What do you think?
Rate this book
Little Soldiers: An American Boy, a Chinese School, and the Global Race to Achieve
In the spirit of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Bringing up Bébé, and The Smartest Kids in the World, a hard-hitting exploration of China’s widely acclaimed yet insular education system—held up as a model of excellence—that raises important questions for the future of American parenting and education.
When American mom Lenora Chu moved to China with her little boy, she faced a tough decision. China produced some of the world’s top academic achievers, and just down the street from her home in Shanghai was THE school, as far as elite Chinese were concerned. Should Lenora entrust her rambunctious young son to the system?
So began Rainey’s immersion in one of the most extreme school systems on the planet. Almost immediately, the three-year-old began to develop surprising powers of concentration, became proficient in early math, and learned to obey his teachers’ every command. Yet Lenora also noticed disturbing new behaviors: Where he used to scribble and explore, Rainey grew obsessed with staying inside the lines. He became fearful of authority figures, and also developed a habit of obeisance outside of school. “If you want me to do it, I’ll do it,” he told a stranger who’d asked whether he liked to sing.
What was happening behind closed classroom doors? Driven by parental anxiety, Lenora embarked on a journalistic mission to discover: What price do the Chinese pay to produce their “smart” kids? How hard should the rest of us work to stay ahead of the global curve? And, ultimately, is China’s school system one the West should emulate?
She pulls the curtain back on a military-like education system, in which even the youngest kids submit to high-stakes tests, and parents are crippled by the pressure to compete (and sometimes to pay bribes). Yet, as mother-and-son reach new milestones, Lenora uncovers surprising nuggets of wisdom, such as the upside of student shame, how competition can motivate achievement, and why a cultural belief in hard work over innate talent gives the Chinese an advantage.
Lively and intimate, beautifully written and reported, Little Soldiers challenges our assumptions and asks us to reconsider the true value and purpose of education.
When American mom Lenora Chu moved to China with her little boy, she faced a tough decision. China produced some of the world’s top academic achievers, and just down the street from her home in Shanghai was THE school, as far as elite Chinese were concerned. Should Lenora entrust her rambunctious young son to the system?
So began Rainey’s immersion in one of the most extreme school systems on the planet. Almost immediately, the three-year-old began to develop surprising powers of concentration, became proficient in early math, and learned to obey his teachers’ every command. Yet Lenora also noticed disturbing new behaviors: Where he used to scribble and explore, Rainey grew obsessed with staying inside the lines. He became fearful of authority figures, and also developed a habit of obeisance outside of school. “If you want me to do it, I’ll do it,” he told a stranger who’d asked whether he liked to sing.
What was happening behind closed classroom doors? Driven by parental anxiety, Lenora embarked on a journalistic mission to discover: What price do the Chinese pay to produce their “smart” kids? How hard should the rest of us work to stay ahead of the global curve? And, ultimately, is China’s school system one the West should emulate?
She pulls the curtain back on a military-like education system, in which even the youngest kids submit to high-stakes tests, and parents are crippled by the pressure to compete (and sometimes to pay bribes). Yet, as mother-and-son reach new milestones, Lenora uncovers surprising nuggets of wisdom, such as the upside of student shame, how competition can motivate achievement, and why a cultural belief in hard work over innate talent gives the Chinese an advantage.
Lively and intimate, beautifully written and reported, Little Soldiers challenges our assumptions and asks us to reconsider the true value and purpose of education.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published September 19, 2017
About the author
Lenora Chu
1 book56 followersLenora Chu is a mom first, journalist second. She's author of Little Soldiers, the story of her parenting journey inside China's school system, one of the highest-performing—and most extreme—systems in the world. Since moving from Los Angeles to Shanghai in 2010, she has worked as a print and television journalist, and a media consultant to universities and the private sector. Her articles and op-eds have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Cut / New York magazine, and on NPR shows including Marketplace and PRI's The World. She is a graduate of Stanford University and Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 330 reviews
October 16, 2017
I am struggling with writing this review because I have so many thoughts about the ideas presented in this book.
First of all, I found the first hand account of the author's experience to be fascinating and well written. The author is first generation American of Chinese descent, educated in Texas public schools, carrying the burden of high academic standards while balancing her own American dream. She subsequently graduates from college, marries a midwesterner, and moves to China for his career opportunities with a small child in tow and faced with the choice of participating in the Chinese education system or entering a kinder pedagogical international approach. They choose the Chinese way and suffer cultural shock which leads her to further delve into educational theories, comparing and contrasting between them.
There is much to be said about the educational system in Shanghai which is why this book was written. It is fascinating and multi-faceted with different results. I read the study performed in 2012 PISA results and came to a conclusion that differed from the author's. That said, I found merit in the conversation she had with the Father of the test.
One sentence in the book undid all the fascination and good I got out of the book which is terribly unfair to the book. I believe it was a manner of opinion but I vehemently disagree with one part of a statement while agreeing wholeheartedly with another part; "The quality and status of American teachers have declined alongside levels of content mastery..."
Ouch.
As a public school guidance Counselor in her 28th year, I believe my experience merits a voice. In fact, I vehemently disagree that the quality of educators that surround me has declined. Only a few weeks ago, I was asked if I noticed any marked differences between students from the beginning of my career to now. The answer to that question was difficult to quantify because the biggest difference between the students occurred with changes of demographics. The elitist, more monied group are more entitled and parents are more invested in their students' grades and ACT or SAT scores. Some parents doing their children's homework and hiring expensive tutors for taking the exams. On the other end of the spectrum, I had immigrants whose parents spoke no English and had 2and 3 jobs, encouraging their children to work hard. That was the population I preferred, frankly. Through grit and hard work, they were improving their lives.
The answer I gave the person who posed this question was completely different, however. I've seen an increase of quality of educators over the years. The status of educators has declined but the quality is exceptional in most cases.
Today's American educators are expected to educate every child that is assigned to them, regardless of disability and laws of inclusion. While the Chinese laggards eventually drop out, we are expected to retain every student. Every student is expected to be successful and the teacher is expected to teach every student at their level. In the same class. The elementary school teacher is expected to be master of all academic content, maintain classroom management, deal with behaviour problems without being punitive, appease hovering parents, and keep up with legislators who are so far removed from the classroom yet feel entitled to tell teachers versed in pedagogical theory how to teach, how they will measure them yet recently allowing truancy court to be abandoned because a certain legislator needed his son to be free of such constrictions to pursue his basketball career.
In secondary schools, the issues are the same except teachers must be highly qualified in their area which may mean they are still teaching physics, astronomy, chemistry and 7th grade science. They are also expected to regularly attend collaboration, professional development, be trained in spotting child abuse and know how to handle it, implement a suicide prevention program, remediate students who have been attending a charter school which has little to no oversight and did not progress in the content while they attended said charter school, and placate parents who are upset because the homework is too hard for their little nuggets.
And these teachers do all these things.
Tangent over. Back to the book.
Neither educational system is perfect and much can be gleaned and emulated from one another. The Chinese are attempting to make changes in a culture that resists change and in a space that can not tolerate much individualism. The American system is at the mercy of legislators who don't have a clue while incredible teachers continue to teach the curriculum without public respect and against the backdrop of more constrictive laws, different student needs with IEP's and 504's and behaviour problems when really, they just want teach because they love teaching. And there are no kickbacks like expensive Coach purses. Although sometimes I get a potted plant at the end of the year or maybe a mug.
I still highly recommend this book. It's an excellent read with good comparisons drawn. The problem arose when I finished the book when I was tired and my obsessiveness can. Not. Sleep. Until I've said my peace.
My apologies to the author for getting hung up on that sentence.
This book was provided to me by publisher in exchange for an honest review.
First of all, I found the first hand account of the author's experience to be fascinating and well written. The author is first generation American of Chinese descent, educated in Texas public schools, carrying the burden of high academic standards while balancing her own American dream. She subsequently graduates from college, marries a midwesterner, and moves to China for his career opportunities with a small child in tow and faced with the choice of participating in the Chinese education system or entering a kinder pedagogical international approach. They choose the Chinese way and suffer cultural shock which leads her to further delve into educational theories, comparing and contrasting between them.
There is much to be said about the educational system in Shanghai which is why this book was written. It is fascinating and multi-faceted with different results. I read the study performed in 2012 PISA results and came to a conclusion that differed from the author's. That said, I found merit in the conversation she had with the Father of the test.
One sentence in the book undid all the fascination and good I got out of the book which is terribly unfair to the book. I believe it was a manner of opinion but I vehemently disagree with one part of a statement while agreeing wholeheartedly with another part; "The quality and status of American teachers have declined alongside levels of content mastery..."
Ouch.
As a public school guidance Counselor in her 28th year, I believe my experience merits a voice. In fact, I vehemently disagree that the quality of educators that surround me has declined. Only a few weeks ago, I was asked if I noticed any marked differences between students from the beginning of my career to now. The answer to that question was difficult to quantify because the biggest difference between the students occurred with changes of demographics. The elitist, more monied group are more entitled and parents are more invested in their students' grades and ACT or SAT scores. Some parents doing their children's homework and hiring expensive tutors for taking the exams. On the other end of the spectrum, I had immigrants whose parents spoke no English and had 2and 3 jobs, encouraging their children to work hard. That was the population I preferred, frankly. Through grit and hard work, they were improving their lives.
The answer I gave the person who posed this question was completely different, however. I've seen an increase of quality of educators over the years. The status of educators has declined but the quality is exceptional in most cases.
Today's American educators are expected to educate every child that is assigned to them, regardless of disability and laws of inclusion. While the Chinese laggards eventually drop out, we are expected to retain every student. Every student is expected to be successful and the teacher is expected to teach every student at their level. In the same class. The elementary school teacher is expected to be master of all academic content, maintain classroom management, deal with behaviour problems without being punitive, appease hovering parents, and keep up with legislators who are so far removed from the classroom yet feel entitled to tell teachers versed in pedagogical theory how to teach, how they will measure them yet recently allowing truancy court to be abandoned because a certain legislator needed his son to be free of such constrictions to pursue his basketball career.
In secondary schools, the issues are the same except teachers must be highly qualified in their area which may mean they are still teaching physics, astronomy, chemistry and 7th grade science. They are also expected to regularly attend collaboration, professional development, be trained in spotting child abuse and know how to handle it, implement a suicide prevention program, remediate students who have been attending a charter school which has little to no oversight and did not progress in the content while they attended said charter school, and placate parents who are upset because the homework is too hard for their little nuggets.
And these teachers do all these things.
Tangent over. Back to the book.
Neither educational system is perfect and much can be gleaned and emulated from one another. The Chinese are attempting to make changes in a culture that resists change and in a space that can not tolerate much individualism. The American system is at the mercy of legislators who don't have a clue while incredible teachers continue to teach the curriculum without public respect and against the backdrop of more constrictive laws, different student needs with IEP's and 504's and behaviour problems when really, they just want teach because they love teaching. And there are no kickbacks like expensive Coach purses. Although sometimes I get a potted plant at the end of the year or maybe a mug.
I still highly recommend this book. It's an excellent read with good comparisons drawn. The problem arose when I finished the book when I was tired and my obsessiveness can. Not. Sleep. Until I've said my peace.
My apologies to the author for getting hung up on that sentence.
This book was provided to me by publisher in exchange for an honest review.
March 29, 2022
The book by Lenora Chu, an American of Chinese descent, who, together with her husband and son, came to live and work in Shanghai in 2010, reflects to a large extent the same duality. Shanghai is not quite China, who understands, and at the same time, the symbol and banner of today's Celestial Empire, no less than Beijing.
Rainie was turning five, it was necessary to take care of education, the family decided to arrange him in a state kindergarten. Not least because of the payment, private gardens in Shanghai are very expensive, but mainly because the world was amazed by the published results of the Chinese educational rating. Lenora and her husband wanted their son to experience the beneficial effects of this wonderful system, so that he was brought up in bilingualism and this helped him in the future.
They were incredibly lucky to get into Song Qing Ling, the best Shanghai kindergarten. Is known: you will not get a promising job if you have not graduated from a prestigious university, which you will not get into, if you have not studied at a good school, where you are most likely to get to after the right kindergarten. However, in China, with its cult of the Gaokao state exam (in South Korea, by the way, it's exactly the same story with Sunen, but the favored treatment and coverage of all segments of society is much higher), so - in China, the importance of this kind of educational continuity is much higher than European or American.
Eight tenths of "Chinese children are little soldiers" is a story about Rainey's stay in Song Qing Ling, about the shocking authoritarianism of the primary education system for a Western person: army discipline, going to the toilet in formation, force-feeding, the opportunity to drink water as a privilege for good behavior. About the absence of a constructive dialogue between parents and the teacher (the so-called kindergarten teachers) - the orders of the latter should be perceived without discussion.
«Я маленький солдатик, я каждый день в строю»
Пока мы спорим о том, имеют ли значение международные рейтинги, Китай стремится снабдить своих детей лучшими навыками, которые важны в быстро меняющемся мире, попутно демонстрируя блистательные способности в математике, чтении и науках.
Сколько себя помню, отношение к Китаю было двойственным. В детстве, в Алма-Ате, которая очень близко к китайской границе, одна из городских легенд: Мао Цзэдун подарил этот город жене на день рождения, а один из самых сильных страхов - китайцы нападут и убьют мою маму. За себя не боялась, дети не верят, что смертны. И не очень верилось, когда мама рассказывала, что прежде мы были друзьями, а в ее юности пели "Москва-Пекин, дружба навек". Но косвенным подтверждением тому были две, сохранившиеся с прежних времен, вещи: дивной красоты покрывало и большой термос - то и другое китайское
Позже, в девяностых, Китай стал местом, откуда везли кучу удивительно дешевых вещей скверного качества. "Китайское" тогда было синонимом плохого. Но к тому времени не посоветовавшись с потертой на сгибах распечаткой И-Цзин, я не принимала ни одного сколько-нибудь серьезного решения. Потом оказалось. что всю сложную технику и гаджеты делают в Китае, еще потом, их автомобили, которые поначалу все ругали, буквально за десятилетие, стали едва не эталоном качества. А я с гордостью носила ципао.
Книга американки китайского происхождения Леноры Чу, которая вместе с мужем и сыном, приехала в 2010 году жить и работать в Шанхай, в немалой степени отражает ту же двойственность. Шанхай не вполне Китай, кто понимает, и одновременно, в не меньшей, чем Пекин, мере символ и знамя сегодняшней Поднебесной.
Рэйни исполнялось пять, нужно было позаботиться об образовании, семья приняла решение устроить его в государственный детсад. Не последнюю очередь из-за оплаты, частные сады в Шанхае очень дороги, но, главным образом потому, что мир был поражен опубликованными итогами китайского образовательного рейтинга. Ленора с мужем хотели, чтобы сын испытал на себе благотворное действие этой замечательной системы, чтобы был воспитан в двуязычии и это помогло ему в дальнейшем.
