Neither Chinese nor Western way of teaching is the best

That is why China is capable of producing bevies of top-notch artisans but far fewer first-class artists. The latter－the kind of students who may even find Harvard or the University of California in Berkeley suffocating, let alone a Chinese school－have to think out of the box. And Chinese education puts everything into boxes.

When one of the Chinese teachers said on the show that "the parent is always right", there was a palpable gasp of disbelief in the classroom, and possibly in front of screens in China as well. This is the Chinese way to the extreme.

Even none of my teachers ever said that, and I received much of my education in the 1970s. My teachers would say: "Your parents want the best for you. They have been working really hard for you. So, don't fail them", or "Your parents may not always talk to you in the best way or make the best choices for you, but they mean well."

The best－and the worst－Chinese teachers are like your parents. I was lucky enough to have several teachers before I went to college who were like parents to me－without the constant nagging. They were very strict yet approachable.

I could feel their love. Yes, it was more than a mere professional relationship. If I could potentially get 95 in a test but ended up with 85, they might be sadder than I was. In that case, "You could have done better" is not a putdown but an accurate gauge of my ability and, hence, a word of prodding.

I am a contrarian in discussions about the superiority or otherwise of education systems. I find myself defending the Chinese way when it is portrayed as devoid of any value－mostly by Chinese pundits－and I would argue for the Western way when someone touts the virtues of the Chinese way as a panacea.

Ideally, the solution should be somewhere in the middle－the Chinese way of mastering the concrete of the edifice of knowledge and the Western way of adding the touch of personality that makes it hold together perfectly.

I am well aware that both sides will accuse me of compromises, but I truly feel that East-meets-West can create a system of learning better than either one alone. Then again, every person is different, responding differently to different ways of learning, so I won't be surprised if people take to one or the other of their own volition.

On the whole, I believe encouragement from teachers works better than belittling as a way of motivating a student, and the old Chinese way, which has begun to be phased out in recent decades anyway, is too stingy with words of support. But, its indiscriminate use may work better at massaging the egos of certain students and fail to prepare them for the true nature of our society, which is very competitive.

If someone has the potential to get 90 out of 100 in a test－and assuming that test scores more or less reflect one's true ability and potential－it would be irresponsible for a teacher to say "well done" when a student's mark is a mere 60.