Rachel D. – seeker 2/3

This New York Times article from January 25 highlights the concepts in Amy Chua’s controversial parenting book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Chua, the “U.S.-born daughter of Filipino-Chinese immigrants,” argues for the tactics of Eastern childrearing versus the current typical American parenting style. Didi Tatlow, the author of the article, emphasizes the importance that China places on education, a standard that Chua values and upholds in her book, in relation to the increasing importance American parents are placing on giving their children playtime. Tatlow cites Chua’s suggestion of giving her children rigorous workloads to promote educational success, including violin lessons and nightly math problems. American parents, however, want their children to have fun in addition to reaping the benefits of educational success. The angle of Tatlow’s focuses on a recent shift in attitude: Chinese parents, cites the headline, are gradually embracing the idea that children should enjoy play in addition to focusing on their studies. Chinese schools are beginning to stray from the traditionally rigorous educational methods that Chua praises in her book and focus on letting children play to “make kids more active, happier and improve their overall quality.”

Because this article compares two parenting and educational styles, one in which children are expected, above all else, to perform and excel academically; the other in which children are given play time to enjoy themselves. What the article overlooks is the fact that there can be balance between the two. In Ralph Koster’s A Theory of Fun, he points out the fact that learning can be fun, and vice versa. A good game, Koster says, challenges the player, if the brain is not stimulated, the game becomes boring. He defines a good game as “one that teaches everything it has to offer before the player stops playing” (46). Koster raises the question of whether games are educational in and of themselves, or if they have to actually “teach” a concept in order to be valuable.

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