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“Memory Wall” Debuts to Mixed Reviewsby Julie Leong, Managing Editor and Elise Jiang, PR/Liaison

Operation Smile: Mission SuccessDisaster Fatigue at ISBElectives for CAS hours? Spotlight on the Talent ShowThe Bookworm FestivalTalking With Emma DonaghueAdventure in Beijing

pg. 2pg. 3pg. 4pg. 5pg. 6pg. 7pg. 9

Inside This Issue:

When students returned to school in January, relaxed and rested from their winter vacations, they were met with the onslaught of all-too-familiar assignments, quizzes, and projects. But not everything at ISB had remained the same.

The installation of an illuminated “Memory Wall” opposite the MS/HS Library came as a surprise to most stu-dents. Created to commemorate ISB’s 30th Anniversary, the wall contains images of important milestones in the school’s development. According to the ISB 30th Anniversary Wall Committee (consisting of Ms. Drakulovic, Secretary to the Head of School; Ms. Green, UES Assistant Principal; and Mr. Hillman, Communications Office Director; among oth-ers), the wall serves as a “lasting commemorative tribute to the untold story of ISB – where we came from and how we got to where we are today.” The design concept of the wall, created by Infinity Design & Engineering, is “a tree that is spreading, growing, reaching out and changing, just like ISB’s community members spreading to all corners of the globe.”

The wall, naturally, has inspired both positive and neg-ative reactions from the student body. A survey was conducted for this article, in which participants were first informed of the wall’s cost (RMB 380,000: including design, construction, soft-ware, maintenance, and tech support for the LED screen) and the source of its funding (the ISB PTA)1. Of the 136 high school students surveyed, 122 (89.7%) disagreed with the decision to build the wall, whereas only 12 (10.3%) supported it (See “Survey Results” Page 2). Additionally, of 10 high school teach-ers surveyed anonymously, 5 expressed opposition to the wall.

Those who disagreed were also asked for the reasons for their opposition, and the results were telling: 87 of the 122 believed that the money used to build the wall could have been better spent elsewhere, 29 cited both the cost and personal dis-like for the wall’s appearance, and 6 cited other reasons, such as the wall’s energy usage or the resultant narrowing of the hallway.

The primary concern among surveyed students was the wall’s cost. “380,000 RMB is a lot of money,” says Chris Nobre (12). “I’m just not sure that the wall is the best use for it. For example, if just a fraction of that cost was donated to charity instead, it would be helping people in a real and direct way.”

However, as Renee Zhang (12) points out, the PTA already does “regularly contribute to communi-ty charity efforts” through sponsorships and donations. “People get upset when a big amount of money is spent on things, but the wall is a long-run benefit to the school,” reasons economics teacher Mr. Green. Continued on Page 2.

1According to the ISB 30th Anniversary Wall Committee.

Congratulations to Kathy Zhou (10), winner of the Break’s Nameplate Design Contest!

April 2011:Vol. VII, Issue 6

From Students

“Memory Wall,” continued from Page 1. “There’s an opportunity cost for ev-erything, economically speaking, but I certainly think the wall is worth it. It brings back so many memories and keeps the school’s history alive.”

Much of the student opposition to the wall appears to stem from a lack of understanding about the proj-ect. Many of the students surveyed mentioned that the funds should have been spent on areas such as new per-forming arts equipment or textbooks, although in actuality, the “budget for instructional materials was not im-pacted” at all by the construction of the wall, according to the Committee.

Furthermore, some students question the relevance of some of the images presented on the wall. “The pictures start dating from the 1980s, and I can’t relate to them at all since I only came here in 2007,” says Thea Nygren (11). However, such concerns should be put to rest by the Commit-tee’s assurances that the LED screen will be updated frequently with different images and videos and that the static pho-tos on the wall itself will be changed twice a year. The first group of static photos on the wall was chosen by the Committee, but the ongoing responsibility for the proj-ect belongs to the Alumni Division of the ISB Communications Department. “I think [the wall] is a really modern, interesting way of capturing the school’s history and showing people how it came to be what it is today. Plus, it’s great to look at as we’re walking to lunch,” adds Emily Zhang (11).

“The wall is evolving and chang-ing and will continue to do so in the fu-ture,” affirms Mr. Hillman. “The project will rest in the hands of the entire ISB community… We hope that students will be excited to be an ongoing part of carrying a deeper understanding of what ISB really is into the future.” Per-haps when better informed about the purpose and direction of the Memory Wall, students will be more likely to em-brace it as a permanent addition to the architecture – and the history – of ISB.

