david brooks writes today that there are large class differences in parenting styles. these different parent styles may explain the continued success of the upper class. hey, this fits in very well into the parenting theme week at 11d. thanks, davey. (and thanks, jeremy, for the early morning e-mail.)
david picks up on the work of annette lareau who finds that although working class children are more innocent and enjoy more freedom, they havent been prepared for economic success as well as upper class kids. (i have copied the whole article below the flap. take that, times select)
the funny thing about academics is that although they are highly educated, they are poorly paid. they are socio-economic anomalies. they either reside as the poor shlubs in wealthy neighborhoods or as the weirdoes in working class towns. we’ve been the class outsiders for my whole life, and i’ve had the chance to observe both life styles closely.
there are huge differences between the parenting styles between the upper and working class families. poor families respond less quickly to learning problems and are less aggressive with the school bureaucracy. they are less likely to verbally interact with their kids. they are less involved in homework activities. middle and upper class parents are more likely to reward independent thinking. all those factors will definitely impact on their kids’ futures.
but i hope that brooks and his pet academic aren’t insinuating that parenting styles alone impact on a child’s economic success. way too many other factors there. poor families are also likely to live in towns with poorer schools. peers will be more troubled. the poor families will be coping with a variety of problems that make it hard to be good parents – financial stress, drug and alcohol problems, lack of health care, depression. and really smart kids can in many instances over come all that and succeed, though even the smart ones still face obstacles. i would love to know if the researchers controlled for all that.
these parenting differences also don’t negate our obligation to helping these groups reach their potential.
that said, i’m sure that parenting styles are one factor among many that determine a child’s socio-economic future. my kid is already on such a different path from some of his buddies from school. at six years old, their futures are already written on their faces.
what i would like to do is to take the best parts of both parenting practices. somehow combine the respect for adults, the freedom, and the innocence of working class homes with the value for education, the aggressive independence, and confidence of the upper class. it’s a tricky line to navigate, but that’s what i’m going for.
Dear leaders, teachers, dear students.
Good morning, everyone!
I am Ma Haidong of the 2 class of martial arts science. It is a great honor to stand here, representing the 2011 graduates of the Institute of animal science and technology, to say goodbye to our alma mater, to teach our teachers tirelessly, to say goodbye to the classmates at sunset, and to say goodbye to this unforgettable time. First of all, let me, on behalf of all the graduates, express our heartfelt thanks and respect to all the leaders and teachers who have worked hard.
Four years, more than 1400 days and nights, it sounds so long, and when we face today, we feel that it is so short. Some people say that time is a book that is too hasty. Now when it hastily passes, these more than 1400 nights carry too many memories. I cant forget the freshness and confusion when I entered the school. I cant forget the figure of my learning building in the teaching building. I cant forget the laughter and laughter of your bedroom, and I cant forget you and me on the sports field. The scene of the scene is like a gorgeous clippings, a movie that is coming to the curtain, playing our happiness and sadness, recording our youth and past, and witnessing our profound feelings. Believe that the university days of acid, sweet, bitter, spicy to everyone left a precious memory; four years of learning to believe that the university will become an inexhaustible driving force for each of our future development; believe in sincerity, simplicity, courage and perseverance will be the wealth of our life.
Four years ago, we dreamed of dreams and hoped to meet the farmers. Four years later, we will go to everywhere to cherish our love for our alma mater and create our own brand new tomorrow. In the four years of western agriculture, we have experienced the age of the first year of innocence. We have gone through the light dance and flying of the sophomore. We witnessed the rapid development of alma mater and college, and also witnessed the continuous growth of ourselves. We learned to analyze and think, to learn to cooperate and to compete, to learn to inherit and to innovate, and to further learn how to surpass and break through their own limits. Now we are graduating. All these warm memories will be engraved on our hearts. It is the most memorable day of our lives.
