Which is the Best Way to Raise Your Children?

     There are many schools of thought on how to raise your children when it comes to academic success. While most Americans follow more or less the same format and way when it comes to morals and values that all children are taught in their homes, there are many other different ways that citizens from other countries will raise their children. I have outlined two different ways that parents raise their children, and have made the argument that a mixture of both is the most beneficial, in terms of academic success not only in school but in life. 

1. The Eastern Way

1. Education systems in Eastern culture do not focus on the inherent intelligence of students but will instead focus on building up your work ethic to obtain the desired product. Signs of struggle is a sign of resilience and goes to show that you are willing to put in the work to obtain the desired product. 

1. The downside of this belief is that many students are then trained to act like “robots”: focusing solely on the effort that goes into a given problem/task but not dipping into their creative and individualistic side. 

2. Eastern Asian students, especially Chinese students, have been found to be very quiet and reserved in the classroom

1. There is an ongoing belief that a student can only ask questions about a given subject once they have mastery over the topic.

2. There is also a power dynamic where students do not want to question the teacher as that would undermine their authority in the classroom; there is a desire among students to preserve harmony amongst themselves. 

3. Eastern Asian students are also very dependant on their lecturers, and are seen constantly asking for guidance and specific expectations and directions for their work

1. Most Eastern Asian students are treated as children collectively. Once students turn 18 and go to university, the role of the parent is to be taken up by their lecturers. 

4. There is an expectation for students to study and work hard so that they can provide for their parents as they grow older.

1. Eastern Asian students have been found to not partake in certain activities and solely focus on their studies because they feel like it would be a waste of their parent’s money to do anything else but study. 

2. The Western Way

1. Education systems in Western culture focus on the inherent intelligence of students

1. Intelligence in Western culture is defined with an emphasis on an innate ability to perform, and school is where this wisdom comes from. Struggling with your work is a sign of weakness, so students are discouraged from asking for help when an issue arises.

2. Students in Western culture are used to tapping into their creative side and are encouraged to be more analytical when it comes to their education. 

1. In the classroom, students are encouraged to ask questions about the given material and to think critically about the lesson, even if it means correcting the professor. 

3. In Western culture, when students turn 18 and leave for university, they are expected to basically fend for themselves in terms of studying and maintaining a healthy balance of school/social life

1. Students are encouraged to live a very individualistic lifestyle where they make decisions and think for themselves, and the parents take a backseat when it comes to what they think is best for them. 

    To say that one is better than the other would be ignorant of both sides. I think that a healthy mix of both of these cultures would bring out the best in all students

• While students should have a wealthy work ethic and understand that everything is not going to be handed to them on a silver platter, they should also understand that they are inherently intelligent beings and how it isn’t a bad thing to tap into your more critical/creative side to solve your problems.

• It may be true that teachers are the highest authority that there can be in a classroom, they are ultimately a resource for students for their academic growth. While maintaining classroom harmony and discipline is important in any academic setting, asking questions to the teacher is not disrespecting them; rather, it shows great initiative from the student to ask for help.

• When you turn 18, it is true that you are becoming an adult and you have to begin making decisions for yourselves. However, most students are not prepared to make big decisions for themselves at that age (as they have been living under their parent’s wing for a majority of their