Re: Fairfield Troung's recommendation - English
I like teachers who teach and make students laugh a lot. They learn better this way.
. . .
I think teaching a large class is not easy. It's rare to have a teacher who can face a large class, run it in a relax manner with lots of jokes and still manage good learning. So when a teacher gives good lessons, I consider it better than a pass. Truong knows the Viet culture well (parents expect kids to show respect even though this is getting harder each day). That's why he is very successful within the Viet community.
That's exactly sir!!!!! Fun, effective teaching! But the key thing most people miss about his tutoring is his emphasis on the traditional ways.
I understand what you mean about being uncomfortable with bowing, especially since it is such an old custom and appears an anachronism in a modern, western context, and while this context has many good values, it's also contributed somewhat to the erosion of traditional cultures. So yes, that's partially why he's so successful within the Vietnamese community - but that's also extended somewhat to the Chinese community too.
There are many ways of showing respect, and while it's a contradiction when a normally nasty kid bows, I don't think it's meaningless. Primarily, it shows that the parents themselves still hold to traditional values and are doing their best to bring up their child in line with them, and seeing how difficult that is now, I think that's quite admirable and reflects positively on the family. And well, if the kid's normally nasty, at least conceding to bow is a start!
Of course, it doesn't mean that kids who don't bow are automatically bad (or their families!). There's other ways of being good people, and what Truong taught me beyond math (this will always resonate) is the concept of integrity, and remembering where I came from, who helped me along the way, and who I owe. In return, you respect them (especially your parents), and do your best to repay them (just so happens the best way is to make them proud of you, and for most that's through studying)
dp, in my opinion (and apparently others as well) what you have been saying recently goes against much of that, and your defence doesn't change my disappointment in you.
p.s. i was one of those kids who cried. But like I said, it didn't stop me from getting back up and trying again (I don't think anybody has an excuse not to get up again). jayadore has a point in that yelling with the aim of motivating is a cultural thing, and yes, it's another anachronism - but it's done with good intentions and quite effective (I'm proof!)
Intelligence is not just about being "book-smart." Jayadore you're smarter than you give yourself credit for because you actually understand what Truong stands for.