Им немыслимо повезло попасть в Сун Цин Лин - лучший шанхайский садик. Известно: ты не устроишься на перспективную работу, если не окончил престижного ВУЗа, в который не попадешь, если не учился в хорошей школе, куда больше всего шансов попасть после правильного детского сада. Однако в Китае, с его культом государственного экзамена Гаокао (в Южной Корее, кстати, совершенно та же история с Сунён, но режим благоприятствования и охват всех слоев общества много выше), так вот - в Китае значение такого рода образовательной преемственности много выше европейской или американской.
На семь десятых "Китайские дети - маленькие солдатики" - рассказ о пребывании Рэйни в Сун Цин Лин, о шокирующей западного человека авторитарности системы начального образования: армейская дисциплина, хождение в туалет строем, кормление насильно, возможность попить воды как привилегия за хорошее поведение. Об отсутствии конструктивного диалога между родителями и учителем (так называются садовские воспитатели) - распоряжения последнего должны восприниматься без обсуждения.
О низкопоклонстве и подхалимаже родителей перед учителями, о распространенной практике подкупа учителей "дарением" дорогой косметики и аксессуаров. О том, как детей буквально ломают через коленку жесткостью организационных требований и как те поначалу ненавидят сад. Но и о том, как скоро становится заметна разница между дисциплинированными вежливыми мотивированными детьми воспитательной системы китайского образца и дерзкими неуправляемыми, росшими в демократичном западном образовательном пространстве.
О том, насколько различается урок математики в американской школе, где педагог хвалит детей, стимулирует их творческую активность и успевает опросить пятерых, из которых двое вызвались отвечать сами, от китайского: к детям обращаются по номерам, задания делаются на время, за урок получено шестьдесят ответов, работает весь класс. Насколько отличается китайский, конфуцианский подход к учебе, с его почтением к образованности, которая рассматривается как плод ежедневного тяжелого труда , от западного, со ставкой на задатки, гениальность, быстрый успех.
Я сказала о семи десятых - на оставшиеся тридцать процентов книга - рассказ о пропасти, отделяющей сельский материковый Китай от крупных городов. О том, как отсутствие возможности нормально жить в семье, потому что родители либо тяжко трудятся в полях, либо рабочие-мигранты в городе; о том, как это лишает большинство китайцев перспектив. Не стоит забывать и о последствиях Культурной революции, уничтожившей образованный слой. О коррупции в системе образования, о непотизме и клановости, чрезвычайно распространенных в стране.
Которая, тем не менее, являет образец удивительно интересного опыта совмещения традиций и современности, лидируя по всем значимым позициям. Перевод замечательно хорош, но у Шаши Мартыновой иначе не бывает. Классная книга (во всех смыслах).
##Синдбад, Китай, образование, воспитание, космополитизм. нон-фикшн, педагогика, перевод Шаши Мартыновой
Rainie was turning five, it was necessary to take care of education, the family decided to arrange him in a state kindergarten. Not least because of the payment, private gardens in Shanghai are very expensive, but mainly because the world was amazed by the published results of the Chinese educational rating. Lenora and her husband wanted their son to experience the beneficial effects of this wonderful system, so that he was brought up in bilingualism and this helped him in the future.
They were incredibly lucky to get into Song Qing Ling, the best Shanghai kindergarten. Is known: you will not get a promising job if you have not graduated from a prestigious university, which you will not get into, if you have not studied at a good school, where you are most likely to get to after the right kindergarten. However, in China, with its cult of the Gaokao state exam (in South Korea, by the way, it's exactly the same story with Sunen, but the favored treatment and coverage of all segments of society is much higher), so - in China, the importance of this kind of educational continuity is much higher than European or American.
Eight tenths of "Chinese children are little soldiers" is a story about Rainey's stay in Song Qing Ling, about the shocking authoritarianism of the primary education system for a Western person: army discipline, going to the toilet in formation, force-feeding, the opportunity to drink water as a privilege for good behavior. About the absence of a constructive dialogue between parents and the teacher (the so-called kindergarten teachers) - the orders of the latter should be perceived without discussion.
«Я маленький солдатик, я каждый день в строю»
Пока мы спорим о том, имеют ли значение международные рейтинги, Китай стремится снабдить своих детей лучшими навыками, которые важны в быстро меняющемся мире, попутно демонстрируя блистательные способности в математике, чтении и науках.
Сколько себя помню, отношение к Китаю было двойственным. В детстве, в Алма-Ате, которая очень близко к китайской границе, одна из городских легенд: Мао Цзэдун подарил этот город жене на день рождения, а один из самых сильных страхов - китайцы нападут и убьют мою маму. За себя не боялась, дети не верят, что смертны. И не очень верилось, когда мама рассказывала, что прежде мы были друзьями, а в ее юности пели "Москва-Пекин, дружба навек". Но косвенным подтверждением тому были две, сохранившиеся с прежних времен, вещи: дивной красоты покрывало и большой термос - то и другое китайское
Позже, в девяностых, Китай стал местом, откуда везли кучу удивительно дешевых вещей скверного качества. "Китайское" тогда было синонимом плохого. Но к тому времени не посоветовавшись с потертой на сгибах распечаткой И-Цзин, я не принимала ни одного сколько-нибудь серьезного решения. Потом оказалось. что всю сложную технику и гаджеты делают в Китае, еще потом, их автомобили, которые поначалу все ругали, буквально за десятилетие, стали едва не эталоном качества. А я с гордостью носила ципао.
Книга американки китайского происхождения Леноры Чу, которая вместе с мужем и сыном, приехала в 2010 году жить и работать в Шанхай, в немалой степени отражает ту же двойственность. Шанхай не вполне Китай, кто понимает, и одновременно, в не меньшей, чем Пекин, мере символ и знамя сегодняшней Поднебесной.
Рэйни исполнялось пять, нужно было позаботиться об образовании, семья приняла решение устроить его в государственный детсад. Не последнюю очередь из-за оплаты, частные сады в Шанхае очень дороги, но, главным образом потому, что мир был поражен опубликованными итогами китайского образовательного рейтинга. Ленора с мужем хотели, чтобы сын испытал на себе благотворное действие этой замечательной системы, чтобы был воспитан в двуязычии и это помогло ему в дальнейшем.
Им немыслимо повезло попасть в Сун Цин Лин - лучший шанхайский садик. Известно: ты не устроишься на перспективную работу, если не окончил престижного ВУЗа, в который не попадешь, если не учился в хорошей школе, куда больше всего шансов попасть после правильного детского сада. Однако в Китае, с его культом государственного экзамена Гаокао (в Южной Корее, кстати, совершенно та же история с Сунён, но режим благоприятствования и охват всех слоев общества много выше), так вот - в Китае значение такого рода образовательной преемственности много выше европейской или американской.
На семь десятых "Китайские дети - маленькие солдатики" - рассказ о пребывании Рэйни в Сун Цин Лин, о шокирующей западного человека авторитарности системы начального образования: армейская дисциплина, хождение в туалет строем, кормление насильно, возможность попить воды как привилегия за хорошее поведение. Об отсутствии конструктивного диалога между родителями и учителем (так называются садовские воспитатели) - распоряжения последнего должны восприниматься без обсуждения.
О низкопоклонстве и подхалимаже родителей перед учителями, о распространенной практике подкупа учителей "дарением" дорогой косметики и аксессуаров. О том, как детей буквально ломают через коленку жесткостью организационных требований и как те поначалу ненавидят сад. Но и о том, как скоро становится заметна разница между дисциплинированными вежливыми мотивированными детьми воспитательной системы китайского образца и дерзкими неуправляемыми, росшими в демократичном западном образовательном пространстве.
О том, насколько различается урок математики в американской школе, где педагог хвалит детей, стимулирует их творческую активность и успевает опросить пятерых, из которых двое вызвались отвечать сами, от китайского: к детям обращаются по номерам, задания делаются на время, за урок получено шестьдесят ответов, работает весь класс. Насколько отличается китайский, конфуцианский подход к учебе, с его почтением к образованности, которая рассматривается как плод ежедневного тяжелого труда , от западного, со ставкой на задатки, гениальность, быстрый успех.
Я сказала о семи десятых - на оставшиеся тридцать процентов книга - рассказ о пропасти, отделяющей сельский материковый Китай от крупных городов. О том, как отсутствие возможности нормально жить в семье, потому что родители либо тяжко трудятся в полях, либо рабочие-мигранты в городе; о том, как это лишает большинство китайцев перспектив. Не стоит забывать и о последствиях Культурной революции, уничтожившей образованный слой. О коррупции в системе образования, о непотизме и клановости, чрезвычайно распространенных в стране.
Которая, тем не менее, являет образец удивительно интересного опыта совмещения традиций и современности, лидируя по всем значимым позициям. Перевод замечательно хорош, но у Шаши Мартыновой иначе не бывает. Классная книга (во всех смыслах).
##Синдбад, Китай, образование, воспитание, космополитизм. нон-фикшн, педагогика, перевод Шаши Мартыновой
April 7, 2018
There's a famous parody, In the New Canada, Living is a Way of Life, where Bruce McCall mocks the style of writing that insists on claiming differences between cultures rather than trying to see how very similar they are.
I constantly felt like this while reading this book. The author wants to insist on how different China is from America, but all I saw was an unwillingness to face how crazy America is, and how much what you saw in China is the same thing or an attenuated version.
For example she complains about how the teachers wouldn't take responsibility for her son's medication at his school. Just like the Zero Tolerance US schools that refuse to allow any drugs, even medicine, on campus.
She talks about Chinese going crazy (supposedly because of specifically Chinese pressures) and killing random people, or co-workers, or fellow students. Hello? Does she not know about America's epidemic of gun violence?
She talks about kids not being allowed to talk at meals in school. MY school didn't allow us to talk at meals...
She talks about kids singing songs about being soldiers in school. MY primary school constantly had us sing a song about being "In the Lord's Army, yes sir!" and how we were soldiers for god...
It never ends. Lots of discussion about "Chinese indoctrination" in schools, with zero consciousness of how propaganda-like US schools appear to outsiders, with things like daily loyalty oaths ("I pledge allegiance"), pictures of the flag everywhere, large pictures of the current leader (president). These are not normal behavior!
This could have been an extremely interesting investigation (with actual numbers, with deep research, with anthropological and sociological insight into how American and Chinese cultures really differ). But it's none of that. It's an extremely shallow, self-centered account of her experiences in China, nothing more than "mommy-and-me go to China".
Amy Chua's Tiger Mom book is superficially much the same, but at least that gives you explanation and justification from the Chinese side. It's not a great read, but it's a vastly more useful way to spend your time if this subject interests you.
I constantly felt like this while reading this book. The author wants to insist on how different China is from America, but all I saw was an unwillingness to face how crazy America is, and how much what you saw in China is the same thing or an attenuated version.
For example she complains about how the teachers wouldn't take responsibility for her son's medication at his school. Just like the Zero Tolerance US schools that refuse to allow any drugs, even medicine, on campus.
She talks about Chinese going crazy (supposedly because of specifically Chinese pressures) and killing random people, or co-workers, or fellow students. Hello? Does she not know about America's epidemic of gun violence?
She talks about kids not being allowed to talk at meals in school. MY school didn't allow us to talk at meals...
She talks about kids singing songs about being soldiers in school. MY primary school constantly had us sing a song about being "In the Lord's Army, yes sir!" and how we were soldiers for god...
It never ends. Lots of discussion about "Chinese indoctrination" in schools, with zero consciousness of how propaganda-like US schools appear to outsiders, with things like daily loyalty oaths ("I pledge allegiance"), pictures of the flag everywhere, large pictures of the current leader (president). These are not normal behavior!
This could have been an extremely interesting investigation (with actual numbers, with deep research, with anthropological and sociological insight into how American and Chinese cultures really differ). But it's none of that. It's an extremely shallow, self-centered account of her experiences in China, nothing more than "mommy-and-me go to China".
Amy Chua's Tiger Mom book is superficially much the same, but at least that gives you explanation and justification from the Chinese side. It's not a great read, but it's a vastly more useful way to spend your time if this subject interests you.
October 9, 2017
The author is born in Philadelphia and raised in Houston. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in journalism. Her grandparents fled China during the Cultural Revolution and immigrated to the United States. Chu notes the irony that 50 years ago Mao conducted his anti-intellectual purge and now Shanghai schools top the world in math, reading, and science and the USA is only in the middle of the pack.
Chu and her husband live in Shanghai for his work at a news agency. They have a young son who goes to the local school. His skills in math and Chinese language excelled but Chu noted behavioral changes that lead her to examine the educational system in China and the USA.
The book is well written and researched. It is written in the journalistic style. The author noted that the Chinese schools give less attention to the poor students and spend time and resources on the high achievers. She stated the U.S. system is “No Child Left Behind”. She noted the Chinese schools are rote memorization then they allow them to explore more complex applications after they have achieved a certain level of understanding. The Chinese schools also taught obedience and self-discipline and squelched individualism and creativity from the beginning of school. I found the differences in educational techniques interesting and was wondering if there was a way to combine the best of the two systems to create a better school system. The conformity and lack of individualism and creativity really bothers me about the Chinese system. According to the author, China is in the process of changing its methods to allow for more creativity in the students.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is eleven and a half hours long. Emily Woo Zeller does an excellent job narrating the book. Zeller is a voice over artist and an Audie nominated audiobook narrator. She has also won numerous Earphone and SOVAS awards plus was voted Best Voice in 2013 and 2015 by Audiobook Magazine.
Chu and her husband live in Shanghai for his work at a news agency. They have a young son who goes to the local school. His skills in math and Chinese language excelled but Chu noted behavioral changes that lead her to examine the educational system in China and the USA.
The book is well written and researched. It is written in the journalistic style. The author noted that the Chinese schools give less attention to the poor students and spend time and resources on the high achievers. She stated the U.S. system is “No Child Left Behind”. She noted the Chinese schools are rote memorization then they allow them to explore more complex applications after they have achieved a certain level of understanding. The Chinese schools also taught obedience and self-discipline and squelched individualism and creativity from the beginning of school. I found the differences in educational techniques interesting and was wondering if there was a way to combine the best of the two systems to create a better school system. The conformity and lack of individualism and creativity really bothers me about the Chinese system. According to the author, China is in the process of changing its methods to allow for more creativity in the students.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is eleven and a half hours long. Emily Woo Zeller does an excellent job narrating the book. Zeller is a voice over artist and an Audie nominated audiobook narrator. She has also won numerous Earphone and SOVAS awards plus was voted Best Voice in 2013 and 2015 by Audiobook Magazine.
May 1, 2018
Comparisons between this book and
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
are inevitable, so here goes. Both books are written by American-born women whose parents were Chinese immigrants. Both married white American men. And both have respect for the Chinese aspects of their upbringing and try to implement it with their own kids, but they go about it differently. The author of this book is not a fierce tiger mother. Instead of staying in the States, she and her family move to China where she enrolls her four-year-old in a traditional Chinese school where she faces a whole staff of tiger teachers. Since she’s the soft-hearted American, she’s a more sympathetic narrator than Amy Chua. But had this book been merely a parenting and educational memoir, I would only have given it 4 stars. It earned its fifth when the author branched out from her own child’s experience and told the stories of other Chinese students. At that point, it became sociological reportage about a world I know little about, and it was absolutely fascinating.
