Reply to NYTimes: In South Korea, Questions About Cram Schools, Success and Happiness

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Korea is going to implode. They already have the lowest birth rate in the world.   It's a fantastic place to visit and live if you don't have kids.   But, the "cram" school in the US and the US education in general is a lot easier than in Korea. That's one of the reasons why people want to send their kids here.

Yes, they are importing some of their way of life here, but in some ways, it's no different than parents who push their kids to excel in sports in hopes for an athletic scholarship such that the kids are stressed (physically, too) and get little sleep.  Same coin, different sides.

-Korean American[/quote]

It’s really not at all like sports, though. Most people don’t do sports in hopes of an athletic scholarship. Most kids are involved in sports because they love to play the game. Their parents know that it’s good exercise and helps kids to learn about winning and losing, cooperation, teamwork, perseverance. Playing a sport helps kids be healthier, both physically and mentally.

It isn’t remotely similar to the cram school situation.

[/quote]

DP. You must not be from 'round here. I guess you've never heard parents yelling at sports practices and games. Kids specialize in sports earlier and earlier. Families invest a ton of time and money into club/travel sports. Many kids feel the pressure. Hypercompetitive sports parents can be just as bad as cram school parents. [/quote]

Yes, I am from around here, and I’ve been around some very competitive teams, over multiple kids, so quite a few years. I’ve run into only a very small number of extremely competitive parents over the years. Most parents want their kids to have fun- and if they stop having fun, they want them to move in to something else.

I saw way more super competitive parents when one of my kids was at TJ than I ever saw in the competitive sports my kids did. 
[/quote]

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