Thursday 13 January 2011

Tiger parents and results culture

There's been something of a press furore about Prof Amy Chua's claims that the methods of ultra-strict 'tiger mothers' are superior to our lax western ways. Quite apart from the gross cultural stereotyping in such claims and the title of her book, it's upsetting to read her confident assertions that bullying and belittling children is the only route to success. Dd just achieved A grades (of which even a so-called 'tiger mother' might approve) in the IGCSEs she sat in November, without any such coercion. She simply chose to study a couple of subjects which she liked in a format that she was comfortable with. She didn't have to miss any sleepovers or TV or games. She didn't have to do anything. Ultimately, will a particular IGCSE grade really matter? Probably not - it might conceivably mean a few less hoops to jump through for a very particular range of careers. Even so, in real life, people are valued for a myriad things other than such ephemera. But at least she has the pleasure of having achieved what she set out to do, without having been berated or disparaged or forced to conform to someone else's vision of what she should be.

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