By: Deve Persad on June 3, 2015
I’ve never been a fan of the Oreo cookie. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the whole thing that I don’t like…I’m not that crazy. The cream part in the middle, that’s where you’ll find me. In fact when I was younger (hmmm, including yesterday) I used to remove the top cookie, eat the middle…
By: John Woodward on June 2, 2015
I think Len Hjalmarson has attended my church! Hjalmarson’s articles perfectly captures the nature of my church and puts into words many of my concerns about the way my church functions. And his forecast for my church doesn’t look all that bright as our leaders would have us believe. A little background. I had spent…
By: Michael Badriaki on June 1, 2015
While reading Len Hjalmarson’s article “Broken Futures-Adaptive Challenge and the Church in Transition” I was led to reflect on my travel to Uganda where I’ll be interacting with leaders who are eager to contribute to early childhood education and how the church in Uganda can apply an imaginative and restorative leadership to keep the totality…
By: Miriam Mendez on May 30, 2015
I don’t know whether to laugh, scream, cry or simply be in a state of shock. This was my reaction as I read and flipped through the pages of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua. I found myself thinking, “Wow, I thought I had it rough when my mom took away certain…
By: Richard Volzke on May 30, 2015
I must admit that I did not get a lot out of this week’s reading. Amy Chua had some good points in her book, Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother[1]. I agree with her that you should hold your children to high standards. Chua stated that, “the Chinese mother believes that: Schoolwork always comes…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on May 29, 2015
I was mesmerized by this book by Amy Chua entitled The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Chua’s book read like a personal journal of a sadistic-control-driven-mad-woman admitting the difficulties in parenting and the self-inflicted punishment and self-imposed grueling lifestyle of of being so driven. The story intrigued me that I finished the entire book…
By: Carol McLaughlin on May 29, 2015
Maybe I should have been. Surprising words to hear from someone like me. By my own estimation I was probably one of those lenient, compromising mothers Amy Chau writes about in her splendid memoir, Battle of Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Memoirs, at least the very good ones, reveal as much as they inform. The…
By: rhbaker275 on May 29, 2015
I do not follow Facebook closely. I enjoy it as a connection with family and friends; it is not my preferred method of communication. On a recent post a neighbor shared a special achievement of his twelve year old son, Justin.[1] Justin has always been a good athlete and is involved in year-around sports. He…
By: Bill Dobrenen on May 28, 2015
This week’s reading was mysterious and wonderful. Amy Chua had me captivated in the breathtaking story of her amazing family – and her Chinese parenting style. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (2011) took a lot of courage to write, but even more courage to actually live out. After starting the book, I could not…
By: Michael Badriaki on May 28, 2015
Amy chua who was born in the Year of the Tiger according to her cultural tradition in China, is the author of the book “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”. Chua is also a Professor of Law at Yale Law School and written books on culture, globalization, power and empire. Her book on parenting, intra-cultural…
By: Julie Dodge on May 28, 2015
I was born in the Year of the Dragon. I don’t take much (any) stock in astrology, much like Amy Chua, the Tiger mother who tells her own story as a Chinese mother raising two daughters in her satirical memoir Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. [1] Persons born in the Year of the Dragon…
By: Liz Linssen on May 28, 2015
“My goal as a parent is to prepare you for the future – not to make you like me.” [1] A South Korean baby’s first birthday is celebrated much like a wedding. Invitations are sent out to family and friends, a beautiful venue is hired, a lavish meal is prepared, and gifts are expected. The…
By: Deve Persad on May 27, 2015
Technically speaking I hold immigrant status in the western country of my residence. However, the reality is that since all but the infant stages of my life have been lived within Canada, I understand what it is to live under some of the lofty expectations of immigrant parents in a new land. They wanted the…
By: Ashley Goad on May 27, 2015
Hello, my name is Ashley, and I am an addicted Netflix binger. I have had this problem since Netflix originated. Over the Memorial Day weekend, my friends and family were out of town, and I was left to my television and Apple TV. Instead of working ahead in school, or readying myself for my upcoming…
By: Telile Fikru Badecha on May 26, 2015
While reading Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, I really felt it related to my African cultural context. I grew up in an authoritarian social structure where age and gender-related expectations and values that have been taught are strictly enforced. Similar to Chinese Culture, children in my culture have little or no say in the…
By: John Woodward on May 23, 2015
I am glad Amy Chua wasn’t my mother…for a lot of reasons! First, I think I would have been a great disappoint to her. And I would have been miserable, because I have no musical talents, I have average intelligence, and my values (friendship, service, fellowship) would have clashed with Chua’s program for my life.…
By: Clint Baldwin on May 19, 2015
Simon Chan, writing in Grassroots Asian Theology: Thinking Faith from the Ground Up, [1] offers a recent attempt to rectify what has been an ongoing conundrum in theological reflection around the world. The theological conundrum is that those who are formally well-educated are often the ones who tell the stories and, unfortunately, formal education has…
By: Michael Badriaki on May 15, 2015
Gill Valentine’s book Social Geographies: Space and Society is an insightful book. The author tackles a lofty subject as she seeks to examine how human relationships take shape and the elements that influence such a process. About her book, Valentine notes: Social geography is an inherently ambiguous and eclectic field of research and writing. It…
By: Carol McLaughlin on May 15, 2015
Where the heart is. Home. Late last summer my mother-in-law tripped walking up the concrete stairs just outside her home. Instantly she knew something was wrong. An innocent trip became the tipping point for a major and significant life change. Her fall against the step resulted in a slight crack in her tibia just below…
By: Richard Volzke on May 15, 2015
This week’s reading, Social Geographies: Space and Society by Gill Valentine, explores social geography. Chapter 5 was intriguing with its exploration of various institutions such as schools, prisons and asylums. Valentine begins the chapter by explaining that institutions, “are no longer defined just as fixed break and motor buildings, but have evolved to include networks…
