Singapore
I believe that both will ultimately bring success to the youth of today.
Let’s look at it from an Asian perspective. In Asia, rote learning and long hours of studying are prevalent. Mummy and Daddy force the kids to study hard…study hard, make good grades, go to good schools and you will be successful. Go into any McDonald’s on a weekend and observe the kids crunching math problems. Become an engineer, and accountant or a doctor. I tell you I worked hard in school but I had a balanced life. The discipline is good, but the long term affects are detramental.
And what happens to the kids when they get home? They go into cyberspace…chatrooms, Facebook, internet games. There are no social skills exercised. Kids need to be in social situations and life will be easier…sports, games, parties and summer jobs such as retail, sales or waitering (make my kid work on summer holidays…what? He/She must study!).
A recent study by Christy Lleras, a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign sociologist, “states in her work, that pupils described by teachers as conscientious, motivated, and able to relate well to peers and adults earned an average $3,200 more yearly than those with equally good test scores but poorer social skills.” See the following article: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/10/1023_btw/3.htm. (yes I know it is a US study…but it applies to Singapore which is a service economy!)
So get out there, kids, and discover art, creativity, games, parties, music. Open up your minds, get your head out of the books, and have fun. You will succeed in the long run.
