I think this always worth asking people with opinions on tutoring academic subjects for there view on private music and sport teaching and coaching.
Both have the same issue that the checking on quality control is entirely up to the parents and that extra cost in time and money are involved.
But I have never see a fuss made about either. No big concerns that Jane’s piano lessons are poor quality or will leave her bored in school music class or give her an unfair advantage in a career in music.
No concern that time spent with the surf life saving club makes kids better able to excel in school sports or avoid social issues related to body image.
I guess is because so many with opinions on this can’t imagine enjoying success at studying math or English.
Part is also the stated aim of the parents here to enable their children to earn more, which others see as a zero sum game.
There is almost no difference, at least in the western USA where there are a lot of Asian parents, both immigrant and American-born. About a generation ago, universities erected a de facto new barrier against Asian students, whose admission rates to both universities and prep schools were surpassing everyone else -- based just on GPAs.
The new standard: we want well-rounded applicants, with leadership demonstrated, athletics and music accomplishment, too.
Tiger-parents simply required their kids to learn musical instruments, become first-seat members of their school orchestras. They made them join after-school activity clubs. No, not just join them, but hold the top office, so they can prove leadership. And these kids were not given a break on their GPAs, either.
So much for that race-based barrier! (But oy, the demand on these poor kids!)
However, here's a refreshing counter-point I'd almost forgotten:
I was a high school commencement speaker at our International Studies Academy, a San Francisco public magnet school with space for each ethnicity. I held a group discussion of the class leaders so I could know the class better. (The composition of this leadership group was not particularly Asian.) How could they manage to graduate EVERY kid in their class? They were very proud of themselves.
They had done a nice good deed. They ID'ed each kid in their class who was lagging, who was in danger of not graduating. Each such kid was offered a tutor -- not a paid pro, but CLASSMATES who spent their own time helping those lagging kids understand and then pass their hard subjects! When I told this to the principal, a community friend, he beamed and said it was their own idea. And everyone graduated. I will add: the kids were so happy to be graduating together I doubt anyone heard my brilliant address, after I started it off with Annie Lennox' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)" (Eurythmics).
I hafta say, I doubt this was done or is being done as a widespread practice.
I think this always worth asking people with opinions on tutoring academic subjects for there view on private music and sport teaching and coaching.
Both have the same issue that the checking on quality control is entirely up to the parents and that extra cost in time and money are involved.
But I have never see a fuss made about either. No big concerns that Jane’s piano lessons are poor quality or will leave her bored in school music class or give her an unfair advantage in a career in music.
No concern that time spent with the surf life saving club makes kids better able to excel in school sports or avoid social issues related to body image.
I guess is because so many with opinions on this can’t imagine enjoying success at studying math or English.
Part is also the stated aim of the parents here to enable their children to earn more, which others see as a zero sum game.
Yes I think academic tutoring the stakes are higher in most cases
Yes if it is just that academics matters more then worrying about the advantage people get is warranted.
But people claim tutoring is in some way not helpful. But no one thinks this about a soccer coach or private music lesson.
It’s as if they are making a fuss because it does help but the only argument they can come up with is that it doesn’t.
I see the paradox
There is almost no difference, at least in the western USA where there are a lot of Asian parents, both immigrant and American-born. About a generation ago, universities erected a de facto new barrier against Asian students, whose admission rates to both universities and prep schools were surpassing everyone else -- based just on GPAs.
The new standard: we want well-rounded applicants, with leadership demonstrated, athletics and music accomplishment, too.
Tiger-parents simply required their kids to learn musical instruments, become first-seat members of their school orchestras. They made them join after-school activity clubs. No, not just join them, but hold the top office, so they can prove leadership. And these kids were not given a break on their GPAs, either.
So much for that race-based barrier! (But oy, the demand on these poor kids!)
However, here's a refreshing counter-point I'd almost forgotten:
I was a high school commencement speaker at our International Studies Academy, a San Francisco public magnet school with space for each ethnicity. I held a group discussion of the class leaders so I could know the class better. (The composition of this leadership group was not particularly Asian.) How could they manage to graduate EVERY kid in their class? They were very proud of themselves.
They had done a nice good deed. They ID'ed each kid in their class who was lagging, who was in danger of not graduating. Each such kid was offered a tutor -- not a paid pro, but CLASSMATES who spent their own time helping those lagging kids understand and then pass their hard subjects! When I told this to the principal, a community friend, he beamed and said it was their own idea. And everyone graduated. I will add: the kids were so happy to be graduating together I doubt anyone heard my brilliant address, after I started it off with Annie Lennox' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)" (Eurythmics).
I hafta say, I doubt this was done or is being done as a widespread practice.