Monday, April 25, 2011

P.J. O'Rourke: Irish Setter Dad

I just wasn’t cut out to be a Chinese Tiger Mom. I’m more of an Irish Setter Dad. Here are some of the things my daughters, Muffin and Poppet, and my son, Buster, were never allowed to do:

• go to Mass naked
• attend a sleepover at Charlie Sheen’s house
• mix Daddy a martini using sweet vermouth
• play the violin within earshot of me

Have you ever heard a kid learning to play the violin? A cat in the microwave is nothing to it. And let me add an addendum to the things my children were never allowed to do​—​put a cat in the microwave. I’m not saying it didn’t happen; I’m just saying they weren’t allowed to do it.

Amy Chua, I’ve got bad news. “A” students work for “B” students. Or not even. A businessman friend of mine corrected me. “No, P. J.,” he said, “ ‘B’ students work for ‘C’ students. ‘A’ students teach.” 

~P.J. O'Rourke in the Weekly Standard

7 Comments:

At 4/26/2011 8:19 AM, Blogger Cooper said...

Didn't I read recently that most teachers are coming from the 3rd quintile of their graduating class these days?

Does that mean C students become teachers of the D students children because A and B students send their kids to private schools?

 
At 4/26/2011 9:34 AM, Blogger Free Trader said...

Think about it Cooper a PhD gets A's. Who teaches at universities? PhDs...

 
At 4/26/2011 9:52 AM, Blogger Che is dead said...

It seems that the cubs only outperform as long as "Tiger Mom" is around to brandish the leash and whip:

Studies find a decline in Asian-American students’ success once they move away from home and go to college.

 
At 4/26/2011 9:52 AM, Blogger morganovich said...

the way most schools seem to be run these days, isn't the 3rd quintile about an A-?

don't about 90% of harvard grads get honors these days?

 
At 4/26/2011 10:02 AM, Blogger Cooper said...

I'm thinking more along grade schools. You are right though most professors in college's have PHDs and school advertise their PHD percentage.

 
At 4/26/2011 3:18 PM, Blogger Ron H. said...

"It seems that the cubs only outperform as long as "Tiger Mom" is around to brandish the leash and whip:"

On the other hand, the practical life skills training advocated by O'Rourke usually sticks for life.

Once a child has learned to make a proper martini, they never forget how. Kind of like riding a bicycle.

 
At 4/26/2011 5:48 PM, Blogger Michael E. Marotta said...

It is an old law school quip, taught to me by a criminology professor (from the article): “A” students work for “B” students. Or not even. A businessman friend of mine corrected me. “No, P. J.,” he said, “ ‘B’ students work for ‘C’ students. ‘A’ students teach.”
"A" students become judges. "B" students become district attorneys. "C" students become millionaires.

But I graduated summa cum laude. I did get a B in Micro Economics. On the evaluation, I wrote: "Professor, 35 years ago, I was a C+ student. I am still a C+ student. Thanks for the learning experience."

 

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