Staff List

China & Beyond

Editors-in-ChiefMelissa PowersStephanie Zhou

Managing EditorJulie Leong

Section EditorsFrancesca Bottorff

Emily ChangRena Minegishi

Amelia ParkTeresa TeoEric Wang

PR / LiasonElise Jiang

JournalistsMaura Dentino

Cindy LiuEmma Monaghan

So Yeon ParkRebecca QianAmanda Song

Rachel SunJJ Wong

Brian ZhanNicole Zhu

Cover ArtKathy Zhou

Artists / PhotographersRosalind ChangMaura DentinoChan Ah Jung

HeRa KangKathy Summers

AdvisorsCinder MerrittGriffin Loynes

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Operation Smile:For the last decade, the organization

Operation Smile has provided free surger-ies for orphans with cleft palates in China. One of the most recent surgeries took place in December, 2010, at the Jiangsu Provin-cial Hospital in Nanjing, where volunteers from Operation Smile charities across China – such as myself – were able to par-ticipate in a three-day volunteer service.

While some ISB students, like Ethan Tseng (9), believe that this surgery’s fund-ing “could have been better spent on anoth-er surgeries such as [those for the] heart,” the patients of Operation Smile have a very different perspective. Many patients I spoke to during the Nanjing trip were ex-cited about having their cleft palates cor-rected because they then would not be stig-matized because of their facial deformities.

About a quarter to a half percent of orphans in China have a congenital malfor-mation disease that causes cleft palates1.These facial deformities prevent children from eating and speaking normally, as well as from completing a number of other straightforward tasks. Though the sur-gery to cure this only costs a few thousand RMB, families that have adopted orphans with this deformity are often too poor to afford them. What Operation Smile does is provide free surgeries to these orphans.

During the first day, the Operation

Smile leadership team held a three-hour opening ceremony, beginning at 8:00 A.M. The patients, ranging from 3 to 18 years of age, arrived at 11:00 A.M. and were organized into three separate rooms. Medical experts registered each patient and carried out various safety measures, such as weighing each patient to ensure that the surgery could be safely and ef-fectively carried out on every beneficiary of the operation. Volunteers helped to direct patients to various places to ver-ify that all necessary medical consulta-tions had been completed. Afterwards, patients were led to rooms where they rested in preparation for the surgeries.

The next day, three surgery rooms were opened up for Operation Smile services. Approximately ten patients were treated in each surgery room per day. Because the patients were not al-lowed to eat one day prior to surgeries, the babies were all treated early in the morning to prevent them from becom-ing too hungry. Prior to each one-hour operation, babies were anesthetized. The nurses then placed a mask above a pa-tient’s face to absorb leaking blood, and the doctor corrected the facial deformity through careful incisions and stitches.

Unfortunately, not all the surgeries performed were successful. On the third day of operation, in fact, surgeries failed

on two children due to the more compli-cated nature of their cleft lip or palate. However, these failures are, for the most part, anomalies in the general success of Operation S m i l e - s p o n -sored surgeries.

Many Operation Smile volunteers have been inspired by the trips to Nan-jing. Carol Jin (9), a regular participant in the event, had the opportunity to actively participate during various Operation Smile missions, including the one at Nanjing. She states that she is consistently moved by the operations because “of the many benefits this surgery brings to patients.”1Operation Smile Charity Hospital Hangzhou,

Jiangsu Province Hospital of TCM, Jiangsu Pro-vincial Stomatological Hospital and Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital.” Letter to Operation Smile Participants. Dec. 2010. MS. Nanjing, China.

Photo Courtesy of Maura Dentino

Nanjing Mission a Successby Brian Zhan, Staff Reporter

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The Scoop• PRAY FOR JA-PAN A 9.0-mag-nitude earthquake struck 80 miles off the eastern coast of Japan on March 11, triggering tsu-namis across the region. The overall

death toll, at the time of this issue’s pub-lication, has exceeded 10,000, and there are still several persons unaccounted for. Damage from the earthquake has been compounded by fears of a nuclear melt-down at the twin Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants in Fukushima. As of April 5, some 80,000 residents who work and live around the power plants have had to evacuate. However, officials have stated that there should be no risk to those living outside a 30km radius from the zone. Sev-eral countries have begun to restrict food imports from Japan, although the actual risk from said imports is unclear. A “Pray For Japan” awareness day was held at ISB on March 31, and a subsequent fundraiser will be held on April 7 and 8.

