A Chinese proverb says, “Strict
teachers produce good students.” But in
the USA, with the implementation of “No Child Left Behind,” strict teacher
can’t produce good students because schools are forced to tailor their
education to the minds of the students.
Any smart child with huge potential can easily be dragged behind by
anyone below the median.
The rise of
the “Tiger Mom” has brought about extensive controversy over social upbringing.
The idea of such a strict regime for learning and living scares most Americans.
Many working class parents would beg, “Why would any parent demand so much out
of their children? Wouldn’t that just scar them and lower their self-esteem?
No, everything must be perfect and tailored just right for my child. Everyone
else must adapt for his sake. My child is perfect; everyone else is at fault.”
Though it is rather exaggerated, this idea does somewhat describe the American
parents’ mindset.
Yet when I
think about it, I ask, “Why, in a society so diverse, must we make education so
uniform to accommodate the students? Shouldn’t the students learn to adapt to
the teachers, as to better prepare them to adapt to people they will encounter
and face in society?” Since my sister and I were very young, our parents taught
us to always listen to the teacher and if we didn’t like one, we had to deal
with the teacher and adjust to his methods. It’s not like our employer when we
first step into a business interview fresh out of college would change his work
codes to meet our deficiencies. He would simply not hire us. So I don’t see a
reason why it’s necessarily the school system’s job to ensure the success of
the students. Students must build their own methods in order to succeed,
particularly in self-discipline and social maturity.
Younger
children have difficulty accepting this strict behavior since their scatter
brains are so active. To cope with this, parents must impose a form of
discipline upon their children at an early age. This method I personally have
tested. Both my sister and I from a young age were taken through the “Tiger
Mom” method until we reached the age when we had strong self-discipline and
behavior. Our mother relentlessly forced us to study, practice, and learn;
whatever it took to always stay at the top of the class. One year, my mother
forbad my sister to go to prom because she had to prepare for the SAT, even
though she had been preparing for it for at least five years. Of course, this
method did pay off. My sister graduated top of her high school class, earned
almost a perfect score on the SAT, and produced straight 5s on the AP tests she
took. She attended an internationally respected business school, and now works
for a major consulting firm. During her college years, she also started
Taekwondo and has since earned her black belt. I myself have risen to one of
the top students in my class and am taking many of my classes with juniors and
seniors.
People still
don’t believe in the “Tiger Mom” story. My own friends think that the method
couldn’t possibly work. Yet right next to them is a perfect example of the
success of the method. A study once showed that kids with patience and
discipline are more likely to succeed. Why don’t we learn something from a proven
method?
Surely your name is sherly
ReplyDeleteThe message that you convey through this story is very clear. You use a lot of reasons and results of studies to back up the message that you want people to understand. This is good, as it makes your argument more convincing. However, my suggestion is that it lacks the theme of a personal account. Without telling a solid, whole story about yourself that relates to the message you try to get across, not only does the story feel rather empty, but also it makes using sensory details and figurative language much more easy. This is a very good expository styled essay, but in the future, you should try developing your stories around personal experiences. Overall, excellent work.
ReplyDeleteAlong the lines of what Matt said... you have a very solid basis for your argument. You worded it extremely well, and I thankfully didn't have to read it twice to understand what you were talking about. Good signs. (Side note... I was slightly curious as to where you came up with the term of "Tiger Mom". Just not the conventional term I had heard, or would have used... but I digress.) However, I think you could have made your story... I dunno. Give it more. I understood clearly the message behind the story... but perhaps, a personal anecdote would have been helpful? It would have made your base all the more firmer, and it also would have been a good way to to compare the idea of the "Tiger Mom" to how you described the American parenting system. Personally, with that, your description of the American parenting system, seemed a little biased... so, some support for that, a short personal account of being confronted with this, would have been ideal to fully support it. Other than those little tidbits, great job.
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