Final Project

For my final project I decided to revise on mini-project III.


“Chinese parents demand perfect grades because they know their kids can get them.” 
                                - Rob Gira, avidcollegeready.org


Both of my Parents were born in the Philippines, so I remember growing up listening to stories about how competitive and tough schooling was in the Philippines.  My Mom especially, would tell me about the stress of college entrance exams and how they were considered the "make it or break it" towards your success in life. They would constantly drill into our heads the value of education and how it is strongly correlated to success. My parents were telling me of siblings applying for the same school with one making it and the other not, friends scoring in the mid ninety percentile for entrance exams while still getting rejected, or people with masters degrees working in retail. My drive for success wouldn't have been anywhere near as strong, if it wasn't for the close bond and connection formed with my parents.


"In Disney movies,"She says, the [studious kid] always has to have a breakdown and realize that life is not all about following rules and winning prizes, and then take off her clothes and run into the ocean or something like that. But that's just Disney's way of appealing to all the people who never win any prizes. Winning prizes give you opportunities and that's freedom - not running into the ocean."
     -Amy Chua, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother


Amy Chua author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, goes into depth about the differences between the parenting styles of eastern and western families. Although the quote above may seem harsh, I agree that there is some truth in it. From Amy Chua, an author and mother, to even Motoko Rich from my first project, a writer from New York Times, a common theme that seems to be playing out is that personal experience that families bring out. The respect for teachers stems from the respect that the child's parents hold for the instructors and the drive and willingness to study comes from the the parent's desire and close connection mingled with their vision for success.



Because the job markets are so intense overseas, parents don’t just demand more for the sake of demanding, but for there own good or as Rob Gira said, not just because they know their children can do it, but because it increase their chances for a better life. I believe this is an factor to consider when it comes to viewing education in international schools. Students there grow up realizing how competitive the market is and strive to do good, and to live up to their parents expectations. Comparing it to how students are taught here, I thought it was interesting on how we focus on self-esteem and independence, how success can be mingled and can intersect with happiness, how they can coexist. While overseas, success is seen as a means to allow you the freedom to chose the life and career that you enjoy. Although both are catered to completely different areas with different view points, I believe I will always be, just a bit biased towards the overseas ways.



Made a FakeBook focused on the competitiveness of entering the University of the Philippines:  Link!
Citations: Link! 

Inquiry Project - II(I) Themes

So this week is focused more towards specific examples dealing with international school themes.

Made a FakeBook focused on the competitiveness of entering the University of the Philippines:  Link!



“Chinese parents demand perfect grades because they know their kids can get them.” 
                                - Rob Gira, avidcollegeready.org

Both of my Parents were born in the Philippines, so I remember growing up listening to stories about how competitive and tough schooling was in the Philippines.  My Mom especially, would tell me about the stress of college entrance exams and how they were considered the "make it or break it" towards your success in life. They would constantly drill into our heads the value of education and how it is strongly correlated to success. My parents were telling me of siblings applying for the same school with one making it and the other not, friends scoring in the mid ninety percentile for entrance exams while still getting rejected, or people with masters degrees working in retail.

Because the job markets are so intense overseas, parents there need to demand more, as Rob Gira said, not just because they know their children can do it, but because it increase their chances for a better life. I believe this is a humongous factor when it comes to viewing education in international schools. Students there grow up realizing how competitive the market is and strive to do good, and to live up to their parents expectations. Comparing it to how students are taught here, I thought it was interesting on how we focus on self-esteem. We try to cultivate creativity, group work and projects in a relaxed and open respectful environment. I believe that both have there own pros and cons with two completely different outlooks.

                       Students taking IV's while listening to a lecture/studying

                                                                   ~

Inquiry Project - III: Importance of Learning

Teaching and International Learning Why is this Important? | Infographics

...and learning, reflective to how much power education truly has? Are we investing enough time and effort into such a powerful and important thing?

(The above got cut out.)


For this project I did an infograph. I was really interested in the themes of learning, and how schools may differ between different countries but as I began to do some research I gradually changed my sights from themes towards more of the importance and how each country defines and values it. It seems like the more "Westernized" countries seem to place a bigger emphasis on freedom, exploration and community learning while the East tends to dive more into results. Although they're many different methodologys of teaching they all have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Inquiry Project- I

For my inquiry project I decided to focus on international schools and learning. Taking from our readings like Kara Poe Alexander I tried to build my project off from there, seeing if I could come up with themes for international countries, primarily from Asia as a whole and the Philippines, and comparing them to themes that are common here.

My first thought was what makes them successful? Motoko Rich, from New York Times wrote an article, US Students Still Lag Globally in Math and Science, Tests Show, on America's rank in comparison to other countries, and points out that we're around the center of the list. Which is surprising considering we spent over $970 Billion last year and the amount of support and value we seem to place on it. Is it our views that make us different? Is it because of how we view success or school?  Or is it because of the regulations and policys set by the  government?

After careful thought I believe one main difference is how teachers are viewed in foreign countries. They seem to be held in higher esteem, are given better support and are specially selected and pulled out of their programs to continue on training the younger generations. This reverence that is held for them is not only shown in how they are paid and rewarded monetarily but also how students view them and act in class. Classes tend to be far more orderly and respectful when it comes to the teachers.

This is just one of the many things that help influence international learning. For my next project im interested in finding out how teachers were given their niche in society.