Today is a happy day, an exciting day, and a thankful day. On this day, we finally put on the sacred bachelors clothing, and successfully ended our four years of college life. After this day, our university life will draw a full end. We will say goodbye to the students who get along with each other, say goodbye to the teacher, bid farewell to the beautiful picturesque campus, and step on a new journey. But we will never abandon the drip in the West Farm, never forget the teachers advice in the confusion and hesitation, never forget the sincere greetings of the students when they are sad and sad, because there are our most brilliant youth, because this beautiful youth is integrated into the selfless love and students of the teachers. Sincere feelings.
In the face of alma mater, I would like to say thank you, thank you for alma mater to provide us with learning environment, and build a solid platform for our growth and success.
Facing the college, I want to say thank you and thank the leadership of the college. The teachers care and education for us over the past four years is your hard work. Lets make constant efforts in the family of kinetic Sciences, which is a united and vigorous family.
Facing the teacher, I want to say thank you, thank you for the hard work of sweat, unselfish dedication, countless days and nights of ploughing, giving us a sober mind, a pair of eyes and a hearty soul, which is the truth that you have given us professional knowledge and taught us to be a man.
In the face of my classmates, I want to say thank you, thank you for your mutual care and support in the past four years. I think you will always cherish this feeling just like me. On the occasion of the parting, I would like to speak to the alma mater and the college on behalf of the graduates. We will not forget that we are a proud West farmer, and will not forget that he is a proud moving person. Students are about to travel. Please allow me to represent all 20____ graduates.
I wish our leaders and teachers good health and good work.
I wish our fathers and mothers eternal youth and good luck.
I wish our Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University and our animal science and Technology Institute every success.
I wish our 2022Annual graduates a bright future!
Thank you.
Opportunities and Challenges
First, I would like to know, what does your destiny offer you? Happiness, wisdom, a strong body or something else. If I had asked this question to president Nixon, he would probably had said,”Our destiny offers not the cup of despair, but the chalice of opportunity.”
Needless to say, one of the biggest opportunities given to China is the 2008 Olympic Games. Till now, we have used two sevenths of the preparation time. How much changes have you seen? New roads, new subway lines, public-exercising equipments with beautiful colors, large blocks of grass fields, and also lots of modern gyms which are under construction.
Other than those, there are even more good effects brought to us by the Olympic Games that cannot be seen directly. For example, more and more people will get to know China. I’m sure the mysterious Chinese culture will attract them strongly. And the games will also do good to the economy and environment, for it is gaining the attention of foreign investors and the awareness of environmental protection is being strengthened. What is more, Olympic Games give a unique opportunity to inspire and educate a new generation of Chinese youth with the Olympic values and the Olympic spirit. Now that we have seen so many advances, could you even imagine us losing the holding rights?
I’ve already said a lot about the Olympics and China. But I think everyone should use some time to think of this question, ”Does the Olympic Games have any special meaning to you?”
For us, I mean the Chinese youth, 2008 Olympic Games is a tremendous gift. Because what we are waiting for is to do something significant as repaying the love given to us .The society is just like a ship, and in our dreams the captain is waving his hand and saying ”Hey! Come here and take the helm! ”How charming his voice is, but we have never heard of it in our true life. This morning, however, when we wake up, we will see the Olympic Games waving its hand. After chewing, most of us will have at least one plan about what to do for the Olympic Games. And mine is to be a “comforter” ----that is someone who will give comfort to others.
At the end of my speech, I hope all the preparation will go well, and everyone will show their ability to the world. Let us seize opportunities and give a big smile to challenges.
My dear Mr. and Misses, my fellows schoolmates.
Good morning! As you know and see, it is a sunny bump harvest season. In the city, in our school campus, everywhere is surrounded with roses which we together planted 4 years ago. Today may these roses and our friendship as well be together and comfort our excited hearts!
It was four years ago that everyone of us came from every part of China and formed a new collective. As we are young, it’s very easy for us to communicate. It was in the past four years that we were ambitious. It was in the past four years that we worried. It was in the past four years that we were content. It was in the past four years that we were vexed. It was in the past four years that we were friendly and lonely ... and it was in the past fours that we studied, lived and respected each other with genuine and with our ambitions. Nothing in the world is more significant than we miss all of these.
