingly poor job of discussing with students just how many career opportunities are (or will be, could be) available to them. Thus, many students either prematurely cross liberal arts programs off their list or graduate from them without a full appreciation of just how flexible and useful they can truly be.
To me, the bashing or general rejection of liberal arts degrees only shows a lack of creativity on part of all involved. A degree in English, after all, doesn’t limit a person to Writer, Teacher, or Unemployed. As Walt Whitman once wrote, “I am Large. I contain Multitudes.” There is more to a student than their degree just as there is more to a degree than its acronym. Education, like life, will – in large part – be what you make of it. Similarly, there are more jobs out there, more possibilities and opportunities than you can ever account for, because they – like the higher ed industry itself – are always changing. And that’s part of what a liberal arts degree is great for: teaching students how to think (for more on this particular point, see David Foster Wallace’s 2005 Kenyon College commencement speech) and how to grow with changing times.
Ultimately, I think the future of higher ed falls somewhere in the middle here, in a combination of distance/online and in-person learning, of professor-shopping and university-shopping. As our student bodies change and grow more diverse, so must our learning opportunities. This isn’t a time to throw away all we’ve built in higher ed, but neither is it a time to try stalling change and growth.
*For those who’re interested, here’s the audio of Wallace’s speech:
Further & Related Readings:
- Marisa & John Bowe (editors), Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs (2009) – ***This book is an amazing resource for getting started thinking about all the different kinds of jobs, careers, and work opportunities out there today
- Derek Newton, “Higher Ed is Not a Mixtape,” The Atlantic (January 2015)
- The Project on Student Debt, “Student Debt and the Class of 2012” (December 2013)
- Martin Smith, “What universities have in common with record labels,” Quartz (July 2014)
- Errol Craig Sull, “Student Engagement in the Online Classroom,” The Chronicle of Higher Education (January 2013)
- Kelly Field, “Obama Presses for Free Community College and Tax Reform,” The Chronicle of Higher Education (January 2015)
News Update: Sexism in the Classroom
This past February, Danielle Kurtzleben’s article, “Grade-school teachers can push girls away from math, with huge consequences,” appeared in Vox, speaking to some very important and, tragically, very widespread misconceptions regarding the gender “math gap” in education. According to Kurtzleben:
“A new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that something else might be at work here shaping the supposed ‘choices’ girls and women make. It shows that young girls’ teachers have biases that push girls away from math and science early on, which could be influencing where they go later in life.
Economists Victor Lavy from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom and Edith Sand from Israel’s Tel Aviv University looked at Tel Aviv sixth graders’ test scores both on standardized tests and internal tests in Hebrew, English, and math.”
In this research, Lavy and Sand tested to see if there was any difference in test scores if the ones responsible for grading the tests knew or did not know the test-takers’ gender. Their results clearly suggest the existence of a “systematic bias against girls in the marking of math exams.” And as Lavy and Sand followed their sixth-graders through the eighth grade and high school, they found that “those early teacher biases led to significant improvements on the later math exams for boys and negative and significant effects in math for girls.”
Of course, as Kurtzleben also points out, “this is a working paper, meaning its results are preliminary, and it studied students in a different culture and school system, so we can’t assume US students would see the exact same magnitudes of effects” (emphasis added). However, what’s most important about this research now, as Kurtzleben explains, is that it shows how powerfully “socialization takes hold early on” as well as showcases
“the power of biases — discourage a child from pursuing a subject, and she will, years later, later perform worse on that subject (encourage her, meanwhile, and she’ll do better). So when you discourage a whole swath of the population from pursuing high-paying fields, all those people will be much more likely to have lower-paying jobs.”
What does this mean for us in the here and now? What does it mean for us as parents, teachers, and/or fellow students? It means constantly interrogating ourselves and our assumptions. It means asking ourselves hard questions before we hand back that test or agree with our daughters that Yeah, math really is boring or Yeah, math is super hard, when we might be telling our sons, Yeah, but you can do it or Yeah, but you want to be a marine biologist one day, don’t you? The insidious evil of sexism is that you can sometimes be adding to the problem and perpetuating old sins without ever realizing it or meaning to.
This is a trend and social failing that should both greatly concern and anger you, for your sake as well as for the rest of the world’s. After all, as Kurtzleben so well explains:
“This isn’t just a problem for women; it’s a problem for society. This study suggests that girls were just as capable as boys at math at the start of the observation period, but they were slowly pushed away from math. To diminish an entire demographic’s talent at once is to squander their potential productivity, and economic growth.”
