Concerted cultivation

According to author Annette Lareaus’ book class text reading “unequal childhoods” Lareau illustrates how children start out unequal when it comes to education. Chapter one of her book titled “Concerted Cultivation and The Accomplishment of natural Growth” discusses how parenting styles factor into the education gap between rich, mid-income and poor children.…

Today, the gaps seen in both access to education and educational success is even larger. In fact, today while college applicants from every socioeconomic class are equally qualified, 75% of all entering freshmen classes at top tier American institutions belong to the uppermost socioeconomic quartile. A family’s class determines the amount of investment and involvement parents have in their children’s education abilities and success from their earliest years of life. The cultural resources a…

Presumption of Being Heard from Concerted Cultivation In Outliers, Gladwell presents the concepts of concerted cultivation and the presumption of being heard, which allowed Billie Jean King to have more confidence going into her success as an athlete and leader in the feminist movement. Concerted cultivation leads to presumption of being heard because it is this sense of entitlement that leads children to voice their opinions. Gladwell claims, “Concerted cultivation has enormous advantages. The…

Presently, around the world there is an abundance of circumstances surrounding children behaving inappropriately. One can see such negative acts in a public setting, such as a local park where there may be many children playing together. In the midst of this group there is always that one child that is throwing a temper tantrum because he or she was the last one chosen to play in a group game. Or, in a school setting there is a child that is cursing or even hitting at the teacher because he or…

The preconceived notion we have regarding both the Chinese and British parenting styles are that they are both much stricter than how we parent as an American culture. They both are so far removed from our western way of life. It is a common notion that Chinese children excel in subjects like math and science, also that British children have far superior manners. “Chinese children really shine in their academic performance, particularly in mat and science” (p. 173 Heine, 2008) Each style has its…

Have you heard about ‘Kidult’? ‘Kidult’ is a combination of the words kid and adult and it refers to adults with interest traditionally seen as children. It can also have other meanings, such as a parent who enjoys being a parent due to spending quality time with their children, but is reluctant to lay down the law or handle the more serious aspects of parenthood. In July, the kidult fair took place at the Coex in Seoul. It is a Korea's representative kidult fair which introduces and exhibits…

There exists a stereotype about the children of immigrants: their parents press them hard to be successful, to be more than the ordinary, to avoid the struggles they themselves once faced. Those parents, perhaps, see the success of the future generation as the fruits of their own labor. People often hold the idea that immigrant parents are living vicariously through their children. In many ways, as they sometimes are, this stereotype is not far from the truth. Such behaviors are observable in…

The experiences people go through impact the way the see world and those around them. Children are raised by their parents and witnesses to the triumphs and failures. When the age comes many often question their parent’s decisions. Some may feel bitterness and contempt while others may feel admiration and motivation. The “Sign in My Father’s Hands” by Martin Espada conveys the feeling of being treated as a criminal for doing the right thing. Similarly, “Naturalization” by Jenny Xie is the story…

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer tells the true story of a young man named Chris McCandless who abandons his family and their materialistic values so he can live a rough and dangerous life in the wild ultimately leading to his untimely death. Although Chris’s decision to do this may seem crazy on the surface, why he did what he did can be understood if one examines dysfunctional family dynamics and the effects they can have on a person who grew up in such a family especially in ones where there is…

Asian parents are stricter compared with the Western parents. Although there are variety of parenting styles around the world. Parenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, financial, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the aspects of raising a child aside from the biological relationship. (The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social Work by Martin Davies) The most common examples of parenting styles are the…