As bad as the wealth and achievement gaps are in this country, the effects of the urban/rural divide in China are far worse. Because of the vast population, places in the best schools are scarce, and students are made to compete for them at a young age. If someone has the misfortune to have been born to a rural farm family, the picture is grim. For those whose parents leave the farm for factory jobs, it’s even worse. And amidst the middle and upper classes, there’s a whole lot of cheating and bribery going on to secure those coveted spots in the best schools.
Yet for all the faults of the Chinese educational system, the book will show you its advantages. The comparison between a Chinese math class and an American math class is especially illustrative. The Americans emphasize self-esteem whereas the Chinese emphasize acquisition of skills. They learn more, and in spite of it all, I don’t think we feel any better about ourselves. When a Chinese student makes a mistake in class, he seems less likely to berate himself or be made fun of than American kid, at least compared to my own experience. And if there’s one thing this book does, it makes you reflect on your own educational experience. If you like that sort of thing, which I most certainly do, then like me, you’ll find this an enormously absorbing book.
As bad as the wealth and achievement gaps are in this country, the effects of the urban/rural divide in China are far worse. Because of the vast population, places in the best schools are scarce, and students are made to compete for them at a young age. If someone has the misfortune to have been born to a rural farm family, the picture is grim. For those whose parents leave the farm for factory jobs, it’s even worse. And amidst the middle and upper classes, there’s a whole lot of cheating and bribery going on to secure those coveted spots in the best schools.
Yet for all the faults of the Chinese educational system, the book will show you its advantages. The comparison between a Chinese math class and an American math class is especially illustrative. The Americans emphasize self-esteem whereas the Chinese emphasize acquisition of skills. They learn more, and in spite of it all, I don’t think we feel any better about ourselves. When a Chinese student makes a mistake in class, he seems less likely to berate himself or be made fun of than American kid, at least compared to my own experience. And if there’s one thing this book does, it makes you reflect on your own educational experience. If you like that sort of thing, which I most certainly do, then like me, you’ll find this an enormously absorbing book.
February 12, 2020
There were two parts to this book: (1) an American woman (whose parents immigrated from China) sends her child to a state-run Chinese school and experiences culture shock and (2) she does some journalistic investigation into how the Chinese educational systems functions. Part (1) should have been limited to perhaps the foreword and epilogue, and part (2) should have gotten much more of her attention. Probably a matter of taste, but I preferred Lenora Chu the objective journalist to Lenora Chu the mother/memoirist.
Starting with the good parts -- this book taught me a lot about the Chinese educational system. It is an extremely stressful system for all who participate, because there are limited higher-educational spots for the large number of children in China (18 million born every year). Expectations are set incredibly high for students, and standardized testing has outsize impacts on your life trajectory. There is a huge amount of bureaucracy in the system, but there are also a lot of ways to cheat, particularly for the wealthy. Chu does a great job setting the context for why the system ended up this way, how it serves students, and how it harms them. She interviews not just children of the elite, but also rural families who are stuck with worse educational opportunities. She sits in on some classrooms to get a sense of how Chinese teachers demand conformity and rigor from very young children in a way that Western observers would find stifling or cruel. She compares their methods to those of a highly-ranked Massachusetts school where the teacher states that she doesn't think math is important past the 4th grade level or so. She interviews educational experts about the benefits of increasing rote memorization in the way the Chinese educational system demands, and how American aversion to doing so may be failing our students. I could have done with more of her journalistic inquiry, and appreciated her balanced view as she presented the evidence from all sides.
Her family story of her child attending a prestigious Chinese primary school read more like a woman who refused to acclimate to a new culture. There was far too much discussion about "forced naps", and an obsession with teachers making her child eat eggs when he didn't like them. I think my perspective may be informed by the fact that I do not have children, but many of her complaints seemed so minor that I could not understand why she was upset. Ultimately, it sounds like her child ended up much better behaved and academically advanced, but still happy and confident.
Chu also purposely refused to be part of the culture in many ways, then complained when she didn't get her way. For instance, she knew that giving teachers gifts was part of the culture, so she bought her son's teacher a fancy purse. She then asked her friends how to best give her son's teacher a gift. She proceeded to ignore their advice and directly gave it to her in the classroom. The teacher politely refuses, Chu notes that she was familiar with the Chinese practice of needing to offer a gift a few times, but she decides she doesn't want to play that game, and walks away with the purse. "Why doesn't the teacher like me?!?!?" she complains for the rest of the book. She also complains that the school does not accept her second child because she did not sign up for a feeder class that everyone told her was necessary for the school to accept your child. She thought it was a waste of money and refused to attend on principle. She generally refuses to play by her new country's rules throughout the book, down to trying to micromanage a children's pinata game until her son tells her to leave them alone. I found this interesting since her reporting was much more nuanced, but I guess it's harder to be detached when it comes to how your children are treated. I think she should have recognized how out of touch she came off when she wrote about her son's experience and focused the book more on the overall Chinese educational system.
Starting with the good parts -- this book taught me a lot about the Chinese educational system. It is an extremely stressful system for all who participate, because there are limited higher-educational spots for the large number of children in China (18 million born every year). Expectations are set incredibly high for students, and standardized testing has outsize impacts on your life trajectory. There is a huge amount of bureaucracy in the system, but there are also a lot of ways to cheat, particularly for the wealthy. Chu does a great job setting the context for why the system ended up this way, how it serves students, and how it harms them. She interviews not just children of the elite, but also rural families who are stuck with worse educational opportunities. She sits in on some classrooms to get a sense of how Chinese teachers demand conformity and rigor from very young children in a way that Western observers would find stifling or cruel. She compares their methods to those of a highly-ranked Massachusetts school where the teacher states that she doesn't think math is important past the 4th grade level or so. She interviews educational experts about the benefits of increasing rote memorization in the way the Chinese educational system demands, and how American aversion to doing so may be failing our students. I could have done with more of her journalistic inquiry, and appreciated her balanced view as she presented the evidence from all sides.
Her family story of her child attending a prestigious Chinese primary school read more like a woman who refused to acclimate to a new culture. There was far too much discussion about "forced naps", and an obsession with teachers making her child eat eggs when he didn't like them. I think my perspective may be informed by the fact that I do not have children, but many of her complaints seemed so minor that I could not understand why she was upset. Ultimately, it sounds like her child ended up much better behaved and academically advanced, but still happy and confident.
Chu also purposely refused to be part of the culture in many ways, then complained when she didn't get her way. For instance, she knew that giving teachers gifts was part of the culture, so she bought her son's teacher a fancy purse. She then asked her friends how to best give her son's teacher a gift. She proceeded to ignore their advice and directly gave it to her in the classroom. The teacher politely refuses, Chu notes that she was familiar with the Chinese practice of needing to offer a gift a few times, but she decides she doesn't want to play that game, and walks away with the purse. "Why doesn't the teacher like me?!?!?" she complains for the rest of the book. She also complains that the school does not accept her second child because she did not sign up for a feeder class that everyone told her was necessary for the school to accept your child. She thought it was a waste of money and refused to attend on principle. She generally refuses to play by her new country's rules throughout the book, down to trying to micromanage a children's pinata game until her son tells her to leave them alone. I found this interesting since her reporting was much more nuanced, but I guess it's harder to be detached when it comes to how your children are treated. I think she should have recognized how out of touch she came off when she wrote about her son's experience and focused the book more on the overall Chinese educational system.
May 23, 2018
Ms. Chu, the child of Chinese immigrants but raised in Texas, placed her own son in a Chinese school when living abroad for work. The authoritarian culture within his classroom soon filled her with alarm. Her background, however, gave her a certain respect for Chinese methods; and so she did not yank her kid out when his preschool teachers did things like require him to sit with perfect discipline in his chair, force feed him egg, or claim his mommy would not come back to get him if he did not obey instructions. Instead she began a research project. Her book examines the culture and methods of Chinese education, particularly in mathematics, and compares it to what is offered in American schools.
*Little Soldiers* begins in a rather negative vein. The stories the author tells in the first section will curl the hair of any gently-educated American reader. The system is harsh, the pressure on students enormous, and corruption and cheating common. However, her research project seems to have changed her own philosophy of education, and she ends the book much more positively.
The strengths of the Chinese system are particularly fascinating to me because of my interest in classical education. The author quotes a primary teacher who told her that “a child’s ability to memorize is very good at this stage, and it should be tapped.” (The phrase is reminiscent of Dorothy Sayers’ comments in her speech on “The Lost Tools of Learning” that has so hugely impacted the neo-classical education movement). Later, Chu explains that in school, “The Chinese commit to memory the first twenty elements of the periodic table, mathematical formulas and theorems, and historical facts, among others. Passages from classical poetry and famous writings are also important; my father can still recount the poems he learned as a primary-schooler.”
Her research convinced her that rather than being robotic spouters of memorized information, Chinese students actually experience math lessons that go much deeper conceptually, at a much earlier age, than what is presented in the typical American classroom. This is because basics are memorized early (VERY early in a city like Shanghai, where toddlers are often sent to private math cram classes) and because strict discipline keeps classrooms focused and orderly.
Yet the Chinese students Chu interviewed and observed are not the joyful, life-long learners and virtue-loving individuals promised by American classical educators.
There seem to be two main reasons for this. The author recognizes one of the reasons and seems completely oblivious to the other. Both reasons should be noted by proponents of classical education.
The first overarching problem has to do with incredibly high-stakes testing. There are not enough seats for everyone in academic high schools and universities, and the country requires a way to sort their enormous population into the appropriate categories. Thus, the fate of individuals is determined by their scores on a series of standardized tests. Kids who test well can receive the education that leads directly to the ranks of China’s burgeoning middle class. Kids who test poorly will fare poorly. (Theoretically the system is a meritocracy. In reality, children from rural areas--often raised by illiterate grandparents in third-world conditions while their parents work as migrant laborers--have little chance of matching the scores of city kids.)
The immense pressure to test well in a highly-competitive world is further intensified by China’s one-child policy. When six adults (parents and two sets of grandparents) focus all of their hopes for glory and future financial support on a single student, it is no wonder that child has little time to play or relax. This leads to a kind of achievement inflation in which everyone must join the rat race of constant study in order to keep up with each other.
In this system, students do not learn for the joy of it. They cram because they must.
Unsurprisingly, the high stakes lead to endemic cheating. When a test site in Hubei unexpectedly installed metal detectors and outside proctors in an attempt to circumvent cheating, a mob of angry parents rioted outside, throwing rocks at the proctors and chanting about unfairness. They claimed that cheating is a “nationawide pastime,” and that it put their kids at an unfair disadvantage not to be allowed to cheat like everyone else!
The second major flaw of Chinese education (at least as presented in this book) is one which Ms. Chu does not discuss. Her chief concern seems to be that her son will be cowed by school culture into an overly obedient, rule-following citizen. She rejoices when he disobeys her or when he points out that his teachers’ threats are lies. Like many Americans, she seems to assume that the key to health and happiness is the ability to exert one’s own will. Classical educators disagree. A classical educator would say that children need strength of will not simply to do as they please, but in order to do what is objectively right even in the face of opposition.
The education Ms. Chu observed is morally hollow. It is shaped by the uneasy marriage between a quest for material success and Community Party political values. She notes that students see the futility of the morals they are taught and do not believe the maxims they must publically espouse. Yet she does not seem to realize how dreadful this is. There is no heart in a purely utilitarian education. Such an education fails to help students answer any of the truly important questions in life. Because it has no real voice of its own--no voice for goodness, truth, or beauty--it is no wonder it cannot stem the tide of corrosive pressure to perform (nor the tide of ever-cleverer cheating methods). The schooling Ms. Chu observed bears some similarities to the modern classical education method, but it is not a "liberal education" in the old-fashioned sense, and that makes all the difference. Classical educators need to remember the difference as we build schools of our own.
*Little Soldiers* begins in a rather negative vein. The stories the author tells in the first section will curl the hair of any gently-educated American reader. The system is harsh, the pressure on students enormous, and corruption and cheating common. However, her research project seems to have changed her own philosophy of education, and she ends the book much more positively.
The strengths of the Chinese system are particularly fascinating to me because of my interest in classical education. The author quotes a primary teacher who told her that “a child’s ability to memorize is very good at this stage, and it should be tapped.” (The phrase is reminiscent of Dorothy Sayers’ comments in her speech on “The Lost Tools of Learning” that has so hugely impacted the neo-classical education movement). Later, Chu explains that in school, “The Chinese commit to memory the first twenty elements of the periodic table, mathematical formulas and theorems, and historical facts, among others. Passages from classical poetry and famous writings are also important; my father can still recount the poems he learned as a primary-schooler.”
Her research convinced her that rather than being robotic spouters of memorized information, Chinese students actually experience math lessons that go much deeper conceptually, at a much earlier age, than what is presented in the typical American classroom. This is because basics are memorized early (VERY early in a city like Shanghai, where toddlers are often sent to private math cram classes) and because strict discipline keeps classrooms focused and orderly.
Yet the Chinese students Chu interviewed and observed are not the joyful, life-long learners and virtue-loving individuals promised by American classical educators.
There seem to be two main reasons for this. The author recognizes one of the reasons and seems completely oblivious to the other. Both reasons should be noted by proponents of classical education.
The first overarching problem has to do with incredibly high-stakes testing. There are not enough seats for everyone in academic high schools and universities, and the country requires a way to sort their enormous population into the appropriate categories. Thus, the fate of individuals is determined by their scores on a series of standardized tests. Kids who test well can receive the education that leads directly to the ranks of China’s burgeoning middle class. Kids who test poorly will fare poorly. (Theoretically the system is a meritocracy. In reality, children from rural areas--often raised by illiterate grandparents in third-world conditions while their parents work as migrant laborers--have little chance of matching the scores of city kids.)
The immense pressure to test well in a highly-competitive world is further intensified by China’s one-child policy. When six adults (parents and two sets of grandparents) focus all of their hopes for glory and future financial support on a single student, it is no wonder that child has little time to play or relax. This leads to a kind of achievement inflation in which everyone must join the rat race of constant study in order to keep up with each other.
In this system, students do not learn for the joy of it. They cram because they must.
Unsurprisingly, the high stakes lead to endemic cheating. When a test site in Hubei unexpectedly installed metal detectors and outside proctors in an attempt to circumvent cheating, a mob of angry parents rioted outside, throwing rocks at the proctors and chanting about unfairness. They claimed that cheating is a “nationawide pastime,” and that it put their kids at an unfair disadvantage not to be allowed to cheat like everyone else!
The second major flaw of Chinese education (at least as presented in this book) is one which Ms. Chu does not discuss. Her chief concern seems to be that her son will be cowed by school culture into an overly obedient, rule-following citizen. She rejoices when he disobeys her or when he points out that his teachers’ threats are lies. Like many Americans, she seems to assume that the key to health and happiness is the ability to exert one’s own will. Classical educators disagree. A classical educator would say that children need strength of will not simply to do as they please, but in order to do what is objectively right even in the face of opposition.
