The Great Schooling Wall of China…and America
The subjects of both systems are in the cave, as Plato so wonderfully explained.
When Americans think about the best way to educate and raise their children, the Chinese school system—with its control not only over the basics of learning and discipline in the classroom but also over family life and behavior outside of school—may not leap immediately to mind. That is why Heather Kaye caused such a stir with her recent New York Times article in which she makes the case for China’s education system and even suggests it might be superior to America’s.
Most thinking people would be astonished at this suggestion, “Schools are superior in China?! But that’s where totalitarianism reigns supreme! It’s where children are indoctrinated and forever changed.” They wouldn’t be wrong. But it would be far too easy to dismiss Kaye as just another American leftist who favors communism over freedom. Kaye’s argument on behalf of the virtues of Chinese education is not persuasive, but her experience in China raises significant questions about America’s educational and pedagogical system. Unintentionally perhaps, Kaye highlights the challenges that many schools in America face today.
Journey to Shanghai
Kaye and her husband lived for 16 years in Shanghai, where she worked in the fashion industry. They started a family and raised two daughters. Once the children reached school age, Kaye and her husband faced a choice “between pricey international schools and enrollment in local schools, overseen by the government and with an immersion in Chinese culture and values.” They chose the Chinese school. (It should be noted that Kaye and her family were still treated as foreign nationals and were not subject to the same level of control as the Chinese people.)
Immediately, Kaye and her husband realized the kind of hold the Chinese government has on children. The kindergarten system took control over all the aspects of their daughters’ lives, including when to sleep, what to eat, and what their “optimal weight” should be. They were taught “calisthenics,” to respect their elders, and to do their homework diligently and without complaint. Naturally, their daughters were also indoctrinated into the state ideology of communism. All of these aspects began to show at home.