• LIBYA Inspired by pro-democracy re-volts in the Arab world, Libyan residents attempted a “day of rage” on February 17 against oppressive leader Muammar Gad-dafi. Hostilities slowly evolved into that of a civil war, and the situation has escalated into a problem of international urgency.

by Stephanie Zhou, Editor-in-ChiefA controversial U.N.-sanctioned military campaign, designed to remove Gaddafi from power, is well underway. The pri-marily Western-led intervention, which has led to at least one hundred civilian casualties, initially drew global censure - however, recent polls conducted by agen-cies such as CNN imply public support. The assassination of Gaddafi, who once blamed the uprising on al-Qaeda and the consumption of hallucinogenic Nescafé, has been proposed by Libyan rebels and members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

• IVORY COAST Despite his loss to Al-assane Outtara in November’s presidential elections, Laurent Gbagbo has still refused to relinquish his power. Violence resulting from the post-election crisis in the Ivory Coast has intensified, amplifying fears that this conflict, too, will escalate into civil war. Nearly 450,000 refugees have fled their homes since the crisis began, to near-by countries such as Liberia. • UNION-STRIPPING Governor Scott Walker’s divisive bill passed in the Wis-consin Senate, effectively stripping unions of collective bargaining rights; most gov-ernment workers will no longer be able to negotiate for wage increases. The new regulations altogether act as an eight per-cent pay cut for the average worker.

• NEW AMBASSADOR IN DA HOUSE President Obama has named current Sec-retary of Commerce Gary Locke as the re-placement for current U.S. Ambassador to

China and potential presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman, whose resignation will be effective in April. Huntsman’s son, Wil-liam, attended ISB last year. Locke is the first Asian-American to be nominated as a U.S.-China ambassador.

• BLACK FRIDAY Thirteen-year-old Rebecca Black, whose viral hit “Friday” has garnered over 65 million views on Youtube, has been signed – with the aid of Ryan Seacrest – with manager Debra Baum of DB Entertainment. Despite all of the negative criticism surrounding Black’s debut, it’s likely that she’ll be having the the last laugh – all the way to the bank. Black is rumored to have made at least $1 million dollars since the song was released on March 14. As of April 2, Black and her family are embroiled in a lawsuit with Ark Music Factory over the rights to the song.

Images courtesy of http://googleusercontent.com and http://pocketnow.com

Don’t Let Disaster Fatigue Get the Best of Youby Francesca Bottorff, Section Editor

China & Beyond

Knee-deep in debt and no signs of relief.

The earthquake in Haiti back in Janu-ary of 2010 arrived completely out of the blue - a year later, the impact of the devas-tation that followed is still being felt. But for weeks after the initial event, ISB’s com-munity shifted into a frenetic “fundraising mode,” hosting bake sales, concerts, and myriad other events to raise money for devastated victims. One month afterwards, a similar catastrophe wreaked havoc in Chile, but the magnitude of attention it re-ceived was markedly less, for a reason that Kailene Chen (11) believes is simple: “Stu-dents are more focused on raising money than the cause itself.”

Consequently, the prospects of effec-tively delivering sustainable aid from our

school were radically reduced. ISB students succumbed, perhaps inev-itably – and like any other group so geographically removed from the beneficiaries of their fundraising – to rescue burnout.

To cultivate and ensure a strategy for sustainable, targeted fundraising that focuses on a single initiative is no easy task. The slew of charity groups at ISB are gener-ally focused on funding a particular cause. Michael Gao (10), who is secretary for Me to We organiza-

tion, a club that “raises money for the edu-cation of children in rural provinces across China,” believes that ideally, even charity groups with a focused objective should be attuned and prepared to give help to causes that are greatest need at the moment while “maintaining [the club’s] original purpose.”

Most students believe, however, that to adjust where the club’s funds are going depending on current events is both a cur-sory and difficult decision to make. A devi-ation from a club’s original founding cause to other projects would indicate, accord-ing to Joey Cheung (11), “a short attention span.” Victims of the Haiti earthquake, for example, are still in tremendous need of aid, even though attention began to falter in the immediate proceeding months, los-

ing the world’s attention to newer disas-ters.