If we want to one day live in a better, more just, more equitable, and more peaceful world, then there’s really no better or easier place to start than right at home with the editing, improving, and monitoring of our own attitudes, perspectives, and actions. The hard truth is, we will only have justice and equality for all when we begin treating others justly and equitably.
All quotes and facts here were drawn from Danielle Kurtzleben’s Vox article, “Grade-school teachers can push girls away from math, with huge consequences.”
U.S. Report Card: 2013
Our Nation’s Report Card for 2013 has been available online for months now, but many Americans don’t even know it exists. Here are the basics:
If you haven’t already checked out our report card for 2013, go ahead and give it a whirl. This is a terrific tool for learning more about the U.S.’s complicated education system and all the ways it’s bettering and neglecting us. You can check out everything from achievement gaps to report cards specific to certain school subjects to report cards specific to your state (and a ton more!).
For an example, consider their “Results for 2013 NAEP Mathematics and Reading Assessments Are In”:
On top of this assessment, they provide both graphs and written explanation of the data to make the results as clear and understandable as possible.
Example graph (the images are much sharper on the official website):
(2013 NAEP assessments)
This data is useful not only for teachers, policymakers, and administrators, but can be useful for students and parents as well. Try using this as a tool to not only engage with your students/children about their personal education (strengths and weaknesses, concerns and goals, etc.), but about what they (your students/kids) might like to see change or improved in their own schools.
Have you or your kids or your teacher friends/colleagues been complaining about certain parts of their education or school system for a while now? Well, there might be some credence to the complaints—and educating yourself with data from the Nation’s Report Card can be a great way to begin making (or learning how to make) substantive change happen at the local level.
If you want to arm your kids with the best knowledge out there, then you ought to do the same for yourself.
Click here to download a copy of the U.S.’s 2013 Report Card.
NPR’s 2015 Education Predictions
A few of the highlights:
- Blending on-site (classroom) learning with distance (technology-based) learning.
- Greater scrutiny of and concern related to student data.
The renewal of or substantive departure from No Child Left Behind.- More online and game-based teaching practices.
- The introduction of Kindergarten Entry Assessments (KEAs).
“In 2015, education systems will cut through the clutter and invest the needed resources to develop and administer developmentally appropriate KEAs and thus improve instruction for young children.”
— Rhian Evans Allvin, Executive Director, National Association for the Education of Young Children
Further/Related Reading Suggestions
- Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, The Washington Post, “Standardized Tests Must Measure Up”
- Maanvi Singh, NPR, “Why Emotional Learning May Be As Important As The ABCs”
- Anya Kamenetz, NPR, “What Schools Could Use Instead Of Standardized Tests”
- Claudio Sanchez, NPR, “Six Education Stories To Watch in 2015”
- Education Week, “The National K-12 Testing Landscape”
- Council of Chief State School Officers, “Chief State School Officers and Urban School Leaders Announce Joint Effort to Improve Student Testing”
Education News Update: Are Standardized Tests Getting the Axe?
– Anya Kamenetz, NPR
(To read the full Education Week article by Alyson Klein, please see: “GOP Senate Aides Working on Draft ESEA Bill That Could Ditch Annual Testing”)
Ever since the passing of No Child Left Behind, teachers, administrators, parents, students, and policy experts have been working to understand—to definitively know—whether or not it’s done more harm than good (or vice versa). Well, when the issue recently came back before Congress for renewal, Senate Republicans released their new vision for U.S. public education in 2015: Instead of renewing the federal mandate for annual, standardized testing, they “would leave decisions about testing schedules up to states.”
And while The Council of Chief State School Officers, national teachers unions, many traditionally Democratic groups, and many of the country’s largest school districts have come out in favor of reducing or doing away with standardized tests—as NPR’s Anya Kamenetz explains in “What Schools Could Use Instead of Standardized Tests”—what’s still missing from this conversation is what might replace annual standardized tests. To this end, Kamenetz suggests four possible options:
- Sampling: Keep standardized tests, but just reduce the number of them.
- Stealth Assessment: Use software provided by major textbook publishers in order to invisibly monitor and assess children’s learning.
- Multiple Measures: Rather than just test scores, data on everything from graduation rates to demographics to workforce outcomes ought to be collected and considered. Schools could even begin issuing surveys to consider elements like “grit” and “optimism,” or games to help assess a student’s creativity and other higher-order skills.
