Review on the article - "Tiger Moms"

The article can be found here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html Amy Chua is a professor at Yale Law School, and she tells us about the differences and her opinions on the Chinese and Western education methods. I would like to recount my own personal experience with my parents. When I was young, about a month before examinations, I had to completely stop ANY leisure activites, from watching the television to playing computer games. Everyday after school, it would be studying, studying and studying. I even had to study while eating`. I already had the facts memorised totally, yet I still was told to revise again. This resulted in severe stress and there was once I decided not to study anymore. I simply stared at the textbook to pretend that I was studying when my mother was in, secretly playing when my mother was out. I had piano lessons as well, and the teacher was fierce. She would take a ruler and smack my fingers if I played anything wrongly. My mother even supported her actions, providing her with a ruler each week. When I scored well for tests, I wasn't rewarded, and I was just told to "do well the next time". For anything, from math formulas to chinese phrases, I was just told to write it down xx (usually 10, sometimes 100) number of times to remember it. Although this helped but it was really stressful. Now I would liked to review the chinese education system and the western education system. Despite me already stating how "horrible" the chinese education system is, I still think it has its good points. For example, although I said I didn't like writing somehting xx times, but even now (my parents already loosened their grip on me) I still voluntarily write down stuff many times to remember it, most notably chinese phrases that will be tested in examinations. Also, by giving a good amount of punishment for things done wrongly, it can teach the child what is right and wrong (although being excessive can lead to the child rebelling, and too much stress). Chinese parents love their children as well, as the chinese saying goes “骂是爱，打是疼”(scolding is loving, beating is loving even more), they just want their children to do well in future. I will also explain the western education system. The western education system believes in respecting the child's choices and the freedom to do things themselves. When a child gets bad results for their tests, the western parent will comfort them, telling them not to be discouraged, and they can do better the next time. I personally feel that this is not good as it will not motivate the child to do better. Perhaps this time round they were lazy and did not study for the test. When the parent comforts them, they think that they can get away with being lazy, and thus will not study for the next test as well. The western education system is way too idealistic, thinking that the child will make the right choices themselves, thinking that without scolding the child will do better. In conclusion, I think that the chinese education system is better in the sense it's more practical and realistic. However, I think it is best that there is a good combination of the western and chinese education system to ensure a good relationship ties between parent and child and the child can also learn effectively.