If we can’t beat China in the classroom, maybe we can at least distract Chinese children from their studies. Nickelodeon, MTV and others are trying to gain greater access to the Chinese children’s television market. The Chinese government doesn’t approve of many of the U.S. kids programs, particular ones that seem very disrespectful to adults — which is most of them. But even if the shows get on TV, many Chinese parents likely won’t let their kids watch them, because they place such importance on education. When they do allow their kids to watch TV, it tends to be such Chinese TV shows as “Seeking Answers to 100 Questions,” “Reading Books,” “Chess Boy” and “Studying the Arts.” What? No “Rugrats”?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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7 Comments
It’s apparent in Wichita’s high schools that have many students from Asian countries that the Asian students are much more focused on their studies than many of their American fellow students.Must be parenting skills and attention.
JWink,Why, didn’t you know that it takes a village:-)
It’s the culture, JW.
When I lived in Asia (China and Taiwan), a typical kid’s schedule went something like this:
6.30: wake up, eat (mom cooks), get dressed7.15: catch bus/train to school (nap)7.50: school beginsnoon: lunch12.30: nap1.00: class3.50: school lets out4.00: grab something to eat from a 7/11 or street vendor4.30: catch bus/train to evening school (usually one on the way home or very near home), nap5.00: evening school begins7.00: get out of evening school7.10: walk or catch bus/train home (nap)7.30: eat dinner w/family8.30: study9.30: bathe10.30: bed (young kids)10.30: study (high schoolers)12.00 – 2.00: bed (high schoolers)
Just about every kid whose family can afford evening school (only the very best are subsidized by the government, and then only slightly), something upwards of 300 million of them, follows a schedule that varies only slightly from this one.
In this culture, sports is limited to pickup basketball, soccer, and lots of gongfu (kung fu) or martial arts practice. Not a minute of extramural time is devoted to organized football, baseball or basketball. Interestingly, the nap is retained in adulthood. Workers everywhere nap from 12.30 -1pm; it’s ubiquitous.
Disadvantages: not much time for recreation, including imaginative play. Both parents work (usually) to maintain a middle class lifestyle.
Chinese culture, which is very cohesive, very powerful, somehow keeps the dropout rate very, very low. Nary a Christian to be seen, I might add (lots of Mormons working to change that, though ;)).A pet theory of mine was that kids who live very near their schools, and thus have more time for recreation, emerge as the creative leaders of industry (pure speculation on my part).
If the US doesn’t find a way to engage more of our children in the hard sciences and math, and before China’s economy matures, then a lot of our bosses will probably be named Chen sometime this century.
Without question Asian cultures facilitate education and work. My kid is in Robinson’s gifted-Pre-IB program and there appears to be a significant over-representation of Asian kids in that group. The Asian kids there are not only smart, but they are willing to work and do so independently. This is not to say they don’t have fun, but they seem to have an idea about keeping that in balance.
I and my kid benefit from his association with this group. He seems to know that if he does not work at least some, he will be left behind. So far, that is something he does not want and I am grateful for the peer-pressure that he has put on him.
In the future, not only will the supervisor be named “Chen”, but we all will be working to pay off the mortgage on our souls that the Bush administration has arranged with China.
Just one more example, of THOUSANDS lately, that point out that we need to quit worrying about the need to learn spanish and start learning chinese. In the not too distant future THEY will be our new leaders and bosses.
I think replying to him, only encourages him.
That is not something I am interested in.
Agreed. It’s too easy to do, but don’t feed the trolls, folks.