- Inspections: Perhaps in addition to some or all of the above measures, the government could also create a team of inspectors who function for schools almost the same way that health inspectors function for restaurants. These officials might observe classrooms, examine syllabi, evaluate student projects, and interview students, staff members, and faculty.
(To read Anya Kamenetz’s full article, visit: “What Schools Could Use Instead of Standardized Tests”)
What are your opinions on standardized testing? Do you think we should keep annual exams? If not, what might you suggest in substitute?
SAMPLE: Lesson Plan and Why it works :)
Thank you for sharing this, Learning with Alison!
For teachers, professors, and tutors, learning to change tactics when a lesson isn’t working out as planned is an incredibly important skill. This is a challenge that many teachers face in their efforts to best reach and support students.
Having the ability to take extra time to consider a teacher’s points and ask questions in an environment safe from humiliation and fears of shame, is vital for yet often denied many students. Such freedoms not only enable students to better explore a concept and commit said concept to memory, but can also empower students to become more involved in their own learning process and to feel more comfortable actively engaging with future lessons.
Another example of teachers taking such challenges in stride can be found at Georgetown, TX’s Southwestern University. Right now at Southwestern, professors like Dr. Emily Niemeyer (Chemistry) are engaging in what’s known as “Flipping the Classroom”. While Southwestern’s professors still often utilize and appreciate the traditional lecture format, “Flipping the Classroom” is a teaching method founded on learning through practice rather than learning through listening. According to the Southwestern Newsroom,
I am thrilled to see such innovations coming to Southwestern’s classrooms, and can’t wait to hear about their resulting challenges and successes!
What is “Higher Order Thinking” that is all the rage to chat about and to “enforce” (word chosen deliberately) but that many parents and students question is actually taking place?
As educators we read a lot about “asking open-ended questions” – HR personnel would be given the same advice. What then might it mean to truly encourage a student to move beyond the basics and to begin the process of not merely placing an opinion into an essay in the right spot (close to the end of paragraph 1- so the directions tell) but to actually have an opinion beyond -“it was good” or “I didn’t like it”?
Thinking is work- even when the thoughts are pleasurable. Our brains require a form of question response stimulus to actively be engaged, curious and participatory. Long a proponent of enrichment for everyone I was recently asked about how enrichment and gifted education…
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ADD & Education
DISCLAIMER: Tutoring 101 fully acknowledges that ADD and ADHD are real diseases that have real impacts and consequences on many people around the world. This post is meant in no way to insinuate that these diseases are “fake” or that people suffering from them should stop taking their medication. This post is intended to simply discuss the issues of over- and misdiagnosis; of understanding how to work with students who are entering the classroom at a variety of levels; and of recognizing the differences between creativity, teaching issues, and learning disabilities/dysfunctions.
A big question mark in many people’s minds today is the specter of ADD.
Students and teachers are coming together into a single classroom from a variety of backgrounds, from a variety of points in their lives, and with a variety of motives, goals, and assumptions. Because of this, it can be exceptionally difficult at times to adequately engage every student, to adequately appreciate and fulfill the needs of every teacher, and to accurately assess the performance of either party. Due to these difficulties, many have begun turning to things like ADD as a means of no longer having to accept blame or responsibility for said challenges or any resulting failures/issues.
Fellow blogger, Daryl Dominique, makes a particularly salient point regarding this in his post, “Attention Deficit Disorder & Education”:
“I very firmly believe that A.D.D and various other learning disorders are being used so education can blame its complete and utter inability to successfully educate to a variety of different learning styles on factors that they cannot control. Is there a student who can’t pay attention to the teacher reading from a textbook and is fidgeting or randomly doodling? Definitely A.D.D. How about a student who is always dismantling his/her pen or anything else near him/her instead of reading? Must be A.D.D right? The teacher is doing what they’re supposed to as a teacher, and the other students are learning, so therefore it’s his/her disability.
That drives me absolutely insane. A.D.D is an inability to pay attention, not an ability to selectively tone out their teachers. That ability to selectively tone them out is just because they’re not learning from what’s being done.”
In other words, as many teachers, parents, and students may agree, the expansiveness of the ADD epidemic in the U.S. is not simply due to a vast number of children being born with a new disease, but to a vast number of teachers, schools, and other social systems that are failing to educate larger and larger numbers of children across the country.