We miss you─teachers who are tireless in teaching; we will keep your gestures and your white hairs in our hearts deeply; we will miss the quietness with the lights at night in the classroom; we will miss the race and exercise on the playground; we will miss even the crowds in the dining hall and the quarrel on the beds; we will still miss every green piece and every piece of waste paper flying like flakes in the air ... However, today we will leave nothing but the first rose with our Alma Mater and our teachers which is entrusted with our love and respect.
4 years seems very long but 4 years seems very short. From now on, we all will go into the society. The society is broad and wide for us. We will shoulder heavy responsibilities; we will work diligently; and we will expect to be informed of good news from one another. Now, I beg you all to cherish the occasion; to remember the names, the status, appearance and the character of the person around you. Now let’s be hand in hand together; let’s present the rose to each other. May the rose carry our appreciation and blessing! We are very closely linked no matter what the world may be. May the fresh rose in our hands keep its fragrants!
Thank you all again!
president clinton:
thank you. thank you, president chen, chairmen ren, vice president chi, vice minister wei. we are delighted to be here today with a very large american delegation, including the first lady and our daughter, who is a student at stanford, one of the schools with which beijing university has a relationship. we have six members of the united states congress; the secretary of state; secretary of commerce; the secretary of agriculture; the chairman of our council of economic advisors; senator sasser, our ambassador; the national security advisor and my chief of staff, among others. i say that to illustrate the importance that the united states places on our relationship with china.
i would like to begin by congratulating all of you, the students, the faculty, the administrators, on celebrating the centennial year of your university. gongxi, beida. (applause.)
as im sure all of you know, this campus was once home to yenching university which was founded by american missionaries. many of its wonderful buildings were designed by an american architect. thousands of americans students and professors have come here to study and teach. we feel a special kinship with you.
i am, however, grateful that this day is different in one important respect from another important occasion 79 years ago. in june of 1919, the first president of yenching university, john leighton stuart, was set to deliver the very first commencement address on these very grounds. at the appointed hour, he appeared, but no students appeared. they were all out leading the may 4th movement for chinas political and cultural renewal. when i read this, i hoped that when i walked into the auditorium today, someone would be sitting here. and i thank you for being here, very much. (applause.)
over the last 100 years, this university has grown to more than 20,000 students. your graduates are spread throughout china and around the world. you have built the largest university library in all of asia. last year, 20 percent of your graduates went abroad to study, including half of your math and science majors. and in this anniversary year, more than a million people in china, asia, and beyond have logged on to your web site. at the dawn of a new century, this university is leading china into the future.
i come here today to talk to you, the next generation of chinas leaders, about the critical importance to your future of building a strong partnership between china and the united states.
the american people deeply admire china for its thousands of years of contributions to culture and religion, to philosophy and the arts, to science and technology. we remember well our strong partnership in world war ii. now we see china at a moment in history when your glorious past is matched by your present sweeping transformation and the even greater promise of your future.
just three decades ago, china was virtually shut off from the world. now, china is a member of more than 1,000 international organizations -- enterprises that affect everything from air travel to agricultural development. you have opened your nation to trade and investment on a large scale. today, 40,000 young chinese study in the united states, with hundreds of thousands more learning in asia, africa, europe, and latin america.
your social and economic transformation has been even more remarkable, moving from a closed command economic system to a driving, increasingly market-based and driven economy, generating two decades of unprecedented growth, giving people greater freedom to travel within and outside china, to vote in village elections, to own a home, choose a job, attend a better school. as a result you have lifted literally hundreds of millions of people from poverty. per capita income has more than doubled in the last decade. most chinese people are leading lives they could not have imagined just 20 years ago.
of course, these changes have also brought disruptions in settled patterns of life and work, and have imposed enormous strains on your environment. once every urban chinese was guaranteed employment in a state enterprise. now you must compete in a job market. once a chinese worker had only to meet the demands of a central planner in beijing. now the global economy means all must match the quality and creativity of the rest of the world. for those who lack the right training and skills and support, this new world can be daunting.