The education Ms. Chu observed is morally hollow. It is shaped by the uneasy marriage between a quest for material success and Community Party political values. She notes that students see the futility of the morals they are taught and do not believe the maxims they must publically espouse. Yet she does not seem to realize how dreadful this is. There is no heart in a purely utilitarian education. Such an education fails to help students answer any of the truly important questions in life. Because it has no real voice of its own--no voice for goodness, truth, or beauty--it is no wonder it cannot stem the tide of corrosive pressure to perform (nor the tide of ever-cleverer cheating methods). The schooling Ms. Chu observed bears some similarities to the modern classical education method, but it is not a "liberal education" in the old-fashioned sense, and that makes all the difference. Classical educators need to remember the difference as we build schools of our own.
Want to read
May 28, 2022education? nope, it's imbuance
there's only indoctrination here in commie china.
to the end of the chapter, everyone must serve the ccp with their brainwashed brain and mindwarped mind
there's only indoctrination here in commie china.
to the end of the chapter, everyone must serve the ccp with their brainwashed brain and mindwarped mind
April 19, 2018
This is a really interesting book that offers a firsthand view of the Chinese school system from a mostly-American perspective. Lenora Chu is a daughter of Chinese immigrants who was raised in the U.S., her husband a white American who volunteered in China with the Peace Corps. After moving to Shanghai for work, they enroll their son in a prestigious Chinese preschool. Concerning incidents at the school spark the author’s journey to learn more about the Chinese school system: she observes classrooms in China and the U.S., talks to experts, and gets to know Chinese high schoolers and parents.
So the book is part memoir, part nonfiction. From an American perspective it’s a fascinating comparison; so much of what I tend to view as going wrong in current American ideas of education and child-rearing seems to be heightened in China, from overscheduled kids (in China it’s usually tutoring or extracurricular classes rather than swimming, gymnastics etc.), to an unwillingness to let kids play freely and explore because they might hurt themselves (other parents judge Chu for letting her son run around the living room jumping off chairs, etc., and the school states that kids aren’t allowed to talk during lunch because they might choke), to a heavy emphasis on testing. Regarding that last one, pressure for the high school and college entrance exams in China is so intense that in one town a crackdown on cheating resulted in parents and students rioting.
Which actually leads to one of the positive features of the Chinese system: Chinese families tend to treat academics the way American families treat sports, to the point of huge crowds of people gathering outside exam sites to see their kids off and shout well-wishes. While Americans face a social penalty for being “nerds” and tend to view academic success as a matter of inborn talent (so if you don’t have it, why bother to try), the Chinese have valued brains – and judged people by their test scores – for centuries, and believe that success is largely a matter of effort. They aren’t afraid to demand work from kids or to ask them to memorize. This is especially noticeable in math: while American schools tend to wrap up simple math in verbally complicated “word problems” in an attempt to make the work “relevant” to kids who won’t have a professional job for a decade or more anyway, Chinese schools forge ahead and have young kids doing more advanced problems. This is helped by the fact that Chinese teachers specialize in their subject matter from the first grade, while American elementary school teachers are generalists (who by and large don’t like math and weren’t good at it themselves). Of course it’s also helped by Chinese schools’ making no attempt to integrate kids with special needs into regular classrooms, which American schools must do.
It’s evident from Chu’s writing that all of these issues are complicated: each school system has its advantages and disadvantages, but many of the advantages come with their own negatives or are bound up with the culture and therefore hard to replicate, while the disadvantages can also have silver linings. And of course no huge country has a uniform school system: just as the U.S. has both great and failing schools, China too has huge disparities, with many rural schools being shafted.
There's a lot in the book that I haven't even discussed here: politics in the classroom, the social position of teachers, the encouragement of creativity or lack thereof, and how all this affects students in the long run. But the book isn’t a treatise. Chu keeps it lively and interesting with accounts of her own family’s experiences, and with a clear, journalistic writing style. I imagine some readers might criticize her parenting decisions – at times it felt as if she were trying to claim a high-minded rationale for a choice of school that ultimately came down to cost, while she and her husband seemed willing to accept (if unhappily) a certain amount of what many Americans would consider abusive treatment of preschool kids (such as forcefeeding, or threatening to call the police on them when they misbehave) in the interests of having a disciplined and well-behaved child. But for the American reader it’s a fascinating window into a very different school system, and into Chinese culture as a whole. It is balanced and thoughtful, and the author comes across as open-minded, curious and willing to adapt rather than pushing an agenda. I do wish it had endnotes rather than a chapter-by-chapter bibliography, for readers to follow up and learn more. But I learned a lot from this book, enjoyed reading it, and would recommend it.
So the book is part memoir, part nonfiction. From an American perspective it’s a fascinating comparison; so much of what I tend to view as going wrong in current American ideas of education and child-rearing seems to be heightened in China, from overscheduled kids (in China it’s usually tutoring or extracurricular classes rather than swimming, gymnastics etc.), to an unwillingness to let kids play freely and explore because they might hurt themselves (other parents judge Chu for letting her son run around the living room jumping off chairs, etc., and the school states that kids aren’t allowed to talk during lunch because they might choke), to a heavy emphasis on testing. Regarding that last one, pressure for the high school and college entrance exams in China is so intense that in one town a crackdown on cheating resulted in parents and students rioting.
Which actually leads to one of the positive features of the Chinese system: Chinese families tend to treat academics the way American families treat sports, to the point of huge crowds of people gathering outside exam sites to see their kids off and shout well-wishes. While Americans face a social penalty for being “nerds” and tend to view academic success as a matter of inborn talent (so if you don’t have it, why bother to try), the Chinese have valued brains – and judged people by their test scores – for centuries, and believe that success is largely a matter of effort. They aren’t afraid to demand work from kids or to ask them to memorize. This is especially noticeable in math: while American schools tend to wrap up simple math in verbally complicated “word problems” in an attempt to make the work “relevant” to kids who won’t have a professional job for a decade or more anyway, Chinese schools forge ahead and have young kids doing more advanced problems. This is helped by the fact that Chinese teachers specialize in their subject matter from the first grade, while American elementary school teachers are generalists (who by and large don’t like math and weren’t good at it themselves). Of course it’s also helped by Chinese schools’ making no attempt to integrate kids with special needs into regular classrooms, which American schools must do.
It’s evident from Chu’s writing that all of these issues are complicated: each school system has its advantages and disadvantages, but many of the advantages come with their own negatives or are bound up with the culture and therefore hard to replicate, while the disadvantages can also have silver linings. And of course no huge country has a uniform school system: just as the U.S. has both great and failing schools, China too has huge disparities, with many rural schools being shafted.
There's a lot in the book that I haven't even discussed here: politics in the classroom, the social position of teachers, the encouragement of creativity or lack thereof, and how all this affects students in the long run. But the book isn’t a treatise. Chu keeps it lively and interesting with accounts of her own family’s experiences, and with a clear, journalistic writing style. I imagine some readers might criticize her parenting decisions – at times it felt as if she were trying to claim a high-minded rationale for a choice of school that ultimately came down to cost, while she and her husband seemed willing to accept (if unhappily) a certain amount of what many Americans would consider abusive treatment of preschool kids (such as forcefeeding, or threatening to call the police on them when they misbehave) in the interests of having a disciplined and well-behaved child. But for the American reader it’s a fascinating window into a very different school system, and into Chinese culture as a whole. It is balanced and thoughtful, and the author comes across as open-minded, curious and willing to adapt rather than pushing an agenda. I do wish it had endnotes rather than a chapter-by-chapter bibliography, for readers to follow up and learn more. But I learned a lot from this book, enjoyed reading it, and would recommend it.
October 14, 2017
Loved every minute of this deep dive into the Chinese education system. Chock full of compelling stories, expert research, honesty and humor. Every parent should read this book - wherever they are in the world and on the parenting timeline. Incredibly thought provoking.
March 8, 2021
I am fascinated by how different cultures educate children. This book is a glimpse into the Chinese school system (and a simultaneous comparison to the American school system). It's a memoir, written more for a parent than a teacher, but the author provides many of her own educational insights and lessons after observing both school systems. I disagreed with many of her conclusions, but I still appreciated reading such a different perspective from my own. And as is often the case when I read about education, it further cemented my desire to educate my children at home. :)
December 28, 2017
It’s hard to find a good book about the Chinese education system: most coverage of this topic quickly veers off into politics, fearmongering, and reductive “which system is better” comparisons to American education.
The truth, as usual, is somewhere in the middle... and that’s where Little Soldiers shines. This is both the most comprehensive and levelheaded treatment I’ve seen yet on this topic, and I love that it’s not afraid to examine shades of gray on both sides.
The main arc is the author’s own family journey: A Chinese-American who moved to Shanghai with her husband and three-year-old son, she enrolls him in a ruthlessly competitive public school and soon receives a crash-course in culture shock. In another author’s hands this might have dissolved into a navel-gazing memoir, but Chu brings a journalist’s insight to turn it into something more like an investigative discussion. She sits in on elementary classes to understand how the teachers are teaching, and more importantly, why — what is the reasoning, what are the effects, and how it all is embedded in and is influenced by a larger cultural framework. She speaks openly about some of her moments of cultural cluelessness, and interviews several high school students and families to understand their perspectives from the tail end of the system, and especially the stark differences in rural vs. urban education in China.
It’s not a perfect book; I’d have liked to see more coverage of the rural areas and exchange students, and a clearer idea of whether the “sacrifice everything for success” behavior of the parents at her son’s school was typical of most families or simply an artifact of a super-competitive school. But on the whole, I found it a very compelling read, and well worth a look.
The truth, as usual, is somewhere in the middle... and that’s where Little Soldiers shines. This is both the most comprehensive and levelheaded treatment I’ve seen yet on this topic, and I love that it’s not afraid to examine shades of gray on both sides.
The main arc is the author’s own family journey: A Chinese-American who moved to Shanghai with her husband and three-year-old son, she enrolls him in a ruthlessly competitive public school and soon receives a crash-course in culture shock. In another author’s hands this might have dissolved into a navel-gazing memoir, but Chu brings a journalist’s insight to turn it into something more like an investigative discussion. She sits in on elementary classes to understand how the teachers are teaching, and more importantly, why — what is the reasoning, what are the effects, and how it all is embedded in and is influenced by a larger cultural framework. She speaks openly about some of her moments of cultural cluelessness, and interviews several high school students and families to understand their perspectives from the tail end of the system, and especially the stark differences in rural vs. urban education in China.
It’s not a perfect book; I’d have liked to see more coverage of the rural areas and exchange students, and a clearer idea of whether the “sacrifice everything for success” behavior of the parents at her son’s school was typical of most families or simply an artifact of a super-competitive school. But on the whole, I found it a very compelling read, and well worth a look.
August 2, 2017
Many Westerners probably have a vague idea about the rigors of Chinese education, but this book sheds light on the system from a personal level, which makes the read that much more engaging. The author focuses on the system first by detailing her own (American) son's experiences in Chinese early education, and then provides a broader view through visits to other schools and interviews with other students, parents, teachers, and administrators of widely varying degrees of privilege. The result is a balanced and interesting look at the relative merits and shortcomings of Chinese education, which inevitably reflects some of the broader cultural mores of Eastern vs. Western ways of life. Chu's conclusion that American education would do well to take some cues from the Chinese -- and vice versa -- is sage and well-supported. Recommended for anyone with an interest in modern China and/or childhood education.
Thanks to Edelweiss for providing me with an ARC. This is my honest review.
Thanks to Edelweiss for providing me with an ARC. This is my honest review.
October 28, 2017
In my usual (good/ok/bad = 5 stars/3 stars/1 star) rating this was a good book. I saw Ms. Chu speak on C-SPAN recently about the differences between Chinese and American education and was interested in learning more. Her book certainly doesn't disappoint the reader, moving gracefully between the reportage of herself as a mother of a child living in China dealing with the early education of her son, and more journalistic sections with interviews with experts, educators, and students. The writing style is straightforward and clear, and the research and honesty impressive. Highly Recommended.
September 29, 2018
370.951 CHU
eAUDIOBOOK 370.951 CHU
I guess the book title from 红小兵，红卫兵 derived from The Cultural Revolution, formally the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in China from 1966 until 1976 文革
Summary: It is very honest writing about Chinese culture and Chinese education system.
What author think Chinese education is good: early years is good, but not after.
--- "the ideal upper limit in the Chinese system is sixth grade, possibly earlier, depending on each child... when backbreaking levels of homework, a slow brainwash of political education, crushing pressure from entrance exams filters in. Meanwhile, we'll reap the benefits of a rigorous early education. --p306".
Author also praise direct instructions and memorization in education in earlier childhood, a view hold by many educators: children have a golden age of memory but not understanding, maybe press to learn something first by memorization without understanding benefit children in long run. I would argue this view has its own merit, but coming with dire price: children fall into habit learning something without thinking. I am aware of author's argument that we need some basic fundamental knowledge stored in our long memory in order to highly level creative thinking, still, there is a great risk.
=======================
The book has 3 parts, first part is introduction of education system on the more board backdrop of Chinese culture. Second, the criticize of bad part of Chinese education. Third, good part of Chinese education, particular, chapter 11 Let'd do math. (it is widely admitted that Chinese students excel on math subject), and chapter 12 Genus means struggle, Chinese high appreciate efforts.
Here are some summary notes from the book:
About American Education System:
1. American public school teachers in the primary years are generalists; a third-grade teacher might oversee all subjects, include math, English language. etc, contract with Chinese teachers specialized in subjects from the first years in elementary school.
2. Mathematics literacy - America attitude, it is ok we don't need it, even held in math teacher, fourth-grade math is ok, beyond that, it is individual. -- my comment: it is on wonder why 美國數學水平老師最差 (it is vicious cycle, incompetence math teachers produce incompetence math students)
3. American believe effort, competition, struggle, rankings on athletics, but not on academic, as Chinese believe all those on academic. On academic, American believe smart, innate ability, a dangerous mind-set.
4. In American high school culture, generally, coolness and proficient at math or science were sometime mutually exclusive, dubbed by "nerd penalty" -- the social costs of academic success. High school students are happy to trumpet the fact that they struggled in geometry or chemistry. Some even wore it as a badge of honor.
5. Teachers are not respected in America. “Those who can do, those who can't teach.” － by George Bernard Shaw.
6. "Walk class" style, students changes rooms for each subject. In China, Students stay put, teachers change room. Less flexibility for Chinese students, less interchange with other students.
7. Americans schools has very rich curriculum, more elective classes and club, extracurricular compared with Chinese pairs.
8. Generally American education is for creativity, out-of-the-box thinking, leadership, social-emotional competencies.
=======================
About Chinese Education System:
1. Teachers are respected in China, Confucian tradition 尊师重道
2. Value discipline,hard work and academic performance.
3.Test-based education system 應式教育, deeply influenced from China long history of imperial exam system.
中考 zhongkao high school entrance exam;
高考 gaokao National college school entrance exam, like SAT in America.
4. Chinese education is about conformity and concentration, in this book, sit lesson started at 3 years old. 死記硬背 Domineering teachers who discourage open questioning; exam metrics keep children studying rather than exploring; social collectivism prompts conformity; Confucianism's impact on the culture, little time practice creative. Furthermore, taking risk is punished inside Chinese education. Fierce open competition and evaluation without concerning children's self regards. Fear-based motivation. For Chinese, education root in the practicality of the job market. -- my comment: all are death blow to creativity, personal fulfillment.