Much of this problem can be avoided simply by parents having frank and honest conversations with their children, their children’s teachers, and their primary care doctors and pediatricians. After this, if it is determined that ADD is not the problem (if your students are even having problems/struggles in the first place), parents still have plenty of avenues for helping their students meet their creative and unique learning needs, whether through requesting new/different teachers, seeking out professional tutoring for their children, moving their children to a new school entirely, or so on, and so on, and so on. There are also plenty of cases wherein children simply need a change of habits or hobbies in order to help them improve their education and academic performance:
- Exercising more can help burn off endorphins, and thus help children have an easier time of concentrating when they sit down to schoolwork
- Work in smaller increments, and recognize that you (like everyone) have to work hard to make yourself concentrate—seeking out distractions is natural, and not always a sign of some larger problem (and, frankly, isn’t even always a bad or detrimental thing to begin with)
- When sitting down to do homework, try removing distractions such as music, talkative friends or family, televisions, cellphones, and computers
Long story short? Don’t go jumping to conclusions one way or another, however tempting that may be. These issues, like the children and families they affect, are full of nuance, and the detailed, nit-picky nature of Nuance always requires a wide-open mind and a willingness to speak openly and honestly with others.
Want more?
-Talk with your child’s teachers
-Talk with parent-friends
-Talk with your child’s doctor
Also, check out Rafael Casal’s Slam Poem dedicated to the issues of over and/or wrongfully diagnosing children with ADD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-2UnriOjVE
(Casal’s performance is definitely worth the time!)
The Versatile Blogger Award: Spotlighting Innovative Blogs on Tutoring, High School, College, Studying, and Much More!
We are very honored to announce that we’ve recently been nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by Writing Reconsidered!
For those of you who don’t know the details of the VBA, allow me to borrow some information from the VBA’s About page to further explain:
The rules of the VBA and how to respond to one’s nomination:
- Include a link to the blogger who nominated you.
- Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly. (I would add, pick blogs or bloggers that are excellent!)
- Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award in your post and let them know of their nomination.
- Finally, include in your VBA post 7 interesting things about yourself/your blog work.
We are thrilled to have been awarded the Versatile Blogger Award, because it gives us the opportunity to spotlight those blogs and bloggers for you who have thus far impressed us with the quality of their advice and enthusiasm regarding tutoring, school, studying, and so forth. However, we would also like to point out that just because we have decided to nominate these blogs for the VBA does not in any way mean that we endorse or agree with all of their opinions, ideas, advice, and/or articles.
Now, on with the nominees!
Ready for the big reveal? Our nominees for the Versatile Blogger Award are:
National Board Certified and state certified by NJ and NY, I’ve had 10 years teaching experience full-time in the classrooms of middle and high schools. At the same time, I’ve been tutoring for over 15 years. I have a Masters in Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University. I’m currently specializing in mastering the art of SAT Jedi instruction.
I grew up in Ridgewood and graduated from RHS. My husband and I wanted to raise a family in my hometown, so in 2011, we moved back with our two pre-schoolers. At that point I took my education career in a new direction with “The Ridgewood Tutor”.
2. Saint Mary’s University: The Writing Centre
The Saint Mary’s University’s writing centre (Halifax) provides free academic support for students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
We offer in-person, one-on-one tutoring, as well as workshops, in-class presentations, and online support.
3. Science Questions with Surprising Answers
SQSA is a terrific blog wherein Dr. C.S. Baird, a physics researcher and instructor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, takes in your science questions (whether in biology, physics, earth science, health, space, society, or chemistry), and provides considered and thoughtful answers that any layman could understand. It’s a truly fascinating and useful resource for students and life-long learners of any age and interest.
Tenure, She Wrote is a collaborative blog devoted to chronicling the (mis)adventures of women in academia, from undergraduate to Full Professor. We’re a diverse group representing many walks of life, career stages, institutional affiliations, disciplines, and opinions.
Tracking Change is an advocacy platform to turn data into action.
Through collaboration and crowd-sourcing, we can more effectively influence public policy and ensure issues of importance to African Americans are addressed. The issues include STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), job creation, entrepreneurship, access to capital, education and voting rights.
By harnessing the power of technology and social media, activists can more effectively influence public policy, solve problems and bring about social change.
Tracking Change promotes data-driven models of civic engagement, transparency and accountability.
6. Tales of the 4th Grade Wonders
We will provide a moral and rigorous education to a diverse student body, accomplished in a hands-on, technology infused educational environment that embraces differentiated instruction and individual attention that will allow our students to attend college, while developing a commitment to global citizenship, environmental sustainability, and personal virtue.
