I Wall Street Journals lördagsessä, den 8 januari, skriver professor Amy Chua (vid Yale Law School.” This essay is excerpted from ”Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” by Amy Chua, to be published Tuesday by the Penguin Press, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright © 2011 by Amy Chua.) om det kinesiska undret.

Högintressant läsning, även om jag tycker att det inte är så mycket nytt som framkommer i ämnet. Det känns ändå som en positiv motvikt i den andra vågskålen. För i Västerlandets vågskål läggs alla de skräckversioner om kinesisk barnuppfostran vi får oss till livs via media. Jag har varit i Kina flera gånger, och jag känner till hur hårt det kan vara. Men, kanske behöver vi lite mer förståelse för en helt annan kultur, som använder andra vägar än vi, men där vi i grunden strävar mot samma mål för våra barn. Och vem säger att vem har rätt?

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html

Why Chinese Mothers Are

Superior

[…]

What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you’re good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle.

[…]

I think there are three big differences between the Chinese and Western parental mind-sets.

Second, Chinese parents believe that their kids owe them everything. The reason for this is a little unclear, but it’s probably a combination of Confucian filial piety and the fact that the parents have sacrificed and done so much for their children.

[…]

Third, Chinese parents believe that they know what is best for their children and therefore override all of their children’s own desires and preferences.

[…]

There are all these new books out there portraying Asian mothers as scheming, callous, overdriven people indifferent to their kids’ true interests. For their part, many Chinese secretly believe that they care more about their children and are willing to sacrifice much more for them than Westerners, who seem perfectly content to let their children turn out badly.I think it’s a misunderstanding on both sides. All decent parents want to do what’s best for their children. The Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that.

Western parents try to respect their children’s individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement and a nurturing environment. By contrast, the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they’re capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits and inner confidence that no one can ever take away.

Sen kan man fråga sig varför den svenska skolan är på spikrak kurs nedåt. Vi kanske varken kan eller vill importera den kinesiska uppfostringsmodellen, men… kanske vi bör rannsaka oss själva, alla vi föräldrar, då och då.

När våra far- och morföräldrar växte upp, hade man en helt annan inställning till att via skola och utbildning skapa sig en bättre framtid. Vi har en gång varit en toppnation när det gäller utbildningsnivå och kvalitet. Vi kan väl inte på fullt allvar tro, att Sverige och Västerlandet är på god väg att bli omsprungna av Kina,  såväl i utbildning som i ekonomisk utveckling, bara på grund av skolan – eller?