The Evil in Parenting

Words and phrases that ring synonymously with chinese schools are:

* teachers aka disciplinarians with tempers that would intimidate even the most courageous of lions, armed with endless supply of bloody red inkers.
* thick cane sticks, rulers, and other torture instruments.
* enough homework to make a student's life miserable.
* XXL sized schoolbags which do more than just obscure the students entire back, leaving only half-a-head and a pair of scrawny legs in sight from behind.

and etcetera...

For those in the US, they have the 'American's Dream'. This, is the typical 'Chinese Parents Dream' and also 'Chinese Kid's Nightmare'. 90% of my cousins are now living it, and I symphathize them. The road maybe unpleasant, but later on, you guys will understand, trust me. My observations tell me that the severity has been significantly reduced since my time, but it remains a nightmare, nonetheless. Will there be a chance for it to turn into a dream? Highly unlikely, I think, at least not in the near future. Be grateful, you guys, for 10++ homeworks are way less torturous in comparison to the 20++ I used to struggle with. But of course, results tend to vary from teacher to teacher. Here's something else to ponder about. I find that, the popularity of a teacher is directly proportional to the number of homework she distributes, which happened to be directly proportional to a student's performance too. As much as I hate to admit it, this is true for MOST cases.

Why is it not true for a certain minority then? Someone once enlightened me with the following bit of information before, but I refused to believe it then. Some parents actually do the homework FOR their kids. I believe it now, because someone I know is doing it. Although I strongly disagree with her actions, I am aware that I am in no position to argue. She's proud of 'saving' her kids like this, and being in a typical chinese family, I am taught that the elders are ALWAYS right. It is ridiculous and it sucks. Recollections of previous experiences encouraged me to shut my yap for the time being to avoid any unnecessary implications. How can people these days do such a thing?

They claim that they want to raise their kids to be responsible, hardworking, independent, and more. It's all bullshit because they're ripping their kids off the chance to be so. Talk about spoiling their kids! This is absurd, I say. If you don't want your child to go through the uncompromising life of being a chinese school student, then why send your child there in the first place? You made that decision, so bear with it. Don't want to? Transfer away. It's that simple. Don't go cheating the teachers, ruining your child's life in the process. Gosh, I do feel sorry for the young. They don't know any better. The same goes for the teachers, who are duped into thinking that the student did all the work in such a mature manner. Teachers do this for a reason. Despite their measly wages, these educators are at the top of their field and are willing to spend their youth (life before 55, erm, we'll consider it as youth in the mean time) facing little brats and rascals. It instills independence, responsiblity, as well as pushing the students to increase efficiency, enhance productivity, at the same time boosting the ability to think faster and better.

I'm not one to 100% support this method I deem as rather harsh for young kids, but that's how some geniuses are churned out. Sure, there are other more merciful means, whereby brainiacs can be groomed too. I do not deny that.

*Long Sigh*

When the kids do not perform up to expectations in major examinations, they blame the teachers, the school, even the local education system. They dutifully write lengthy, critical letters to newspapers, and government bodies, intent on defamation. The hurtful truth is, the ones to blame are in fact themselves, and no one else.