wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

"Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet."

I think Malcolm Gladwell has the answer:
http://www.gladwell.com/outliers/outliers_excerpt3.html

The big difference in how number-naming systems in Western and Asian languages are constructed means that Asian children learn to count much faster.

The regularity of their number systems also means that Asian children can perform basic functions—like addition—far more easily.

I've heard some Indian parents comment that when their kids get a bit older, say 9 onwards, they want to move back because they think they can shelter them from all the sex and drugs that kids have to deal with in the US.

My son went to elementary school in Chinatown. It was our neighborhood school (we lived on Prince St.), but Chinese families sent their kids from all over, including N.J.

I was happy to send him there even though we are not Chinese, however the creativity was beaten out of him. And when I describe the experience I always say what Ms. Kalita said, "They don't let the kids color out of the lines."

We were also told this is the "Chinese" way---which is very disconcerting since we did not live in China. And if we did I sincerely doubt a public school there would let the principal run it in an "American" way. Many in the neighborhood hispanic community sent their kids to to Catholic school b/c of feeling not welcome. The message to all of us who did not have Chinese children was that our kids were not as smart.

That is the show you should do. Should public schools in NY teach to a certain ethnic or immigrant group??

I would love to weigh in.

Janet

I am currently a graduate student working towards my Ph.D in research science and over the past four years the number of Indian students has risen to about 35% of our incoming class.

As a teaching assistant I am constantly impressed with the immense knowledge and drive of Indian students. Yet concerned at the lack of creativity and inability to critically analyze problems that research scientist face when designing experiments and analyzing results.

It is very interesting to hear that this stems from early education practices in India.

From Harry Chapin re.- our schools:

"the teacher said, You're sassy.
There's ways that things should be
And you'll paint flowers the way they are
So repeat after me.....

And she said...
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than they way they always have been seen

But the little boy said,
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and I see every one

The teacher put him in a corner
She said, It's for your own good.
And you won't come out 'til you get it right
And are responding like you should.

Well, finally he got lonely.
Frightened thoughts filled his head.
And he went up to the teacher
And this is what he said, and he said,

Flowers are red, green leaves are green.
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen.

Time went by like it always does
And they moved to another town.
And the little boy went to another school.
And this is what he found:
The teacher there was smilin'.
She said...Painting should be fun
And there are so many colors in a flower.
So, let's use every one.

But, that little boy painted flowers
In neat rows of green and red.
And when the teacher asked him why,
This is what he said, and he said,

Flowers are red, green leaves are green.
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen."

Is it possible that the guest is a bit biased towards arts than math and sciences, becasue she is a writer/reporter and her husband is an artist. I'm a math person and work in finance using math everyday and I'm mortified by the math and sciences education in American schools (I'm fron China).

Let's keep in mind that your guest has a lot of money, certainly by Indian standards.

The best of her Indian experiences would not be available to vast majority of those who are born and raised in India, as most people around the world have no access to their nation's best and most responsive schools.

Nations around the world, especially in Asia, have been looking to the United State to copy our schools. While we complain about how our schools lag them in many international comparisons, they want to be more like us.

We simply do not see our own strengths. Yes, Asian counties often do better job on so-called basic skills, with much more drilling an practice of the kinds of things that appear in many international comparisons. But our schools do more with social skills, divergent thinking and creativity.

Another key difference is the variation in school quality and rigor. As bad as some of our schools are, the difference between them and our best/most rigorous schools does not even vaguely approach the gap in many emerging nations.

I sincerely hope your guest addresses the wide variation in schools in India.