Biology teacher Ms. Fournier, how-ever, advocates funding sustainability through long-term rebuilding efforts, and doesn’t think that the process has to be a consuming one: “Using well-established programs like the Red Cross is always a good option.”

Is the ISB community failing to carry out its philanthropic duties, or can the rap-idly flagging response for Haiti be rightly attributed to the simple but quantifiable issue of competing causes? After all, the tremor might have qualified as a stagger-ing seven on the Richter scale, but the majority of ISB students were completely unaffected by the earthquake. A charity club’s focus on its own initial – often Chi-na-centric – cause doesn’t mean that we should dismiss other natural disasters that make global headlines. That kind of apathy stems from a dangerous “lack of educa-tion,” continues Ms. Fournier. “Awareness has died out, but there is undoubtedly still a need.” Sympathy in the form of lip ser-vice can be readily delivered. But to allow the far-removed and broken lives of oth-ers simply settle into our peripheral vision reflects nothing short of indifference.

Bieber Fever is over... here comes the Black Plague.

by So Yeon Park, Staff Reporter

Student Life

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The concept of achieving the perfect balance between academics and activities is highly idealistic. IB Diploma students are expected to own up to such an image by participating in a range of activities that fall into three different categories: Creativity, Action and Service (CAS). While diploma students manage to achieve the CAS learn-ing outcomes through commitments to long-term projects, there are times when they wish they could fulfill the require-ment through school courses since some struggle to find time for appropriate after-school activities.

To meet this student demand, a new option allowing diploma students to take semester elective courses as CAS projects was introduced in this spring. The system provides options for creativity and action; for example, students may enroll in Ce-ramics or Team Sports, provided there are available spaces after course registrations are complete for all other students. The idea, initially proposed by a PTA repre-sentative to IB Coordinator Ms. Farr, was that students could receive CAS credit in the place of grades and course credit. As in any other class, students would still be ex-pected to demonstrate full commitment to the elective courses for which they sign up.

It was recognized from the start that this option would not appeal to all students. Some would wonder if they could manage to complete homework if they committed an entire study hall block to an elective; others would find that their preference for one of the electives was not available dur-ing their study hall block.

While the system definitely provides a wider range of options for students look-ing for ways to meet their CAS require-ments, it is not currently being used by eleventh grade diploma students. “None of the juniors [are currently enrolled in this system],” states CAS coordinator Ms. Gillund. “Part of the reason that no one is involved right now is that the option was not yet available at the beginning of the first semester, when eleventh graders had a junior study hall plus some time for homework during their IB study hall. The decision was to begin the option in Janu-ary in case there was anyone who could benefit this semester.”

It is true that some students showed interest in the option. However, some un-avoidable limitations to this system have still dissuaded the students. As Fred Chang (11) points out, “Students can only join a CAS elective if one of their interests is available during their free blocks, which means that this option is not available for all students with extra time in their sched-ules.”

Ms. Gillund agrees, further noting that “sometimes the number of students that can enroll in the elective class can be limited if the size of the existing class is already too big.” Furthermore, for stu-dents already taking a year-long elective like Concert Choir or Orchestra, taking CAS electives is not an option, since they do not have any free blocks for another elective.

Naturally, some may wonder if taking on classes as CAS projects fundamentally

conflicts with the original goal of CAS as suggested in the IBO booklet; to e n c o u r a g e “students in a range of activi-ties alongside their academic studies throughout the Diploma Programme experience.”

However, students like HeRa Kang (11) believe that this is not necessar-ily true, since “CAS electives are different from normal classes in the sense that CAS students are not graded, but rewarded CAS credit depending on their level of participation.” Ms. Gillund also explains that “The way we looked at it was that a few students achieve some of the learn-ing outcomes through regularly scheduled private lessons in activities such as guitar, dance, or drawing. If an elective of per-sonal interest is offered at school, it is also regularly scheduled; the only difference is that it’s during the ISB day.” She adds that “In formulating an overall CAS plan, the student still chooses whether or not to do this.”

As this year’s sophomores sign up for the IB diploma program, it is expected that more students will give their thoughts to this option. While at the moment, the lim-itations to the CAS elective system seem to be based upon an individual student’s schedule, it is certainly an even more use-ful and convenient option for stressed full diploma students.

