Time to Tame the Tigers
The series ‘Time to tame the tigers?‘ aims to make us collectively re-consider the roles of our schools and parenting.
Living with school-aged children in Hong Kong, it is impossible not to be emotionally affected by the stories of suicides in schools. Statistics are terrifying. Some children in primary schools in Hong Kong are given less outdoor time for exercise than prisoners. Fifty percent of secondary school pupils show signs of depression. The school systems in Asia have been consistently referred to a pressure cooker.
As a visual storyteller and mother residing in Asia I am closely exposed to, and to a certain extent even part of the famous – or perhaps infamous – ‘Tiger Mom’ scene.
What is wrong and what is right? There is the constant fear that by not exhibiting some of the ambitious qualities of a Tiger Mom*, we will disadvantage our children.
This series raises the question: Do we have the ambition for our children to be ready for the rapidly changing world we live in, or do we only educate them to be accepted at an Ivy League University?
(*Tiger parents prioritize schoolwork above all else and only allow children to participate in activities in order to potentially win awards which they believe will increase the chance of the child’s acceptance to the elite universities.)