Comments on: The Trouble With Teens

By: tigerbalm

tigerbalm — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:26:30 +0000

A lot of sweeping generalizations, tho most are perhaps true. That being said, the writer completely skips over the fact that all the things he claims Chinese teenagers miss out on are never experienced, and that they they go straight to the workforce as robots.

The reality is, all the sex/drugs/rock-n-roll & “empathy” that American highschoolers experience is all done at the Chinese University level. Also, what good is developing an “identity” and “empathy” if you lack basic skills in math & science and a strong work ethic? 0_o

By: Apprentice Vinbeazel

Apprentice Vinbeazel — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:59:27 +0000

I discovered this article/series from the blog site: seeing red in china; I am very interested in how the best and brightest students, who struggle thru the system, to achieve the lofty goal of mid-level bureaucrat, out of fear of poverty or servitude in menial labor is starting to sound like the high goals of Amerocan students; at least in North America…

When I lived for 15 months in Venezuela, I saw a model of education, that put equal emphasis on learning a trade, similar to what has developed in most of Europe. This would be worth discussing, as an alternative to bothe NorthAm and china doll education models. My work is in alternative education development, using social media to form alliances with parents; students and professors around the world, making language study preparatory to core subjects in other disciplines. We incorporate radioblogging, as a means of interaction with people of other cultures, who pursue the same areas of activism, sharing with younger people who care about the environment, ideas on how to fix the damage that is being done by konsumers of korporat kulture. Excellent Articles!

By: trouble teenagers

trouble teenagers — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 11:26:57 +0000

After reading your above article on trouble with teens, I found it to be very interesting and educational. There are so many teens are suffering from troubleness and hopelessness. The private boot camping centers for children offer a short-term program of three to four months to work on creating discipline and structure among the juveniles.

http://www.troubledteen.net/

By: EnlightenedFool

EnlightenedFool — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 18:56:53 +0000

This is interesting, to say the least. It’s given me a new perspective on American teenager societal norms. I once thought American morals and values were crude but compared with that of China’s, I’m glad we have them. Since it is partially a communist state, I can see how conformity plays a role in developing the new generations in China. However, this kind of development of young teams is like raising inmates in solitary confinement. Studying is important but there are much finer things in life that are much more important. If becoming a “mid-level bureaucrat” is all these kids have to look forward to, they’ll be end up living dark, dismal futures.

By: Julia

Julia — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:57:15 +0000

Ha. Christopher, so good to know I’m not the only white person working in an all Chinese office… I’m pretty sure I could write a book when this is all over. What city are you in? I’m in New York.

By: canrun

canrun — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:02:23 +0000

@yan yang

You contradict yourself in nearly every sentence.

“Since then, for about 50 years, China’s education is a blank, a misery. China today has sent many students abroad. We can foresee they will one day contribute to China for a better society, and a better education system.”

So…which is it? You do realize that upwards of 80% (or more) of Chinese graduate students plan to stay in the U.S., right? The sea turtles appear to swim quite slowly towards the open arms of the Motherland.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/jun/02/internationaleducationnews.highereducation

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20100305112257670

By: student

student — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 17:16:20 +0000

“What about Chinese Americans in the American public school system that go through high school with flying colors? When they graduate from their top 25 university and join the workforce, do they have workforce drama?”

Yes, they do. Chinese American students are reared in a veritable simulacrum of the Chinese educational system. It leads many of my classmates to pursue things they are not passionate about, and many, although relative successes, never really excel in a fantastic way.

In many ways the refusal to acknowledge that individuals have specific strengths and weaknesses, as well as a reluctance to take risks, never allows these students to become truly stellar. Take, for example, the distribution of Nobel prizes awarded, even in science.

The Anglo system is brilliant in that it encourages people with the appropriate personality disposition to enter into academia and excel, while socializing the others for life in general society. In general we should stop this diploma fetish.

By: John

John — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 15:49:35 +0000

@B.F

Being raised by my Chinese parents, they too saw little need for me to join sports activities. Now that I’m older I think that was a mistake on their part.

In America, sports are not used merely to train the body, but to also help socialize kids, and more importantly, teach them how to work as a team. Later in life, sports can greatly open up your social network. And study after study shows how good fitness can in turn produce good mental health too.

By: Bob Page

Bob Page — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:44:27 +0000

In response, Michelle Cui Xiaoxiao writes a first-person account in The Mercury Brief of what it’s like to be a teenager in one of the Chinese schools described by Jiang Xueqin. Her essay suggests that teenagers rebel in different ways, on different scales, but display similar behavior worldwide.

http://www.mercurybrief.com/2010/06/chinese-teenagers-stick-it-to-the-man/

By: yan yang

yan yang — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:59:31 +0000

Schools system in China was set up in the end of Qing dynasty, which should be around 1900. Before that, individual tutor taught a couple students in a small room.
For thousand years in China, up to Qing Dynasty, ’Keju’ system is the latter for those learnt to get to the top of the society. One had to pass different levels of tests to climb up: tests in counties, in provinces and finally test for the whole country.
Even after 1919 revolution, school system has been built up and Keju abolished, education is still a means for Chinese to climb to be an officer. Once you get a position, you’ll have power and thus you’ll have money and everything.
One can image how fierce is the competition with this huge China population. While students in US are enjoying rich teenage life: sports, parties, sex, poor students in China have to deal with book and labs inside school. From this system we can see two shortages: 1. It is isolated from society at large; 2. Creativeness is not encouraged.
On the other hand, this system created the best technicians and craftsmen thru students’ intensive study. By unwillingly sacrificing their teenage joys, those technicians made today China’s economical miracle possible.
We should admit those technicians also help USA’ s economy, as education system in US just couldn’t cultivate technicians as those in China. US has the luxury to import those work forces abroad: doctors from India, nurses from Philippines, computer programmers from China….The shortage of technicians in US has not be fully understood.
From human rights point of view, China’s losing the full life of one or two generations is incorrect. But China has a different concept of human rights.
In US, each individual has indisputable right God give. A teacher couldn’t assign too much homework to a student. Not only the student himself wouldn’t accept it, his parents will protest it too. How can a teacher really teach under a circumstance when a teenage, by nature, denies pressure from classroom?
In China, individual is bound by invisible connections: his peers, his parents, etc. Human right doesn’t belong to himself. It belongs to his individual group. Therefore, a Chinese is trained to be a politician to balance the needs and benefits in his group. His personality disappears in this balancing.
Education system is built on social structure, which in turn is based on the country’s culture. China’s culture (Confucianism) gives birth of today’s government and consequently today’s education system.
The best educators in China are in 1930s. Some brilliant young scholars were sent to Western by late Qing and early National governments. They learnt Western system and came back to China with an ambition to change China’s education system. The intellectual work horse of China were built by them and then. Since then, for about 50 years, China’s education is a blank, a misery. China today has sent many students abroad. We can foresee they will one day contribute to China for a better society, and a better education system.