5. Chinese judge good writing on emotional exaggerations and richness of languages; by contrast, the American essay is valued more for stark language and clarity of argument. -- my comment: it is not surprised, based on China's culture focus on conformity, high hierarchy, severe censorship, not American, individualism.
6. Huge urban-rural gap not only in education, wealth, health in China, only exacerbate, only 20-25% of kids go to high school.
7. see chapter 9: shortcut and favor
fubai 腐败
有钱能使鬼推磨 if you have money, you can get ghosts to do your work or the Rich can awaken the dead.
--In Chna, the rules are so rigid and hierarchical, the game is zero-sum with incredibly high stakes, large population, a scarcity of opportunity, a cultural propensity to give gifts,
Education systems become riddled with houmen 后门 /back door, through which gifts and money exchange hands.
--HuKou 戶口 household registration system is a deterrent to social and class mobility, a caste system, or. Chinese apartheid, in education, it means, the difficulty of gaokao and admission rate are different depend on where students live (Shanghai kids are 53 times more likely than national average into the premier Fudan university, think legacy admission rate for Harvard University). There exist the ways to manipulate HuKou to let kids take advantage of it.
8. 9 years of free compulsory schooling till high schools, but kindergarten is not. (my note: this is not 100% correct, around my generation, not high school, but college education was free, college students only need to pay foods, tuition, dormitory were free)
9. History of education after 1949 Communist China was disastrous, 4 years Great Leap Forward in 1958, Cultural Revolution (books burned, teachers humiliated, complete halt to college admission 1966-1976), attitude toward intellectuals were alternately praised, emulated, reviled, banished, or killed.
10.p143 The school curriculum is being used as a "means of political indoctrination for the purpose of ruling the people, rather than for the development of the individual person. -Li Maosen 李茂森
Heavy patriotic / political curriculum agenda dictated by the communist Party.
政治教育 most sensitive political discussion in chapter 7, e.g June Forth incident, Tiananmen Square massacre....
guanfang 官方 gobbledegook 官样文章；官样文章里罗嗦费解的文字；官话 Propaganda
=======================
Chinese Culture: above all Confucius teaching
e.g Filial piety 孝道 come from Confucius teaching. Confucius believed that the purpose of education was to shape every person into a "harmonious" member of society, and harmony was more easily maintained if everyone knows his proper place. So Confucius spend a lot of time and attention delineating relationship. In Confucius's world, a wife always obeys her husband, a subject never challenge his emperor, a young brother heeds the older brother, and a son does what his father requires on a daily basis. "Let the rulers a ruler, the subject a subject, the father a father, the son a son". Confucius said... Confucius staked his entire philosophical pantheon on the concept of top-down authority and bottom-up obedience.
1. In America, a student might be rewarded for extraordinary effort or performance for rising above. In China, you get a star for blending in or for doing as you're told.
2. It is American's celebrity culture vs. China's model citizen; standing out vs. fitting in; individual excellence vs. the merit of collective behavior.
3. In China, Do not draw attention to yourself.
4. Gift-giving in China is an important ritual relationship. All types of implications are suggested based on what the gift is , how expensive it is, and the manner in which it is presented.
5. Chinese culture is hierarchical.
6. Chinese traditionally have little respect for animals. as they severed for eating or for pulling equipment.
=======================
Timeline:
From Los Angeles to Shanghai in summer of 2010, Rainey is 18 month olds.
Rainey was 3 years old, enrolled in Song Qing Ling Kindergarten (the best public Kindergarten in Shanghai, Shanghai has 1400 public kindergartens)
Ayi (Nanny) fee: RMB 2000 a month ($300) in 2010 , Middleman fee is 40% of a month's salary.
$40,000 international School kindergarten fee in Shanghai.
=======================
About the author:
朱贲兰对于上海并不陌生，她的叔公、前国务院总理朱镕基曾在九十年代当过这座城市的市长。她对中国式教育也很熟悉，她的父母都是第一代华人移民。从小到大，在传统的中式严父的权威下，她的许多选择都伴随着管控与反叛的较量。而在许多人眼中，这种教育无疑是成功的：朱贲兰从斯坦福大学毕业后，又在哥伦比亚大学拿了新闻学硕士，此后供职于路透社和CNN。 --纽约时报中文网
She is a graduate of Stanford University and Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. Since moving from Los Angeles to Shanghai in 2010, she has worked as a print and television journalist.
according to the book, she is a direct descendant or the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty. p42
=======================
Vocabulary:
Keep up with the Wangs: Keeping up with the Joneses is an idiom in many parts of the English-speaking world referring to the comparison to one's neighbor as a benchmark for social class or the accumulation of material goods. To fail to "keep up with the Joneses" is perceived as demonstrating socio-economic or cultural inferiority.
Hooky rate. Truancy rate 逃学
tardiness 迟到
For a spell 暫時
eAUDIOBOOK 370.951 CHU
I guess the book title from 红小兵，红卫兵 derived from The Cultural Revolution, formally the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in China from 1966 until 1976 文革
Summary: It is very honest writing about Chinese culture and Chinese education system.
What author think Chinese education is good: early years is good, but not after.
--- "the ideal upper limit in the Chinese system is sixth grade, possibly earlier, depending on each child... when backbreaking levels of homework, a slow brainwash of political education, crushing pressure from entrance exams filters in. Meanwhile, we'll reap the benefits of a rigorous early education. --p306".
Author also praise direct instructions and memorization in education in earlier childhood, a view hold by many educators: children have a golden age of memory but not understanding, maybe press to learn something first by memorization without understanding benefit children in long run. I would argue this view has its own merit, but coming with dire price: children fall into habit learning something without thinking. I am aware of author's argument that we need some basic fundamental knowledge stored in our long memory in order to highly level creative thinking, still, there is a great risk.
=======================
The book has 3 parts, first part is introduction of education system on the more board backdrop of Chinese culture. Second, the criticize of bad part of Chinese education. Third, good part of Chinese education, particular, chapter 11 Let'd do math. (it is widely admitted that Chinese students excel on math subject), and chapter 12 Genus means struggle, Chinese high appreciate efforts.
Here are some summary notes from the book:
About American Education System:
1. American public school teachers in the primary years are generalists; a third-grade teacher might oversee all subjects, include math, English language. etc, contract with Chinese teachers specialized in subjects from the first years in elementary school.
2. Mathematics literacy - America attitude, it is ok we don't need it, even held in math teacher, fourth-grade math is ok, beyond that, it is individual. -- my comment: it is on wonder why 美國數學水平老師最差 (it is vicious cycle, incompetence math teachers produce incompetence math students)
3. American believe effort, competition, struggle, rankings on athletics, but not on academic, as Chinese believe all those on academic. On academic, American believe smart, innate ability, a dangerous mind-set.
4. In American high school culture, generally, coolness and proficient at math or science were sometime mutually exclusive, dubbed by "nerd penalty" -- the social costs of academic success. High school students are happy to trumpet the fact that they struggled in geometry or chemistry. Some even wore it as a badge of honor.
5. Teachers are not respected in America. “Those who can do, those who can't teach.” － by George Bernard Shaw.
6. "Walk class" style, students changes rooms for each subject. In China, Students stay put, teachers change room. Less flexibility for Chinese students, less interchange with other students.
7. Americans schools has very rich curriculum, more elective classes and club, extracurricular compared with Chinese pairs.
8. Generally American education is for creativity, out-of-the-box thinking, leadership, social-emotional competencies.
=======================
About Chinese Education System:
1. Teachers are respected in China, Confucian tradition 尊师重道
2. Value discipline,hard work and academic performance.
3.Test-based education system 應式教育, deeply influenced from China long history of imperial exam system.
中考 zhongkao high school entrance exam;
高考 gaokao National college school entrance exam, like SAT in America.
4. Chinese education is about conformity and concentration, in this book, sit lesson started at 3 years old. 死記硬背 Domineering teachers who discourage open questioning; exam metrics keep children studying rather than exploring; social collectivism prompts conformity; Confucianism's impact on the culture, little time practice creative. Furthermore, taking risk is punished inside Chinese education. Fierce open competition and evaluation without concerning children's self regards. Fear-based motivation. For Chinese, education root in the practicality of the job market. -- my comment: all are death blow to creativity, personal fulfillment.
5. Chinese judge good writing on emotional exaggerations and richness of languages; by contrast, the American essay is valued more for stark language and clarity of argument. -- my comment: it is not surprised, based on China's culture focus on conformity, high hierarchy, severe censorship, not American, individualism.
6. Huge urban-rural gap not only in education, wealth, health in China, only exacerbate, only 20-25% of kids go to high school.
7. see chapter 9: shortcut and favor
fubai 腐败
有钱能使鬼推磨 if you have money, you can get ghosts to do your work or the Rich can awaken the dead.
--In Chna, the rules are so rigid and hierarchical, the game is zero-sum with incredibly high stakes, large population, a scarcity of opportunity, a cultural propensity to give gifts,
Education systems become riddled with houmen 后门 /back door, through which gifts and money exchange hands.
--HuKou 戶口 household registration system is a deterrent to social and class mobility, a caste system, or. Chinese apartheid, in education, it means, the difficulty of gaokao and admission rate are different depend on where students live (Shanghai kids are 53 times more likely than national average into the premier Fudan university, think legacy admission rate for Harvard University). There exist the ways to manipulate HuKou to let kids take advantage of it.
8. 9 years of free compulsory schooling till high schools, but kindergarten is not. (my note: this is not 100% correct, around my generation, not high school, but college education was free, college students only need to pay foods, tuition, dormitory were free)
9. History of education after 1949 Communist China was disastrous, 4 years Great Leap Forward in 1958, Cultural Revolution (books burned, teachers humiliated, complete halt to college admission 1966-1976), attitude toward intellectuals were alternately praised, emulated, reviled, banished, or killed.
10.p143 The school curriculum is being used as a "means of political indoctrination for the purpose of ruling the people, rather than for the development of the individual person. -Li Maosen 李茂森
Heavy patriotic / political curriculum agenda dictated by the communist Party.
政治教育 most sensitive political discussion in chapter 7, e.g June Forth incident, Tiananmen Square massacre....
guanfang 官方 gobbledegook 官样文章；官样文章里罗嗦费解的文字；官话 Propaganda
=======================
Chinese Culture: above all Confucius teaching
e.g Filial piety 孝道 come from Confucius teaching. Confucius believed that the purpose of education was to shape every person into a "harmonious" member of society, and harmony was more easily maintained if everyone knows his proper place. So Confucius spend a lot of time and attention delineating relationship. In Confucius's world, a wife always obeys her husband, a subject never challenge his emperor, a young brother heeds the older brother, and a son does what his father requires on a daily basis. "Let the rulers a ruler, the subject a subject, the father a father, the son a son". Confucius said... Confucius staked his entire philosophical pantheon on the concept of top-down authority and bottom-up obedience.
1. In America, a student might be rewarded for extraordinary effort or performance for rising above. In China, you get a star for blending in or for doing as you're told.
2. It is American's celebrity culture vs. China's model citizen; standing out vs. fitting in; individual excellence vs. the merit of collective behavior.
3. In China, Do not draw attention to yourself.
4. Gift-giving in China is an important ritual relationship. All types of implications are suggested based on what the gift is , how expensive it is, and the manner in which it is presented.
5. Chinese culture is hierarchical.
6. Chinese traditionally have little respect for animals. as they severed for eating or for pulling equipment.
=======================
Timeline:
From Los Angeles to Shanghai in summer of 2010, Rainey is 18 month olds.
Rainey was 3 years old, enrolled in Song Qing Ling Kindergarten (the best public Kindergarten in Shanghai, Shanghai has 1400 public kindergartens)
Ayi (Nanny) fee: RMB 2000 a month ($300) in 2010 , Middleman fee is 40% of a month's salary.
$40,000 international School kindergarten fee in Shanghai.
=======================
About the author:
朱贲兰对于上海并不陌生，她的叔公、前国务院总理朱镕基曾在九十年代当过这座城市的市长。她对中国式教育也很熟悉，她的父母都是第一代华人移民。从小到大，在传统的中式严父的权威下，她的许多选择都伴随着管控与反叛的较量。而在许多人眼中，这种教育无疑是成功的：朱贲兰从斯坦福大学毕业后，又在哥伦比亚大学拿了新闻学硕士，此后供职于路透社和CNN。 --纽约时报中文网
She is a graduate of Stanford University and Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. Since moving from Los Angeles to Shanghai in 2010, she has worked as a print and television journalist.
according to the book, she is a direct descendant or the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty. p42
=======================
Vocabulary:
Keep up with the Wangs: Keeping up with the Joneses is an idiom in many parts of the English-speaking world referring to the comparison to one's neighbor as a benchmark for social class or the accumulation of material goods. To fail to "keep up with the Joneses" is perceived as demonstrating socio-economic or cultural inferiority.
Hooky rate. Truancy rate 逃学
tardiness 迟到
For a spell 暫時
December 1, 2020
81st, 82nd books of 2020: Work = Success
China does well with standard education. In the 2018 PISA results, China Singapore, Macao, and Hong Kong scored 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively. (Link (https://www.oecd.org/pisa/PISA-result...)) In the US, Asian Americans are sufficiently overrepresented in academic pursuits such that it has become a meme in American culture.
One way to describe this difference is in how we get kids to do the things they don’t want to do. In Little Soldiers, Lenora Chu is unable to get her son Rainey to eat eggs. She is astonished to discover that her Chinese preschool teachers had succeeded but horrified to learn how they did it. Every time Rainey spat out the eggs, the teachers would put eggs back in, until eventually Rainy gave up and swallowed. To our American author this was terrible: force-feeding akin to what would be found in Guantanamo. To a Chinese preschool teacher, it was standard discipline - eggs are a good source of protein and Rainy needed protein to focus during the day.
Throughout both Battle Hymn and Little Soldiers, Lenora Chu and Amy Chua make clear the differences in expectations between Chinese and Western parents and teachers. In the Chinese method, children are expected to 吃苦 or (eat bitterness) in order to learn and build character. This is part of growing up, and a parent’s role is to help provide the appropriate expectations and pressure to succeed. Both Chu and Chua are fish out of water, Chu is a westerner (老外) enrolling her son directly into the Shanghai academic machine, whereas Chua attempts to enforce her zealous interpretation of ‘Chinese education’ on two daughters in New Haven.
Both books obliquely reveal how Chinese education excels in three areas:
1. High Expectations: Chua expects her kids to get straight A’s and to compete at extreme levels of competition. In China, Chu writes that “The Chinese commit to memory the first twenty elements of the periodic table, mathematical formulas and theorems, and historical facts, among others. Passages from classical poetry and famous writings are also important; my father can still recount the poems he learned as a primary-schooler.” These form the basis of lessons that allow Chinese pupils to go in more depth with and understand the lessons better. One high-school student interviewed by the author recites her appreciation of a tang poem (静夜思) that she could only appreciate because she was forced early to memorize it. As it turns out, the poem resonated with me too, but only because I was forced to memorize it as an adult learning Chinese in Beijing.
