Let's do something!

How do family roles shape our lives? Are they really that important?

I believe that family dynamics are the most important aspects of raising children. A perfect example of this is the social system in Vietnam. Doan Van Diew, from Ho Chi Minh University in Vietnam spoke to our Education Psychology class this past Monday. He had conducted research about what students and parents value in Vietnam. The evidence overwhelmingly showed that both students and parents valued respect, and secondly success in education.

For us here in the United States, this may seem foreign. Sometimes we cannot even seem to respect ourselves, let alone other people. People here may try to put the emphasis on recieving a sucessful education, but do the students believe it? With all of the reality tv shows out there, the biggest one probably being American Idol, children see that success does not necesarily come from doing well in school. This issue is growing and growing in todays society.

I think that all people in this country should take a look at other cultures. It is important to look around us to see what is working. If we could adopt a new set of standards based on respect, we could go very far. Teachers wouldn't have to worry about babysitting students. The students would learn at home that it is important to respect your peers and other adults. This alone would help more learning happen in schools. It's as simple as making a slight change in the family dynamics and teaching parents how to teach their children. We need to change our attitude, because doing nothing is never the best route to a solution.