Photo Courtesy of http://www.ibo.org

You may have noticed the labels on the paper towel dispensers in ISB bathrooms, or own a mug with your own custom-made de-sign. If you’re a teacher, you may still be us-ing the mugs that mysteriously replaced all of the paper cups in the faculty lounge last year. Greenkeepers is the student-led organization behind these efforts to reduce ISB’s environ-mental footprint and may be easily identified in a line-up with other charity organizations.

In comparison with behemoths such as Habitat for Humanity, Roots & Shoots, or Nightingale Charity Club, Greenkeepers is considerably smaller and more low-key. Founded in early 2008, the organization is currently comprised of 5 “core” members, mainly high school sophomores, who finalize decisions on behalf of the group, and some twenty other members, most of whom are middle school students. One of the group’s

core members, Emily Zhou (10), feels that in terms of size, Greenkeepers is “more condensed, which allows for greater ef-ficiency.” Similarly, Ms. Fiona Jia, the su-pervisor of the group, comments that the group had hoped to remain relatively small, in order to avoid “lengthy and complicated meetings,” which may tend to plague larger organizations.

Greenkeepers is also different in terms of its primary objectives and approach to-wards environmental protection. As op-posed to primarily spreading awareness through fundraisers, Greenkeepers focuses on awareness-based initiatives, specifically relating: how many paper towels we pull from dispensers, the amount of food we dump into the trash, and whether or not we leave the tap running when washing our hands. Founding member Jeffery Yu (10) says, “We focus more on raising awareness of environmental protection, and not sell-ing or promoting the organization itself.”

Greenkeepers’ mission and dedica-tion towards influencing the people around them is palpable in one of its most recent efforts. In early February 2011, Greenkeep-ers noticed that there was an excess amount of salt being sprinkled onto road between ISB and Yosemite and decided to talk to the school’s facilities management. Not only did the organization find this practice wasteful,

ISB’s Preservers of the Greenbut noted that the leftover salt actually led to the road becoming even more slippery. Af-ter a brief discussion, Sodexo, the company responsible for ISB facility management, recognized the issue and agreed to use less salt.

In response to Greenkeeper’s salt re-duction initiative, Sodexo facilities manager Leo Zheng commented, “We were quite impressed by their concern for the environ-ment. They have been the first group at ISB to find us and share concerns [about this is-sue].” Core member Olivia Tan (10) empha-sizes, “Greenkeepers doesn’t exactly focus on one big environmental issue, but on the countless little aspects of our everyday life,” the often unconscious choices we make and actions we take.

The Greenkeepers’ efforts have not gone unnoticed. They were recently men-tioned in China Daily, and were also invited to the Global Sustainable Leaders’ Forum (GSLF) that was held in Beijing in November 2010, where they were present as the orga-nization with the youngest representatives.

You might spot more traces of Green-keepers around school. Its fingerprints can be spotted wherever there are resources to preserve. Though quiet at first glance, their volume may be evolving into a crescendo.

Photo Courtesy of Amanda Song

by Amanda Song, Staff Reporter

Electing CAS Electives

MUG SHOTS: Greenkeepers having a mug sale.

Not such a pain in the CAS...

Arts & Culture

PAGE 5

Sitting in the hushed auditorium of the National Opera House, I leaned back as the familiar overture of Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet, The Nutcracker, began. In-stead of the Christmas party scene that was expected, the curtains opened to a traditional Chinese temple fair. Puzzled, I glanced down at the program to reaffirm that I was watching The Nutcracker and not some other show. Throughout the rest of the program, I was both surprised and pleased as to how well the National Bal-let of China fused Chinese styles and ideas into the conventionally Western ballet.

Over the past decades, events such as “Chinese Nutcracker” have become more common throughout China. As the coun-try opens itself up to the world and ma-tures economically, an increasing number of Western principles have entered and influenced Chinese culture. “In the olden days, the ideal artist was one who could perfectly copy the traditional style of painting. Now, however, the style of paint-ing in China has been opened up to for-eign influences. You can see this especially in those artists who have studied outside the country,” states Mrs. McDonald, a middle and high school Chinese teacher.

A quick stroll down any section of Beijing’s 798 Art District nearly guar-antees that one will find works which combine traditional Chinese painting

with abstract sweeps of bright color – only one such example of the modern, foreign, twist on traditional art. Students such as Dan Zhang (12) have also been noticing this change in cultural expression. “At the moment there is a huge mu-sic scene in China, especially involving rock clubs. Tradi-tional Chinese instruments and styles are being combined with Western instrumentation and technique,” explains Zhang. “It has definitely produced some pretty interesting sounds.”

