(2011-02-01) Chua Tiger Mother

Amy Chua did great job of link-baiting with her excerpt from her new Tiger Mother book. (Parent-Hood)

I haven't bothered posting it before since everyone else has, and I haven't read the book.

Philip Greenspun thinks (not having read the book) she has a point, or rather that many of her critics are wrong: As the Samoyed Coco has no doubt mastered all of the above “social tests” that David Brooks sets forth, I suppose he will be writing a recommendation for the bitch to attend Yale. She has demonstrated superior ability to those Chinese-American kids who have mere “book learning”.

• Update: he listened to the book. If Chua isn't sure that she's right, she's pretty sure that most Americans are wrong, with their cult of Self Esteem and letting kids do whatever they want. By chronicling the achievements of her children, Chua reminds us that Fat Drunk And Stupid is no way to go through life.

Cal Newport mentions (in comments): I think she has the same distrust I have toward the wishy-washy “there’s more to life to Harvard,” ambition-reduction approach. As you note, however, we probably disagree some on the specifics of what to do instead.

Feb16 update: Peter Gray gives his take. The philosophy of our school system is, in fact, the "tiger mother" philosophy; but in executing that philosophy many people in the school system are weak-willed and mushy. Grade inflation, trophies for mediocre performance, passing students who haven't learned the lessons--all these undermine the philosophy. So, Chua's book appeals to those who buy into our culture's mainstream philosophy of schooling and believe that a tougher approach would make the system work. Chua's "tiger mother" approach to parenting and education is the logical extension of the same, mainstream mentality that gave us "NoChildLeftBehind" and all the rest of the current drive to make our schools even more restrictive and confining and to give our children even less opportunity to play than is presently the case. Perhaps Chua's book has a purpose after all, in the larger scheme of things. She didn't write it as satire, but nevertheless it is satire. It shows the absurdity of our culture's current beliefs about education, and it does so by carrying those beliefs out to their full, logical conclusion.

Jan'2014: Chua has a new book, Triple Package, out: three traits that, together, propel success. The first is a superiority complex — a deep-seated belief in their exceptionality. The second appears to be the opposite — insecurity, a feeling that you or what you’ve done is not good enough. The third is impulse control (Self Control).