Westernstudentsenjoyaseeminglyrelaxededucationalexperience.This,however,isnotthecaseforstudentsinAsia,whofacecrushingworkloadsandareoftenverydisciplined.InthefirstpartofherGlobalist.?Thedecisionispartlybasedonaninability—orunwillingness—tospendthousandsofdollarsintuitionfees,especiallygiventhesuspicionthatlocalschoolsarebetteranyway.Afterall,whatmorecouldonewantfromabasiceducationthanastronggroundinginlanguage,mathandscience,allsubjectsinwhichAsianschoolsfamouslyexcel.Ourmainconcernistheabilityofourson—andindeedthewholefamily—toadapttothestrictdiligencethatisexpectedoftheChinese.Apprehensionincreaseswhentalkingtolocalfriends.?Chinahasalonghistoryofstandardizedtests,beginningwiththeancientimperialexamsinitiatedduringtheSuiDynasty.ShellyChenisatthetopoftheclassattheShanghaiforeignlanguageschool,oneofthecity’sbestmiddleschools.AlreadynearfluentinEnglish,sheisstudyingGermanandranksamongthehighestinhergradeinphysics.HergoalistogetafullscholarshiptoHarvardtostudybiochemistry.ItisnotonlyWesternexpatriatesthatgrowanxiouswhenhearingaboutstudentslikeShelly.?ThroughoutEngland,politicians,parentsandpunditsworrythattheindustriousnessanddisciplineofkidsintheEastareleavingrelativelyrelaxedWesternerstrailingbehind.Thoughthereissomedebatesurroundingthestatistics,itiswidelybelievedthatNorthAmericaisfailingtoproducesufficientgraduatesinsciencesandengineering.StilllesscontroversyattendstheobservationthatmathscoresthroughouttheWestrankwellbelowthoseofmostAsiancountries.Asaresult,thereisadeepeningconsensusthat,inordertomaintainitscompetitiveedge,?Chinesestudentsaretaughtthatallquestionshavebutonerightanswerandthereislittleroomfordebate.NorthAmericaneducationneedstomoveawayfromanemphasisonfun,flexibilityandindividuallearningstyles.Instead,ithastoshifttowardsamorestrict,disciplinedteachingenvironmentthatmathandscience,inparticular,seemtodemand.ThisshiftcanbediscernedeveninCanada,wheretherearenocollegeentranceexams,andwhere,standardizedtesting,memorizationandrotelearninghavelongbeenfrownedupon.?Nevertheless,thereisamountingchoruscomplainingthattheprominencegiventocreativitycheatsstudentsoutofapropereducation.PeoplelikescienceteacherSumitraRajagopalanareentreatingCanadianeducatorstoadoptamoreAsianpedagogicalphilosophybasedon“constantrepetition,recitation,grillinganddrilling”.IntheUnitedStates,theriseofChinaandIndiaisputtingevenmoreemphasisonthedemandforeducationreform.?Tougherstandards,Newpolicies—suchasNoChildLeftBehind—haveledtoanincreasedstressonstandardizedtesting.?Inthe2006StateoftheUnionaddress,PresidentGeorgeW.BushmentionedthethreatofAsia’sgiantsspecificallywhenintroducinghis“CompetitiveInitiative”,aprogramthatpromisessubstantialfundsfortheteachingofbasicmathandscience.?Butinanironictwist,thereisanincreasingdesiretomakeeducationmoreEnglandinChina.ManynowagreethatthelackofcreativityinChina’seducationsystemwillsoonproveamajorstumblingblockinthecountry’scontinuingdevelopment.?Governmentandbusinessleadersworryaboutaderivative,manufacturing-basedeconomy,whichisunabletoinnovatecoretechnology,lacksmajorresearchanddevelopmentprojects—andlagsfarbehindincreativesectorslikemarketinganddesign.?Alackofflexibilityandinabilityofindividualstotaketheinitiativeaffectstheentireservicesector,paralyzingemployeesateverylevel.Arrivinglateforthesetbreakfastatafive-starhotelinChengdu,forexample,I,a...