MS. KESSLER’S MISSION
Fourth Grade is such an important and special year for everyone involved. Students will be given the gift of knowledge, organization, and confidence. Teachers will be given the gift of patience, laughter, and determination. And parents will be given the gift of growth, communication, and pride. My mission is to work together to ensure these gifts are felt and appreciated.
Life and Write is a fabulous blog that gives you everything you could ever want to improve your writing skills creative and otherwise (except for providing an actual tutor, of course :)). Whether you’re interested in learning more about pre-writing, journaling, or avoiding distractions, Life and Write has answers and ideas for you.
The Electron is a student generated publication created at Franklin Community High School, through the efforts of The Electron newspaper class. …
The purpose of the publication is to inform students, faculty, subscribers and community members of news, information and issues that influence or affect them. The Electron accepts news releases, guest columns and sports information releases.
The news organization, which provides an open forum for students, faculty, subscribers and community members, encourages letters to the editor, as well as comments that adhere to the comment policy. Letters can be sent to the publication at the previously mentioned address or dropped off in room C100. Below each article, a comment section can be found.
I am a Deputy Headteacher at Chew Valley School near Bristol, responsible for curriculum, assessment, reporting, monitoring, engagement with parents, and a whole raft of other things. I am a teacher of English and Media Studies. I am passionately committed to state education, as blogged about here. I love teaching.
This blog is a place for me to reflect on aspects of my job, on education in general, and to collect my thoughts.
Hi! I’m Ruby Mirza. Welcome to High School to Harvard. Let me get you up to speed…
For my first four years of high school (I live in New Zealand; we have five years) I chased engineering…and then, through studying for a quiz competition, I rediscovered biology, specifically the brain. Now, I want to go to Harvard Medical School and specialize with neurosurgery residency.
This is my journey, from high school to Harvard.
11. Inspiring Women
… We are running a women’s campaign to help young women from all backgrounds broaden their horizons and raise aspiration. …
Through our Inspiring Women campaign, we aim to link up women in a range of professions at a range of levels with girls throughout England. By giving women the opportunity to sign up, for free, to a simple online portal, where teachers can invite them to come in and talk to young women about their careers, we hope to be part of a culture change where young women and girls, regardless of socioeconomic background, can have access to the career insights they need.
The Savvy Student @ SBU is the official blog of Money Smart Seawolves. While Money Smart Seawolves is committed to assisting students in developing superior financial skills, helping you establish behaviors and habits that will make you a better saver and investor, and equipping you with the necessary knowledge to make sound financial decisions, the Savvy Student @ SBU is going to help you apply all that jargon to your life.
Our articles will help you keep up to date with current events and happenings in the financial aid community, provide tips and tricks for saving money and cutting college costs, and will share some great DIY’s that will (hopefully) make life easier.
13. Woman of Science
This blog is meant to help people, especially women, navigate the system of academic science. I am helping by setting an example. I am hoping that others will join in and offer their examples. These are strictly my opinions and others are welcome to add theirs.
I am a professor of hard science in a research intensive university. I have a husband who is an academic. We solved the two-body problem. We also have two children (elementary school age and infant).
14. ESL Tests for Primary Kids
Here you’ll find ESL online tests for primary children (grades 1-6).
There are 3 types of tests:
Test your skills – Grammar&Vocabulary
Test your listening – Listening practice
Test your reading – Reading comprehension
You can do the tests right away by pressing the round button and get your result at the end of the test.
Let your kids be the best at English!
pleasureinlearning.com is the work of several Hopkinsville Community College instructors who hope to enhance their students’ learning experiences by using the brain’s pleasure circuit.
… We are amazed by what neuroscientists can tell us about how and why we experience pleasure. However, we are surprised and disappointed by how little of this great information has been considered in deciding how we might teach more effectively.
Seven Cool/Interesting Things About Tutoring 101:
1. Tutoring 101 is a small (staffers and tutors total), family-owned and operated business based in Allen, Texas.
2. We were founded in 1997 — that’s right! We’re a ’90s child.
3.Our founder, Tanya Donaghey, has three children and is a certified teacher as well as a small business owner.
4.We offer a truly unique curriculum and variety of workshops during the summer months all designed to get students ready for the coming academic year.
5.Our one-on-one tutoring sessions are tailored specifically to focus on topics requested by the student.