2. 吃苦: Work > Talent: For Chu’s son Rainy, feedback was never about certain areas not being his strong suit, but rather a ‘lack of focus’ or ‘not putting in sufficient effort’. Chua takes work to its logical extreme, demanding 3 hours of instrument practice a day from her daughter’s and insisting on completing it regardless of what family vacation gets in the way.
3. Extreme parental support: For Chua, this means hiring the best possible tutors and ensuring that any family vacation doesn’t get in the way of a 10 month long daily streak of marathon practice sessions. In Chu’s Chinese preschool, this took the form of teacher bribes, 1:1 lessons. Most striking to me was an element I’ve never thought of: in most Chinese homes, the students have their own desks. In most American homes, only the adults have desks.
Since both books are memoirs, both get bogged down by the narrator. Chu approaches her Chinese teachers with typical American helicopter parenting. She is either barely proficient in Chinese or intentionally disingenuous in translating certain Chinese phrases to the reader. She tries to eke out special treatment for her son in a way that easily makes her an enemy of the administration, and makes me the reader side with said administration. However after realizing that her son has not turned into an academic automaton, Chu is won over by many virtues of the Chinese education system, and concludes the book with an even-keeled analysis of the pros and cons of each.
Chua comes out worse: arrogant, mean, self-centered, and emotionally abusive. Not only does Chua seem to have a radical-fundamentalist interpretation of what it means to be a Chinese parent, she acts as if she is simply representing the superior way and that anybody who questions her methods just doesn’t have the guts to stick it out. She calls her daughter ‘garbage’, makes any and every threat that comes to mind, pulling her out of school just for more violin practice, and berates her daughter for not writing a eulogy that is ‘good enough’ at her grandmother’s funeral. One cannot help but wonder at a mother more concerned about the optics of her children’s eulogy compositions than their emotional well being at a family funeral. Sure, none of these things will prevent her kids from making it to Harvard, but Chua’s interpretation of tiger parenting feels more like a form of self-perpetuating emotional abuse than anything else. Considering the positive attributes that Chinese culture can bring to education, it’s too bad that Chua created the cultural meme of tiger parenting.
活该 - Just Desserts
In the end, the second children for both parents bring a welcome dose of karmic reality. For Chu, her antagonistic attitude towards the Chinese school results in her second child being denied admission. For Chua, her daughter Lulu rebels to the point that she has to give up violin, taking up tennis instead. In both cases I found myself rooting against the authors, but the stories are enough to point a dim light around the possibilities of Chinese parenting
Little soldiers: ★★★☆☆.
Battle Hymn: ★☆☆☆☆.
China does well with standard education. In the 2018 PISA results, China Singapore, Macao, and Hong Kong scored 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively. (Link (https://www.oecd.org/pisa/PISA-result...)) In the US, Asian Americans are sufficiently overrepresented in academic pursuits such that it has become a meme in American culture.
One way to describe this difference is in how we get kids to do the things they don’t want to do. In Little Soldiers, Lenora Chu is unable to get her son Rainey to eat eggs. She is astonished to discover that her Chinese preschool teachers had succeeded but horrified to learn how they did it. Every time Rainey spat out the eggs, the teachers would put eggs back in, until eventually Rainy gave up and swallowed. To our American author this was terrible: force-feeding akin to what would be found in Guantanamo. To a Chinese preschool teacher, it was standard discipline - eggs are a good source of protein and Rainy needed protein to focus during the day.
Throughout both Battle Hymn and Little Soldiers, Lenora Chu and Amy Chua make clear the differences in expectations between Chinese and Western parents and teachers. In the Chinese method, children are expected to 吃苦 or (eat bitterness) in order to learn and build character. This is part of growing up, and a parent’s role is to help provide the appropriate expectations and pressure to succeed. Both Chu and Chua are fish out of water, Chu is a westerner (老外) enrolling her son directly into the Shanghai academic machine, whereas Chua attempts to enforce her zealous interpretation of ‘Chinese education’ on two daughters in New Haven.
Both books obliquely reveal how Chinese education excels in three areas:
1. High Expectations: Chua expects her kids to get straight A’s and to compete at extreme levels of competition. In China, Chu writes that “The Chinese commit to memory the first twenty elements of the periodic table, mathematical formulas and theorems, and historical facts, among others. Passages from classical poetry and famous writings are also important; my father can still recount the poems he learned as a primary-schooler.” These form the basis of lessons that allow Chinese pupils to go in more depth with and understand the lessons better. One high-school student interviewed by the author recites her appreciation of a tang poem (静夜思) that she could only appreciate because she was forced early to memorize it. As it turns out, the poem resonated with me too, but only because I was forced to memorize it as an adult learning Chinese in Beijing.
2. 吃苦: Work > Talent: For Chu’s son Rainy, feedback was never about certain areas not being his strong suit, but rather a ‘lack of focus’ or ‘not putting in sufficient effort’. Chua takes work to its logical extreme, demanding 3 hours of instrument practice a day from her daughter’s and insisting on completing it regardless of what family vacation gets in the way.
3. Extreme parental support: For Chua, this means hiring the best possible tutors and ensuring that any family vacation doesn’t get in the way of a 10 month long daily streak of marathon practice sessions. In Chu’s Chinese preschool, this took the form of teacher bribes, 1:1 lessons. Most striking to me was an element I’ve never thought of: in most Chinese homes, the students have their own desks. In most American homes, only the adults have desks.
Since both books are memoirs, both get bogged down by the narrator. Chu approaches her Chinese teachers with typical American helicopter parenting. She is either barely proficient in Chinese or intentionally disingenuous in translating certain Chinese phrases to the reader. She tries to eke out special treatment for her son in a way that easily makes her an enemy of the administration, and makes me the reader side with said administration. However after realizing that her son has not turned into an academic automaton, Chu is won over by many virtues of the Chinese education system, and concludes the book with an even-keeled analysis of the pros and cons of each.
Chua comes out worse: arrogant, mean, self-centered, and emotionally abusive. Not only does Chua seem to have a radical-fundamentalist interpretation of what it means to be a Chinese parent, she acts as if she is simply representing the superior way and that anybody who questions her methods just doesn’t have the guts to stick it out. She calls her daughter ‘garbage’, makes any and every threat that comes to mind, pulling her out of school just for more violin practice, and berates her daughter for not writing a eulogy that is ‘good enough’ at her grandmother’s funeral. One cannot help but wonder at a mother more concerned about the optics of her children’s eulogy compositions than their emotional well being at a family funeral. Sure, none of these things will prevent her kids from making it to Harvard, but Chua’s interpretation of tiger parenting feels more like a form of self-perpetuating emotional abuse than anything else. Considering the positive attributes that Chinese culture can bring to education, it’s too bad that Chua created the cultural meme of tiger parenting.
活该 - Just Desserts
In the end, the second children for both parents bring a welcome dose of karmic reality. For Chu, her antagonistic attitude towards the Chinese school results in her second child being denied admission. For Chua, her daughter Lulu rebels to the point that she has to give up violin, taking up tennis instead. In both cases I found myself rooting against the authors, but the stories are enough to point a dim light around the possibilities of Chinese parenting
Little soldiers: ★★★☆☆.
Battle Hymn: ★☆☆☆☆.
March 25, 2021
A fantastic look into comparative education and the Chinese system. As someone who taught English at a Kindergarten in China...I cannot overstate how much this book took me right back. So many things about the school her son attended were just like where I worked...forced eating of eggs included!
July 13, 2018
This was an engaging and invaluable read in helping me understand Chinese education.
October 16, 2017
I’m not a perfect parent. And I’m not an expert in education. Years ago when I was first divorced and raising my toddler as a single a mother, I didn’t speak Mandarin to him even though he spent his first two years hearing it from his grandparents (for the first year) and his father (until I left him a few months shy of Jake’s second birthday).
I didn’t speak Mandarin to Jake because I was worried he would pick up my American accent, often devoid of tones. As a result, Jake didn’t really learn Mandarin until he started college 16 years after he stopped hearing it on a daily basis.
But I did something else. Starting around the time Jake turned three, I would push him on the swings at a Chicago playground with the Sears Tower looming behind us. And as I pushed him, he would count out loud–in Mandarin. Yi, er, san, si, wu, liu, qi, ba, jiu, shi, shi yi, shi er, and on and on until he got into the hundreds and then thousands. After reading this eye-opening book, I realized I hadn’t completely failed as a young mother years ago.
And it’s not that Jake’s ability to count in Mandarin contributed to his later language acquisition. It may have or it may have not. But according to Chu, the act of engaging in some kind of math exercises before children start kindergarten is huge. It may have contributed to what I thought was Jake’s natural ability in math. After reading Little Soldiers, I no longer believe in a natural ability; it was from learning numerical patterns and understanding how to count into the thousands and ten thousands and hundred thousands at an early age–and in another language.
Chu’s son Rainey enters a local kindergarten (which is what we’d call pre-school in the US) at a prestigious school in Shanghai. Chu and her husband are expats in China’s financial hub and do all they can to get Rainey into this sought-after school. But once he begins, Rainey is subjected to some pretty draconian practices like being force fed food he doesn’t eat (Jake cringed when I told him this part; he doesn’t eat eggs either) and being made to conform to the group and not shine as an individual.
But there are also some great advantages to the Chinese educational system and Chu dispels many myths. Chinese students aren’t naturally better in math than American students; they just start at an earlier age (per my example above). And students from the big cities don’t have a much easier time getting into the top universities in China compared to their compatriots in the countryside because the former are smarter and the latter less intelligent. It’s that the universities give more places to city kids than rural ones.
One of the most eye-opening parts of the book was the culture of graft. I feel like I’m pretty generous when it comes to giving teacher gifts in December. I’ve bought European throw blankets and pretty scarves for my kids’ teachers, but never the designer handbags or money envelopes that’s expected in China. I was upset when we had to pass out cigarettes to the police when my ex-husband needed some forms signed at a Hubei government office for his green card application 22 years ago. How in the world would I deal with handing out Tory Burch?
I could go on and on about what I learned in this book, but I don’t want to spoil it. I bought a copy for the principal of my kids’ school (here I go again with gifts to educators, but it’s not Prada!) and when I saw him last week and started to get excited about the book, he said he didn’t want any spoilers either. So please pick up this book if you’re at all interested in education, global affairs, China, or just love to read compelling stories. You’ll love it!
I didn’t speak Mandarin to Jake because I was worried he would pick up my American accent, often devoid of tones. As a result, Jake didn’t really learn Mandarin until he started college 16 years after he stopped hearing it on a daily basis.
But I did something else. Starting around the time Jake turned three, I would push him on the swings at a Chicago playground with the Sears Tower looming behind us. And as I pushed him, he would count out loud–in Mandarin. Yi, er, san, si, wu, liu, qi, ba, jiu, shi, shi yi, shi er, and on and on until he got into the hundreds and then thousands. After reading this eye-opening book, I realized I hadn’t completely failed as a young mother years ago.
And it’s not that Jake’s ability to count in Mandarin contributed to his later language acquisition. It may have or it may have not. But according to Chu, the act of engaging in some kind of math exercises before children start kindergarten is huge. It may have contributed to what I thought was Jake’s natural ability in math. After reading Little Soldiers, I no longer believe in a natural ability; it was from learning numerical patterns and understanding how to count into the thousands and ten thousands and hundred thousands at an early age–and in another language.
Chu’s son Rainey enters a local kindergarten (which is what we’d call pre-school in the US) at a prestigious school in Shanghai. Chu and her husband are expats in China’s financial hub and do all they can to get Rainey into this sought-after school. But once he begins, Rainey is subjected to some pretty draconian practices like being force fed food he doesn’t eat (Jake cringed when I told him this part; he doesn’t eat eggs either) and being made to conform to the group and not shine as an individual.
But there are also some great advantages to the Chinese educational system and Chu dispels many myths. Chinese students aren’t naturally better in math than American students; they just start at an earlier age (per my example above). And students from the big cities don’t have a much easier time getting into the top universities in China compared to their compatriots in the countryside because the former are smarter and the latter less intelligent. It’s that the universities give more places to city kids than rural ones.
One of the most eye-opening parts of the book was the culture of graft. I feel like I’m pretty generous when it comes to giving teacher gifts in December. I’ve bought European throw blankets and pretty scarves for my kids’ teachers, but never the designer handbags or money envelopes that’s expected in China. I was upset when we had to pass out cigarettes to the police when my ex-husband needed some forms signed at a Hubei government office for his green card application 22 years ago. How in the world would I deal with handing out Tory Burch?
I could go on and on about what I learned in this book, but I don’t want to spoil it. I bought a copy for the principal of my kids’ school (here I go again with gifts to educators, but it’s not Prada!) and when I saw him last week and started to get excited about the book, he said he didn’t want any spoilers either. So please pick up this book if you’re at all interested in education, global affairs, China, or just love to read compelling stories. You’ll love it!
December 22, 2018
Fascinating topic, pretty good writing (it was much more casual than I expected), interesting and eye-opening real life experience, but beyond that, it didn't meet the high expectations I had for it. She didn't really come to a set conclusion—not just about which is better, which I'm fine with because I don't think you can really say one is categorically better in every way, but just the whole book in general felt unfinished like, okay, what was the point of that? I read it just a few months ago but looking back, there's really no big takeaway that comes to mind. She had a lot of personal experiences, but I was expecting more research to back up and deepen her claims. I guess I just had different expectations for the book, expecting it to be less memoir and more research. It's a fascinating topic, and I think she could've explored it a lot more.
October 28, 2017
This book is a personal journey through the Chinese Education system from 2010 to 2017. The story begins with the experiment of sending the author’s preschool son Rainey to a coveted preschool in Shanghai after her family’s relocation. The motivations for sending Rainy to a Chinese public school were rooted in their own backgrounds– her husband’s Peace Corp experience in rural China, and her own Chinese American background by birth. As parents, they felt it was important for Rainey to learn another culture and they wanted a nimble child who could handle a rapidly changing world as a global citizen.
The author has mastered the Chinese language not only the written characters and 4 tones associated with each character but also the phrases and the associated stories behind those phrases which allow her to give additional insights in her comments from the perspective of an American. Given her exposure to Chinese culture as a daughter of immigrants who unwillingly attended America Chinese School before her coming of age, combined with her professional journalist background and first-hand experience in Chinese education of sending her precious toddler through the pipeline of the Chinese school system, Ms. Chu is in a unique position to write this riveting and revealing story about the current Chinese education.
Following the arduous steps of getting Rainy into school, Ms. Chu had entered a brave new world of Chinese Education system where she mastered the art of dealing with Chinese school including the knack of gifting, connecting to school with constant webchat, roaming Shanghai on her bicycle amid the congested traffic, reconciling education in Chinese style vs that of western style, and how to fit in with a Chinese parent group by attending birthday party, how to talk politely to the teacher getting her point across with respect for the teacher, how to walk around the established rules etc.
More interestingly, the author interviewed many Chinese friends and even ventured into the country side to observe a middle school examination in addition to her prior first-hand experience in accompanying one of her young friends in his college entrance examination. As an outsider Ms. Chu gained first-hand knowledge how these examinations are conducted and the associated deficiencies related to this high pressured events.
