Amy Chua and Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Amy Chua


Amy Chua, a Chinese-American law professor at Yale, has stirred up a bit of controversy with her book, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother". In the book, she describes her strict methods as a mother to drive her daughters to be successful in school and life. In the ensuing discussion (in which she has received much criticism), one aspect that has entered the discussion is how Asian (or Asian-American?) parents raise their children.

First of all, it must be pointed out that Amy was born in America to ethnic Chinese immigrants who immigrated from the Philippines. I myself take interest in this issue because I have a long association with Asians and Asian-Americans; I am a teacher who has taken classes in the ways of Asian education. (Chinese, Japanese and Korean), and I have definite opinions about how Asians-and Asian-Americans raise their children.

This is not to say that all Asians fit into one mold; they don't. There are many differences between Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thais. Filipinos etc. However, one thing I have learned, both through training and teaching Asian students, is that there is a tremendous stress on secondary education, especially in Japan and South Korea. The stress is upon secondary school students to succeed academically and get into the best universities in their respective countries. This can lead to incredible psychological stress on students. In Japan and Korea, in contrast to the US, once a student is in the university, the stress is greatly reduced. In these two nations,  parents-especially mothers-are greatly involved in their children's education, helping them with homework and attending meetings with teachers and school officials.

What needs to be taken out of this is that parents in many Asian countries take education seriously. This is one aspect of Asian culture that, in my opinion, carries over into Asian-American society.

What is not to admire and respect in this?

While I have not read Chua's book, I am a little troubled by some of the negative response. I also ask if we should make a big deal over the fact that Amy is of Asian descent.  (Keep in mind that her husband is a Caucasion American.)

Whether the family is too strict or not, I don't know. I would hesitate, however, before criticizing the Asian method of raising children. Why?

I think it works. It may be a stereotype, but I think that Asians and Asian-Americans generally do a good job of raising their children. I say this fully aware that many Asian-Americans are uncomfortable being described as a "model minority". They are also uncomfortable being conceived  as anything less than Americans. If you don't believe me, ask a person who appears Asian and speaks with a perfect American accent where "they are from". They would probably tell you very politely that they are "from here". Inwardly, it is often resented.

There are legitimate points of discussion as to whether it is better to learn by rote memory vs. teaching the students to think for themselves. For example, my Asian students in English as a second language are trained to learn by listening to the teacher, taking notes and not asking questions. In learning English, they want rules as to grammar, spelling and pronunciation-which we can't always give them. Since most other languages have uniform rules-at least as to spelling and pronunciation- it is often frustrating to my Asian students when I can't give them a rule. They need to learn some aspects of English by practice and repetition. The example I give to them is that many Asian languages, like Thai and Chinese, are tonal languages, which must be learned by repetition.

However, I think it all comes down to this; as long as Amy's children are trained to succeed and become well-adjusted people as well, it is hard to argue with her methods. Let's put it this way; being a parent is one of the hardest tasks in life. Far be it from me to criticize Amy Chua.