6.Tutoring 101 provides services not only for high and middle school students, but for those still in early childhood working their way through the wild worlds of Kindergarten and other elementary grades.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
In Defense of Amy Chua’s “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”
After publishing Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Dr. Amy Chua found herself beset by attacks from all over the U.S., attacks claiming that she was a terrible parent who tormented her children and brought them up to be automatons. And, coming to this text years later for the first time, it was under this sun that I picked up the book for a read.
Now, I’ll admit that there were plenty of times throughout the text that I wrote some choice things in the margins, but, as I read along, I also began to realize that there were more than a few jokes in there that, at first, I simply hadn’t realized for what they were — jokes. In other words, because of the bad press the book had gotten, I went in assuming the text was humorless, that every line was serious — and, under that weight, who could enjoy or appreciate the arguments Chua makes?
Despite this initial rough and prejudicial start, by the end of the book, Chua had — to my own surprise — won me over.
It’s not that I agree with her every decision and action (such as the blanket opposition of “Western” parents and “Chinese” parents, though her disclaimer in the first chapter about what a “Chinese” mother is to her should definitely be kept in mind throughout the book), but there’s definitely a great deal to learn from her observations and philosophy.
For example, consider the following quote (pg. 215) wherein Chua is struggling with her younger daughter, Lulu’s, decision to tone down her violin practice in order to take up tennis:
“‘…it’s good that you love tennis.’
But just because you love something, I added to myself, doesn’t mean you’ll ever be great. Not if you don’t work. Most people stink at what they love.”
This sentiment, that creativity takes hard work and training, that real joy in an exercise or task comes from vigilance and dedication, is one that I fully agree with. How many people dream of being something but never see it fulfilled? How many people plan to write a novel one day? Plan to learn an instrument or another language? How many people want to get into Harvard, Yale, and Julliard? — The only way to make these things happen, to see these goals manifest, is by setting aside foolish notions of riding the coattails of raw, natural talent, and embracing the fact that accomplishing any such goal means sitting down and doing the work every single day. Creativity isn’t simply a thing people are born with. It’s true that there are geniuses in the world and it’s true that most people do have a particular aptitude for some things over others, but neither of these mean that the individual in question will succeed or accomplish anything if they don’t hone those skills, capacities, and aptitudes with constant, constant work.
And, really, that’s the main thrust of Chua’s Battle Hymn. It’s not that she wants to torment children or create an army of kids that can all play Bartók but not think for themselves — she simply wants to do away with the trophies for Participation and the parenting style that says: Let the kid make his/her own way, even though kids can’t possibly know, understand, or have the discipline necessary to pursue the “ways” that lead to their long-run success, security, and joy versus those that indulge their short-run desires.
While I was a student in college, I had plenty of friends with dreams of being rock stars. They bought the guitars and got together to strum boredly with other “rock stars” while discussing band names, but they never, never actually practiced. What’s more, when they did practice, it was never regularly or for more than perhaps one or two hours at a time. In other words, none of those people are even members of a garage band let alone rock stars now. As Sophia wrote for the New York Post, art isn’t spontaneous — art and creativity take intense dedication and do not come at the expense of other studies, pursuits, and responsibilities. And this is precisely what Tiger Moms aim to teach their kids.
Of course, many parents also bemoan the idea of children not having enough free time and thus feeling unfulfilled and lonely. But, as Sophia goes on to explain about how her mother’s parenting style impacted her, it’s not about self-gratification, but about developing an appreciation for hard work.
And for that, Tiger Mom, thank you.
In other words, the Tiger Mother style of parenting isn’t about keeping kids from experiencing the world to forcing them to practice useless things in any series of windowless music rooms and math halls. It’s about ensuring that kids learn the value in always pursuing something new, the value in becoming life-long learners, and that they cultivate an appreciation for learning and hard work for themselves. It’s about making sure that your child never feels like they should’ve worked harder or that they didn’t live up to their full potential or that they didn’t take advantage of their every opportunity to achieve their dreams.
The world is facing an unbelievable number of obstacles today from widespread poverty to devastating climate change.
Why wouldn’t anyone want to give their kids the best shot at being their best for both themselves and the world they’re about to inherit?
Of course, one of the most important (and hardest) realizations Amy Chua makes throughout her book is that not every child thrives under the same parenting style or with the same motivations. While it’s important to continuously push children and perhaps more than occasionally force them to work harder than they’d like to, it’s just as important to recognize when something simply isn’t working and to have honest discussions with your kids about what they need to succeed and why you’re choosing the actions and paths that you’re choosing for them.
Tutoring 101 