Tiger Mother

To review

"Tiger Mother" became well known both in the US and China after the publication of the Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua, a professor of Yale University and a Chinese immigrant mother. In the book, Chua describes how she educates her two daughters in a strict "typical Chinese" way. Chua asks her two daughters be top students in every subject except gym and drama. The girls are never allowed to get any grade less than an A, and were banned from watching TV or playing computer games. Both are students with a string of A grades at school and good achievements in the musical field, one plays the piano, the other violin. The book triggered intense debate in both China and the US. Some American parents worried children brought up surrounded by praise would lose competitions to Chinese youngsters, while many Chinese mothers claimed they would not do "brutal things" to their children like Chua did. Some Chinese comments suggested the strict way had ruined many geniuses.

We say

No perfect education exists. The key point is whether parents know their children well: Do they have a high or ordinary IQ? Do they have a feel for arts? After getting to know them well, the only task for parents is to help children avoid wasting time and focus on their studies. For children with an ordinary IQ, they can only succeed through hard work and strong will power in a society full of serious competition. Parents of those children should adopt Chua's way if they want their children have a better life in the future. Geniuses can always study faster than others. Of course geniuses are not good at every subject. A born-poet has low odds to be a scientist. Geniuses vary greatly so no way is perfect to follow. A real genius can not be ruined by any educational way. The only thing that can ruin them is human weakness, except for illnesses which they can not control.