With the assistance of two older teenaged friends: Amanda- a rebellious exchange student who visited the US, and liked to read Camus and Proust; and Darcy- a more conventional bright student from rural China who is ready to climb the social ladder by joining the communist party; Ms. Chu discovered more interesting aspects of their lives growing up in China. Despite their divergent path, both these teens agree that hard work will eventually pay off for their respective future endeavors irrespective of what they may think (the central doctrine of Confucianism). Both kids realize democracy is a luxury whose inefficiency may impede the progression of China to be a developed country, keenly aware of the existence of the censorship and the power it wields over ordinary citizens and the vast gap in wealth and social inequality between the rural poor and nova rich city dwellers as the result of private enterprise. Despite the mandatory infusion of political ideas into public education, the state has overestimated the impact of state advertising on the youth as Darcy whispered to Chu that “China is growing a nation of patriots who worship the party in public but cultivate alternative thoughts in private”.
Ms. Chu also broached the difficult subject of social and economic inequality. For her research Ms. Chu ventured from prosperous Shanghai to the rural part of China thru a migrant domestic worker– Lauren as she explained the plight of a hundred million who are separated from their family and kids in the village because the antiquated household registration system and the disparity in economic and educational opportunity between urban and rural China- the very condition foment the rise of Mao and communism 70+ years ago.
In the book, Ms. Chu explained the difference in educational philosophy between China and the US results in the difference in altitudes of the public toward children’s education. These dissimilarities evolved into vast different teaching methods and school discipline in guiding students. Her comments relating to what she learned are worthwhile reading for many who are not familiar with Chinese culture.
I have enjoyed reading through the book as the story moving from Rainey’s registration and admission to Soong Ching Ling School to the successful graduation for both the author and Rainey in adapting to a new education system in spite of her initial misgivings about the cultural differences. Kudos to Ms. Chu for sharing one of the oldest ritual practiced in the Chinese family- the thought process in naming her sons. For Rainey, she chose the word comprised of three stones stacking on top each other（磊）. Stone symbolizes an upright person in Chinese literature and 3 uprights will last more than a lifetime. For her second son Landon, the word gold is repeated 3 times denoting lifetime prosperity（鑫）. For a family, there is nothing better than to have a child upright in character and another with three-fold prosperity.
In addition to other well-written education books such as “Grit” by Anglo Duckworth and “The Smartest Kids in the World” by Amanda Ripley, this book is a must-read for those interested in education in general and Chinese culture in particular as the world turns toward a new China century.
The author has mastered the Chinese language not only the written characters and 4 tones associated with each character but also the phrases and the associated stories behind those phrases which allow her to give additional insights in her comments from the perspective of an American. Given her exposure to Chinese culture as a daughter of immigrants who unwillingly attended America Chinese School before her coming of age, combined with her professional journalist background and first-hand experience in Chinese education of sending her precious toddler through the pipeline of the Chinese school system, Ms. Chu is in a unique position to write this riveting and revealing story about the current Chinese education.
Following the arduous steps of getting Rainy into school, Ms. Chu had entered a brave new world of Chinese Education system where she mastered the art of dealing with Chinese school including the knack of gifting, connecting to school with constant webchat, roaming Shanghai on her bicycle amid the congested traffic, reconciling education in Chinese style vs that of western style, and how to fit in with a Chinese parent group by attending birthday party, how to talk politely to the teacher getting her point across with respect for the teacher, how to walk around the established rules etc.
More interestingly, the author interviewed many Chinese friends and even ventured into the country side to observe a middle school examination in addition to her prior first-hand experience in accompanying one of her young friends in his college entrance examination. As an outsider Ms. Chu gained first-hand knowledge how these examinations are conducted and the associated deficiencies related to this high pressured events.
With the assistance of two older teenaged friends: Amanda- a rebellious exchange student who visited the US, and liked to read Camus and Proust; and Darcy- a more conventional bright student from rural China who is ready to climb the social ladder by joining the communist party; Ms. Chu discovered more interesting aspects of their lives growing up in China. Despite their divergent path, both these teens agree that hard work will eventually pay off for their respective future endeavors irrespective of what they may think (the central doctrine of Confucianism). Both kids realize democracy is a luxury whose inefficiency may impede the progression of China to be a developed country, keenly aware of the existence of the censorship and the power it wields over ordinary citizens and the vast gap in wealth and social inequality between the rural poor and nova rich city dwellers as the result of private enterprise. Despite the mandatory infusion of political ideas into public education, the state has overestimated the impact of state advertising on the youth as Darcy whispered to Chu that “China is growing a nation of patriots who worship the party in public but cultivate alternative thoughts in private”.
Ms. Chu also broached the difficult subject of social and economic inequality. For her research Ms. Chu ventured from prosperous Shanghai to the rural part of China thru a migrant domestic worker– Lauren as she explained the plight of a hundred million who are separated from their family and kids in the village because the antiquated household registration system and the disparity in economic and educational opportunity between urban and rural China- the very condition foment the rise of Mao and communism 70+ years ago.
In the book, Ms. Chu explained the difference in educational philosophy between China and the US results in the difference in altitudes of the public toward children’s education. These dissimilarities evolved into vast different teaching methods and school discipline in guiding students. Her comments relating to what she learned are worthwhile reading for many who are not familiar with Chinese culture.
I have enjoyed reading through the book as the story moving from Rainey’s registration and admission to Soong Ching Ling School to the successful graduation for both the author and Rainey in adapting to a new education system in spite of her initial misgivings about the cultural differences. Kudos to Ms. Chu for sharing one of the oldest ritual practiced in the Chinese family- the thought process in naming her sons. For Rainey, she chose the word comprised of three stones stacking on top each other（磊）. Stone symbolizes an upright person in Chinese literature and 3 uprights will last more than a lifetime. For her second son Landon, the word gold is repeated 3 times denoting lifetime prosperity（鑫）. For a family, there is nothing better than to have a child upright in character and another with three-fold prosperity.
In addition to other well-written education books such as “Grit” by Anglo Duckworth and “The Smartest Kids in the World” by Amanda Ripley, this book is a must-read for those interested in education in general and Chinese culture in particular as the world turns toward a new China century.
March 23, 2021
This book was fascinating for me. As an American who placed my two oldest children in the Japanese public school system for 7 years, and then many years later entered my three youngest children in Korean Hagwan (extra-curricular school) in Korea for 2.5 years, I resonated with many of the situations the author found herself facing. I also found myself first being bewildered, upset, and even angry at many of the situations my children and I encountered in the Japanese and Korean school systems (which are similar to the Chinese school systems, especially the Korean). And like the author, I also found myself feeling grateful and appreciative for the many, many positive aspects that were beneficial for our children and our family. Like the author, I ended up feeling that a combination of the strengths of East Asian and American school systems (and cultures), would accomplish the ultimate good.
Now I teach English to Chinese children 6 days a week. And I marvel at how well behaved, respectful, and intelligent these children are - how willing they are to learn - how willing they are to patiently follow instructions and keep trying until they get it right - how well they understand advanced math concepts at very young ages. They are a marvel This book helped me to understand why they are this way, and why American children are not nearly as much this way.
As I read this book, I experienced the now familiar roller coaster of emotions - feeling upset and even angry at the Asian (this time Chinese) school system, and all it demands of children - then gradually realizing that there are good aspects of the Asian (Chinese) school system that we lack in the west, and that could benefit our children - and ultimately realizing that a fusion of the best parts of both school systems (and cultures) would accomplish the ultimate good.
We have always been so grateful for our time in Asia. We haven't lived in China, but we have visited. We were blessed to spend enough time in Asia to be able to let go of our western paradigms, at least a little, and start to understand and embrace the positive aspects of collectivist cultures. There are so many aspects of these cultures that would strengthen and improve our American culture greatly. Since the earliest of our 12 years in Japan, nearly 26 years ago now, we have hoped that we could choose and implement the best parts of eastern and western cultures in our lives and in our value systems. We have found that doing this makes it so we don't fit into American culture well anymore, and we are often misunderstood. We generally feel like outsiders, and often long to feel that we fit in, especially here in the Midwest. But we also find that we are changed for good (and hopefully for the better). We can't erase the imprint of East Asian culture on our hearts and minds, and we don't want it to be erased. We love East Asian culture. We love the people. We love their love and respect for education. We love the time we spent in East Asia, and we miss the people and their cultures terribly.
Now I teach English to Chinese children 6 days a week. And I marvel at how well behaved, respectful, and intelligent these children are - how willing they are to learn - how willing they are to patiently follow instructions and keep trying until they get it right - how well they understand advanced math concepts at very young ages. They are a marvel This book helped me to understand why they are this way, and why American children are not nearly as much this way.
As I read this book, I experienced the now familiar roller coaster of emotions - feeling upset and even angry at the Asian (this time Chinese) school system, and all it demands of children - then gradually realizing that there are good aspects of the Asian (Chinese) school system that we lack in the west, and that could benefit our children - and ultimately realizing that a fusion of the best parts of both school systems (and cultures) would accomplish the ultimate good.
We have always been so grateful for our time in Asia. We haven't lived in China, but we have visited. We were blessed to spend enough time in Asia to be able to let go of our western paradigms, at least a little, and start to understand and embrace the positive aspects of collectivist cultures. There are so many aspects of these cultures that would strengthen and improve our American culture greatly. Since the earliest of our 12 years in Japan, nearly 26 years ago now, we have hoped that we could choose and implement the best parts of eastern and western cultures in our lives and in our value systems. We have found that doing this makes it so we don't fit into American culture well anymore, and we are often misunderstood. We generally feel like outsiders, and often long to feel that we fit in, especially here in the Midwest. But we also find that we are changed for good (and hopefully for the better). We can't erase the imprint of East Asian culture on our hearts and minds, and we don't want it to be erased. We love East Asian culture. We love the people. We love their love and respect for education. We love the time we spent in East Asia, and we miss the people and their cultures terribly.
October 11, 2017
I was given a copy of this book by Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review.
Today's post is on Little Soldiers: An American Boy, a Chinese School, and the Global Race to Achieve by Lenora Chu. It is 368 pages long and is published by Harper Collins. The cover is white with sharpened pencils on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested education and the differences between China and other parts of the world. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the back of the book- In the spirit of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Bringing up Bébé, and The Smartest Kids in the World, a hard-hitting exploration of China’s widely acclaimed yet insular education system—held up as a model of academic and behavioral excellence—that raises important questions for the future of American parenting and education.
When American mom Lenora Chu moved to China with her little boy, she faced a tough decision. China produced some of the world’s top academic achievers, and just down the street from her home in Shanghai was THE school, as far as elite Chinese were concerned. Should Lenora entrust her rambunctious young son to the system?
So began Rainey’s immersion in one of the most radical school systems on the planet. Almost immediately, the three-year-old began to develop surprising powers of concentration, became proficient in early math, and learned to obey his teachers’ every command. Yet Lenora also noticed disturbing new behaviors: Where he used to scribble and explore, Rainey grew obsessed with staying inside the lines. He became fearful of authority figures, and also developed a habit of obeisance outside of school. “If you want me to do it, I’ll do it,” he told a stranger who’d asked whether he liked to sing.
What was happening behind closed classroom doors? Driven by parental anxiety, Lenora embarked on a journalistic mission to discover: What price do the Chinese pay to produce their “smart” kids? How hard should the rest of us work to stay ahead of the global curve? And, ultimately, is China’s school system one the West should emulate?
She pulls the curtain back on a military-like education system, in which even the youngest kids submit to high-stakes tests, and parents are crippled by the pressure to compete (and sometimes to pay bribes). Yet, as mother-and-son reach new milestones, Lenora uncovers surprising nuggets of wisdom, such as the upside of student shame, how competition can motivate achievement, and why a cultural belief in hard work over innate talent gives the Chinese an advantage.
Lively and intimate, beautifully written and reported, Little Soldiers challenges our assumptions and asks us to reconsider the true value and purpose of education.
Review- A very interesting read about education and what that means in different parts of the world. Chu is a second generation American and her parents raised her with a blend of American and Chinese style. But because Chu and her husband are living in China they wanted their son to have a once in a lifetime experience of Chinese education and hopefully he would get the famous Chinese discipline too. When Chu sees some changes in her son that make her uncomfortable, she decides that she wants to understand what is the Chinese education system. Chu travels all over China, interviews students at different ages and social classes, and she discovers some very interesting things. Everything from a young patriot who has great plans for himself in the party to a young man who has been lost in the system and it failed him. She interviews teachers and does her best to discuss the successes and the failures of the system but it was not easy. I think that Chu did a good job with her task and it was very eye opening about the disciple that the children learn to have and how they learn it. I would be very curious about her son is going to grow with this Chinese foundation.
I give this book a Four out of Five stars.
Today's post is on Little Soldiers: An American Boy, a Chinese School, and the Global Race to Achieve by Lenora Chu. It is 368 pages long and is published by Harper Collins. The cover is white with sharpened pencils on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested education and the differences between China and other parts of the world. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the back of the book- In the spirit of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Bringing up Bébé, and The Smartest Kids in the World, a hard-hitting exploration of China’s widely acclaimed yet insular education system—held up as a model of academic and behavioral excellence—that raises important questions for the future of American parenting and education.
When American mom Lenora Chu moved to China with her little boy, she faced a tough decision. China produced some of the world’s top academic achievers, and just down the street from her home in Shanghai was THE school, as far as elite Chinese were concerned. Should Lenora entrust her rambunctious young son to the system?
So began Rainey’s immersion in one of the most radical school systems on the planet. Almost immediately, the three-year-old began to develop surprising powers of concentration, became proficient in early math, and learned to obey his teachers’ every command. Yet Lenora also noticed disturbing new behaviors: Where he used to scribble and explore, Rainey grew obsessed with staying inside the lines. He became fearful of authority figures, and also developed a habit of obeisance outside of school. “If you want me to do it, I’ll do it,” he told a stranger who’d asked whether he liked to sing.
What was happening behind closed classroom doors? Driven by parental anxiety, Lenora embarked on a journalistic mission to discover: What price do the Chinese pay to produce their “smart” kids? How hard should the rest of us work to stay ahead of the global curve? And, ultimately, is China’s school system one the West should emulate?
She pulls the curtain back on a military-like education system, in which even the youngest kids submit to high-stakes tests, and parents are crippled by the pressure to compete (and sometimes to pay bribes). Yet, as mother-and-son reach new milestones, Lenora uncovers surprising nuggets of wisdom, such as the upside of student shame, how competition can motivate achievement, and why a cultural belief in hard work over innate talent gives the Chinese an advantage.
Lively and intimate, beautifully written and reported, Little Soldiers challenges our assumptions and asks us to reconsider the true value and purpose of education.
Review- A very interesting read about education and what that means in different parts of the world. Chu is a second generation American and her parents raised her with a blend of American and Chinese style. But because Chu and her husband are living in China they wanted their son to have a once in a lifetime experience of Chinese education and hopefully he would get the famous Chinese discipline too. When Chu sees some changes in her son that make her uncomfortable, she decides that she wants to understand what is the Chinese education system. Chu travels all over China, interviews students at different ages and social classes, and she discovers some very interesting things. Everything from a young patriot who has great plans for himself in the party to a young man who has been lost in the system and it failed him. She interviews teachers and does her best to discuss the successes and the failures of the system but it was not easy. I think that Chu did a good job with her task and it was very eye opening about the disciple that the children learn to have and how they learn it. I would be very curious about her son is going to grow with this Chinese foundation.
