Guzik 8 reflection on chapter 12

1. Reflection on Chapter 12
EDUC F 65
Kyle Guzik
Curriculum and Instruction with a Concentration in Gifted Education
The College of William and Mary
September 9, 2012
Dr. Kyung-Hee Kim
Fall 2012

2. This reading gives an interesting comparison of parenting strategies in Eastern and Western
Cultures. The author discusses the profound influence of Confucianism in Korean culture and
Asian culture. Demographic and economic data reveal the impact Confucian values have on
education and lifestyle outcomes. The author articulates a distinction between the parenting
styles of parents with creative children versus parents of intelligent children. The author
references Amy Chua’s The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother as a jumping-off point for
discussion regarding the best strategies parents can use to nurture creativity and academic
achievement in their children. The author presents wing clipping in domesticated birds as a
metaphor for the disadvantages of tiger parenting. The author demonstrates that parents can
guide their children to become creators and that creators have many characteristics which make
them valuable contributors to society. In this response I will detail some of the information I
learned from this reading, and relate the reading to experiences in my own family.
I am somewhat unfamiliar with Eastern culture and values. The discussion on the life of Kong
Fuzi (Confucius) gave helpful context to the discussion that followed. The author writes “all
Korean people are swimming in a sea of Kung Fuzi-ism, and they don’t even know it.” It was
interesting to learn how Confucianism influences numerous aspects of Eastern culture including
court decisions, family values, corporate work ethic, attitudes towards teachers and education,
and even an emphasis on intelligence over creativity. The author presents statistical data which
demonstrates that, on average, Asian-Americans are wealthier, more conservative, more family
oriented, and more academically successful than their peers in other American ethnic groups.
Adherence to Confucian ideals inspires cultural choices that lead to success in a variety of areas
of life. At the same time, Confucianism encourages authoritarian impulses that stifle
individualism and creativity. It creates a system in which hierarchical power is celebrated in the
name of social stability. Academics who might otherwise critique this system are coopted by its
reverence for teachers. Clearly, in Confucian-influenced cultures, parents must contend with this
system while trying to make the best choices in raising their children.
Amy Chua created great controversy with her book on tiger parenting. Some felt that her
prescriptions for success were actually abusive in that they devalued creativity, psychologically
handicapped children, and eliminated many important aspects of the experience of childhood
and growing up. Others supported her, pointing to the many achievements of children raised
with this level of discipline, the close bonds it builds in a family, and the failure of permissive
parenting. The author critiques tiger parents, arguing that they clip the wings of their children.
When students are hobbled in this manner they cannot fly independently or leave the coop
confidently. They cannot set their own path for achievement in life based on their own standards
of value. This metaphor helps demonstrate a message critical to one of the main claims in this
chapter: that the form of achievement most valuable in modern society is individual, creative
achievement. Parents should seek out and implement strategies that allow them to raise their
children to be creators: self-reliant citizens who can synthesize knowledge and experience and

3. make something new. However, if I could humbly suggest one revision to this line of thought it
would not be to the overriding message and content of this passage, but the type of domesticated
fowl used to illustrate it. A comparison of the child leaving his or her parents’ house to a
chicken leaving a coup may seem reasonable, and chickens can fly, but not very far, and
clumsily. A better image might be that of a raptor, or bird of prey, magnificently efficient when
trained competently, but useless with clipped feathers.
The author describes her own family experiences, the validity of her mother’s and grandmothers’
opposing world views, and the remarkable example of her sister, a true creator. The subject of
the ideal education for intelligent and creative children is interesting to me professionally, as a
former and hopefully future educator, and personally. My little sister, Kelsie, who has just
turned thirteen is receiving services in the gifted and talented program at her public middle
school. The role of our parents cannot be discounted as they do provide her with everything they
can to support her education. My father, a physicist at LSU, obtained a stereoscopic microscope
to allow her to investigate samples that she collected during meteor showers for micrometeorite
fragments, helping her with her science fair project. And my mother operates her geographic
information systems (GIS) consultancy from home allowing her to shuttle Kelsie to school, ballet,
piano and horseback riding practice. Kelsie’s grades are excellent, but I agree with the author
that grades are only the superficial byproduct of intelligence. The creation of a creator is
certainly a much more difficult and complex endeavor.
This reading was highly informative on the subject of Asian culture and the powerful impact
Confucian thought has had on Eastern-influenced parents. The author makes a compelling case
for parenting that emphasizes creativity as well as intelligence. The author’s discussion of her
family and her own outcomes and values as well as those of her sister is personable and relatable
to my own experience. The reading makes a compelling case for parenting that values creativity
as well as rote intelligence.