I give this book a Four out of Five stars.
June 13, 2021
Wow this is going to be my first-ever book review after 3(?) years of my account being dormant... still trying to figure out the functions of Goodreads so please no bully if review bad ;-; (and I'm staying casual for my returning attempt)
In the opening pages of the book, I was slightly off-put by seemingly pretentious claims and sweeping generalizations made by the author to know both the American and Chinese education curriculums. However, with a little perseverance in reading, it quickly became apparent of the amount of work and tenacity put behind this investigative piece, convincing me, as an individual that partially experiences the situation described in the book, of her qualification and astuteness. Perhaps most inspiring, Lenora Chu narrates her findings through the experience of her own son in a local Chinese schooling system, flawlessly transitioning between real-world implications and the humanizing connections she makes to her own son.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book, especially to individuals in SAS. Her discussions are eye-opening and should resonate with anyone that has experienced a mixture of Chinese and American education to a certain degree.
Moreover, one chapter of the book is dedicated to exploring the effects of a seemingly perfect meritocratic educational system (defined purely by testing scores and academic results) on rural areas of China and consequently the creation of migrant schools for students without "hukou". Ironically, these couple of pages explained more than my understanding from an entire lifetime at SAS, delving into the perverse rural experiences that expand beyond a generic statement of "donating equipment/money/classroom materials to migrant schools" into truly understanding the structural problems faced in hierarchy of education in China.
*PS. One more small anecdote to convince you to read the book if my loosely-tied thoughts have not yet: Over the Eleventh, Ruitao, out of boredom, began to frivolously read a couple of pages in the middle with me during the writing sessions. Little did I know, for the next two hours, he held my phone hostage as he demanded to let him continue reading while ignoring my (rightful) requests to have my phone back -.-
In the opening pages of the book, I was slightly off-put by seemingly pretentious claims and sweeping generalizations made by the author to know both the American and Chinese education curriculums. However, with a little perseverance in reading, it quickly became apparent of the amount of work and tenacity put behind this investigative piece, convincing me, as an individual that partially experiences the situation described in the book, of her qualification and astuteness. Perhaps most inspiring, Lenora Chu narrates her findings through the experience of her own son in a local Chinese schooling system, flawlessly transitioning between real-world implications and the humanizing connections she makes to her own son.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book, especially to individuals in SAS. Her discussions are eye-opening and should resonate with anyone that has experienced a mixture of Chinese and American education to a certain degree.
Moreover, one chapter of the book is dedicated to exploring the effects of a seemingly perfect meritocratic educational system (defined purely by testing scores and academic results) on rural areas of China and consequently the creation of migrant schools for students without "hukou". Ironically, these couple of pages explained more than my understanding from an entire lifetime at SAS, delving into the perverse rural experiences that expand beyond a generic statement of "donating equipment/money/classroom materials to migrant schools" into truly understanding the structural problems faced in hierarchy of education in China.
*PS. One more small anecdote to convince you to read the book if my loosely-tied thoughts have not yet: Over the Eleventh, Ruitao, out of boredom, began to frivolously read a couple of pages in the middle with me during the writing sessions. Little did I know, for the next two hours, he held my phone hostage as he demanded to let him continue reading while ignoring my (rightful) requests to have my phone back -.-
October 25, 2017
Author Lenora Chu and her husband were living in China when this book was written. Her parents came to the US before she was born, so she was raised in a Chinese-American household. Her husband is an American. They were living in China because he got a job there.
Because she had heard good things about Chinese schools, they decided to enroll their eldest son in a Chinese preschool in Shanghai. What happened next formed the basis for a research project into the Chinese educational system, as well as a personal reflection on how the school system has impacted their life.
The author gives a fascinating first-hand look inside of Chinese schools, from both a Chinese and an American perspective. The school system in China is much different than the one in America, but the two have their similarities.
I really enjoyed reading this book as my son recently married a China national. She was born in Yan Tai, China, and lived there until she came to the US to go to graduate school. Because I might someday be the grandmother (I hope) of a child with both American and Chinese heritage, I was drawn to a book such as this. The subject matter is very interesting and the writing is both factual and personal. I learned a lot more about Chinese culture than I knew before I read this book (although I was familiar with some of it). The text is sprinkled with Chinese words that are defined in the text and that help lend meaning to the story line.
Even though I really enjoyed reading this book, and I gave it 5 stars because of the topic and the writing, I have to say that the author could have used a good finishing editor before the story went to print. There were a few discrepancies in the story line that bothered me. One of them was when the author talked about the process of finding a Chinese nanny for her son to help around the house. The text says she interviewed 3 perspective employees, but for various reasons, chose none of them. However, prior to the mention of this interview process, and after this segment in the book, she talks about her son's nanny, but the reader is never told how she found a suitable person for the position since she rejected the only 3 she actually talks about in the book.
Because she had heard good things about Chinese schools, they decided to enroll their eldest son in a Chinese preschool in Shanghai. What happened next formed the basis for a research project into the Chinese educational system, as well as a personal reflection on how the school system has impacted their life.
The author gives a fascinating first-hand look inside of Chinese schools, from both a Chinese and an American perspective. The school system in China is much different than the one in America, but the two have their similarities.
I really enjoyed reading this book as my son recently married a China national. She was born in Yan Tai, China, and lived there until she came to the US to go to graduate school. Because I might someday be the grandmother (I hope) of a child with both American and Chinese heritage, I was drawn to a book such as this. The subject matter is very interesting and the writing is both factual and personal. I learned a lot more about Chinese culture than I knew before I read this book (although I was familiar with some of it). The text is sprinkled with Chinese words that are defined in the text and that help lend meaning to the story line.
Even though I really enjoyed reading this book, and I gave it 5 stars because of the topic and the writing, I have to say that the author could have used a good finishing editor before the story went to print. There were a few discrepancies in the story line that bothered me. One of them was when the author talked about the process of finding a Chinese nanny for her son to help around the house. The text says she interviewed 3 perspective employees, but for various reasons, chose none of them. However, prior to the mention of this interview process, and after this segment in the book, she talks about her son's nanny, but the reader is never told how she found a suitable person for the position since she rejected the only 3 she actually talks about in the book.
September 7, 2017
***I received an ARC of this book through a GoodReads giveaway***
Approaching this book from the perspective of someone with some pre-existing understandings of the educational styles in East Asia, I found Little Soldiers to be both readable and relatable. Although the Japanese schooling system is not identical in all manners, there were certainly concepts that were familiar to me and that I could easily imagine. I would bet that those unfamiliar with the Chinese educational system would still find this book readable because Chu does a thorough job breaking down cultural values into understandable tidbits. As a woman raised by strict Chinese parents, but within the American school system, Chu is in a unique position to both criticize and defend aspects of each. Likewise, as a parent sending her child to Chinese school, she has the experience from the parental perspective as well, and I liked reading about her reflections on how it feels to have gone through something versus watching her child go through it. I appreciated the fact that Chu acknowledges some of the privileges afforded to her family because they are foreigners, living in Shanghai, and were financially comfortable. She does not treat the Chinese educational system as a monolith, but explains how economically and geographically disadvantaged students and their families have distinctly different experiences. There are so many layers to it, and Chu does a wonderful job breaking it down into understandable bits. All in all, a good read and it certainly has me thinking about my own approach when it comes to educating my son!
Approaching this book from the perspective of someone with some pre-existing understandings of the educational styles in East Asia, I found Little Soldiers to be both readable and relatable. Although the Japanese schooling system is not identical in all manners, there were certainly concepts that were familiar to me and that I could easily imagine. I would bet that those unfamiliar with the Chinese educational system would still find this book readable because Chu does a thorough job breaking down cultural values into understandable tidbits. As a woman raised by strict Chinese parents, but within the American school system, Chu is in a unique position to both criticize and defend aspects of each. Likewise, as a parent sending her child to Chinese school, she has the experience from the parental perspective as well, and I liked reading about her reflections on how it feels to have gone through something versus watching her child go through it. I appreciated the fact that Chu acknowledges some of the privileges afforded to her family because they are foreigners, living in Shanghai, and were financially comfortable. She does not treat the Chinese educational system as a monolith, but explains how economically and geographically disadvantaged students and their families have distinctly different experiences. There are so many layers to it, and Chu does a wonderful job breaking it down into understandable bits. All in all, a good read and it certainly has me thinking about my own approach when it comes to educating my son!
October 29, 2017
Lenora Chu's insights into the Chinese education system were fascinating. At once alarming, and insightful, I appreciated the way she navigated the line between American education philosophy and Chinese education philosophy.
From an educators point of view, I find the whole of Chinese education to be fascinating. The idea that a central form of education has sprung up in a couple of decades, compared with America's public education system that has existed for around 150 years, the Chinese are doing remarkably well at making it up as they go along.
As Chu states in the book, perhaps this has something to do with the fact that the Chinese quite literally invented the standardized test, and that anyone could take this test to raise their social station.
I think American educators have a lot to come and ponder in this book, both good and bad. I especially enjoyed Chu's outsider view, not only on Chinese education but education in general as she is not trained as an educator and approached this only as a concerned mother.
For as often as our educational system is compared with China's, there is little we actually know of China's education system and this book goes a long way towards remedying the lack of insight.
From an educators point of view, I find the whole of Chinese education to be fascinating. The idea that a central form of education has sprung up in a couple of decades, compared with America's public education system that has existed for around 150 years, the Chinese are doing remarkably well at making it up as they go along.
As Chu states in the book, perhaps this has something to do with the fact that the Chinese quite literally invented the standardized test, and that anyone could take this test to raise their social station.
I think American educators have a lot to come and ponder in this book, both good and bad. I especially enjoyed Chu's outsider view, not only on Chinese education but education in general as she is not trained as an educator and approached this only as a concerned mother.
For as often as our educational system is compared with China's, there is little we actually know of China's education system and this book goes a long way towards remedying the lack of insight.
July 26, 2021
This book came in my monthly subscription box from Coloring and Classics (which I'm not sponsored by but I do highly recommend to all and sundry). I don't know that this is a book I would normally would have picked up simply because it sounds like a fairly dry topic on its surface. However, this book was supremely interesting and kept me engaged from beginning to end. It's essentially a study into the differences between the Chinese and United States educational systems. This is less of a straightforward researcher's look at the issue because Chu and her family actually relocated to China and her oldest son was enrolled in a traditional Chinese grammar school. She discusses the culture and history of China and how that has impacted the way that the educational system has been run in the past (and how it in many ways has not changed). It's fascinating and shines rather a stark light on the U.S. view as well. Even if you have no skin in the game (or a child to send to school) this is an excellent resource and a great way to learn about another culture.
December 6, 2018
Enjoyed reading about an American Chinese mother who enrolled her son in a top Shanghai kindergarten, albeit with some apprehension, and watched him struggle and also thrive in the grueling Chinese education system. The book throws into the spotlight the many so-called “ills” of the ultra cutthroat educational race in China,but the author managed to also discover and appreciate the merits of a tough disciplinary system, rote-learning and the focus on hard work. She also questioned the western fixation on building of self-esteem on children (excessive emphasis on praise). I agree ultimately that a good balance between the western and Chinese educational systems would be ideal. I think Singapore is moving towards there - we are still tweaking our formula for sure - but I am hopeful we will avoid the excesses of both and tread on a more meaningful middle ground. After all, we didn’t do too badly in the PISA tests so there must be something we are doing right.
October 5, 2017
Loved it! I started this book with a preconception what Chinese schools must be like: authoritarian, group focused, and a obsession with studying and memorization that produced automatons devoid of critical thinking skills. The author's personal experience (from an American perspective) at the coal front of the classroom with her young son, as well as her thoughtful research including observations in classes in urban and rural China as well as the US, greatly changed my perception. True, much of the education is memorization and test focused, and teachers have no problem berating students for not knowing something or achieving below their peers, but the author explains some of the benefits of this system: hard work is valued over innate ability (research shows this motivates students more), and rote memorization is important for further learning.
The book is warm and funny. Chu's picky preschooler is force-fed an egg, the author unwittingly becomes a broker of U.S. sourced branded purses (when her husband is on a business trip), the we-chat conversations between parents and teacher are hilarious in their obsequiousness. There are a lot more of these hilarious gems in the book.
Chu doesn't shy from controversy. I appreciated the explanation of how for much of the 20th century the "party" used the educational curriculum to shape the minds of (and control) the masses. (They weren't the first and won't be the last). China's complicated gift and "red envelope" culture (socially accepted bribery), even extends into education; some students get more "status" based on the value of gifts given their teachers from parents, and one student found that a payment was required to produce an accurate transcript from the school registrar.
Do Americans need Chinese schools or vice versa? Reading this book made me think hard about this. A healthy dose of Chinese rigor (respect for teachers, high expectation of parents, more memorization, a little public shaming when deserved) would probably improve our outcomes. Conversely, I'd like to see these kids in China enjoying sports and other activities our kids get to do, and studying less.
The author refers to the "race to achieve" -- students in China must test into higher education where there are fewer and fewer spots the higher they go. This contrasts to our U.S. emphasis on "no child left behind" and an idea that all children are candidates for college (matched with an overly generous student loan program that burdens borrowers and taxpayers alike). In this, I think we both could learn something from, say, the Germany and Australia, where many students will pursue very satisfactory vocations without high test scores or a crushing debt.
This book challenged my assumptions about Chinese culture education and made me question aspects of American education I had assumed were "the right way". I enjoyed it immensely!
The book is warm and funny. Chu's picky preschooler is force-fed an egg, the author unwittingly becomes a broker of U.S. sourced branded purses (when her husband is on a business trip), the we-chat conversations between parents and teacher are hilarious in their obsequiousness. There are a lot more of these hilarious gems in the book.
Chu doesn't shy from controversy. I appreciated the explanation of how for much of the 20th century the "party" used the educational curriculum to shape the minds of (and control) the masses. (They weren't the first and won't be the last). China's complicated gift and "red envelope" culture (socially accepted bribery), even extends into education; some students get more "status" based on the value of gifts given their teachers from parents, and one student found that a payment was required to produce an accurate transcript from the school registrar.
Do Americans need Chinese schools or vice versa? Reading this book made me think hard about this. A healthy dose of Chinese rigor (respect for teachers, high expectation of parents, more memorization, a little public shaming when deserved) would probably improve our outcomes. Conversely, I'd like to see these kids in China enjoying sports and other activities our kids get to do, and studying less.
The author refers to the "race to achieve" -- students in China must test into higher education where there are fewer and fewer spots the higher they go. This contrasts to our U.S. emphasis on "no child left behind" and an idea that all children are candidates for college (matched with an overly generous student loan program that burdens borrowers and taxpayers alike). In this, I think we both could learn something from, say, the Germany and Australia, where many students will pursue very satisfactory vocations without high test scores or a crushing debt.
This book challenged my assumptions about Chinese culture education and made me question aspects of American education I had assumed were "the right way". I enjoyed it immensely!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 330 reviews