Whilst many artists in China willingly embrace this interaction between cultures, others feel that Chi-nese artists are taking too many “cues” from Western art instead of acting inde-pendently. Ho Joon Shin (9) believes, “It’s great that China is developing not only economically but culturally as well, but I think that Chinese people should be more creative and not just copy other people’s styles.” Gao Yang, a Chinese painter who achieved international success while liv-ing in Italy, agrees with the sentiment. “In the future, young Chinese artists will have to work together with the West,” Yang says. “They have to create something new. Right now that isn’t happening.”

But as the final curtain call for “Chi-nese Nutcracker” came to an end and the theater started to empty out, I looked at my program once again. Sitting there that night, the spectacular performance I had just witnessed not only connected with audience members from all over the world, but also was a first-rate ex-ample of how China is changing. For bet-ter or for worse, the fusion of cultures happening right now will provide the younger generation of Chinese the per-fect opportunity to create new styles and shape new forms of artistic expression.

Image Courtesy of Chinese Central Television http://english.cctv.com

Eastern vs. Western Artby Rachel Sun, Staff Reporter

From the 4th – 18th of March this year, bookstore-cum-restaurant The Bookworm hosted its annual Interna-tional Literary Festival (BILF). Described as a “unique celebration of literature and ideas” by the festival directors, BILF fea-tured writers from all over the world in

over 100 events. Luckily enough, ISB was able to work in synchronization with The Bookworm in order to bring some of the festival into the school.

Prior to the event, ISB agreed to be one of several international schools that took part in a supplementary International Schools Program. “Our involvement was that we would have visiting authors,” ex-plains social studies teacher Ms. Pratt, who was one of the faculty members in charge

of coordi-nating the school-based events. “It isn’t the first time we’ve had visiting authors as part of the festival, al-though this time we had more than we normally would.”

Student reactions to the features

The Bookworm Literary Festival Comes to ISBby Melissa Powers, Editor-in-Chief were, for the most part, very positive. “I

thought it was really interesting!” gushed Charmaine Wong (11), who was able to take part in Argentine author Guillermo Martínez’s Theory of Knowledge (ToK) lecture on mathematics. “Especially be-cause of all the interactive activities there were. Although, sometimes, I didn’t really get the math questions.”

In addition to the general excitement of the events, students found in-class vis-its or workshops a useful compliment to their actual studies. “It made you question everything you know,” explains Liam Sohi (11), also in regards to Martínez’s session. “We didn’t really learn stuff, but we kind of un-learned stuff – which is what hap-pens in ToK anyways.” In agreement is Al-ice Ren (12), who participated in a work-shop for the Thespians. “We played a lot of theatre games and [the guest] also read selections from his book that he felt were interesting. It was definitely useful.”

Suzy Roberts, Head of External Rela-tions at Dulwich College, also agreed with the academic value of BILF. Ms. Roberts, whose school has sponsored the festival for three years, explains that the motiva-tion behind the sponsorship was “support-ing a community event that sounded more educational. [Additionally,] because we’re sponsors, [we had] preferential choices for the school program.”

Another aspect of the festival that both students and faculty appreciated was the variety of guest speakers present. “We finally got to hear a math person talking,”

Kevin Su (11) happily pointed out. Addi-tionally, Ms. Pratt’s interest in the festival was “because of the Social Studies depart-ment – to get more non-fiction authors into the school. We get fiction authors, which is good, but [not necessarily] for economics or history students.”

Of course, the end of the BILF brings up the question of how the program can be expanded at ISB for next year. “Well, I’m not quite sure I would definitely say we’re going to expand [the program],” re-veals HS Librarian Mr. Anichowski, “just that we’re definitely going to continue it.”

Naturally, one of the most difficult problems ISB will face for next year’s fes-tival involvement would be the inevitable compromise of class time for visiting au-thors. After-school sessions would be one solution to the problem, as well as simply having more opportunities to meet with special guests. For example, “coordinating with The Bookworm [and] not just for the festival,” as Ms. Pratt suggests. “There are authors who come in and out of Beijing all the time, and we could have them coming into the school.”

Without a doubt, BILF is an important community event in Beijing and is deserv-ing of its appreciation from international schools. Academic enrichment aside, the features are thought-provoking, original, and plain entertaining.

Just like any good book.Artwork Courtesy of Rosalind Chang

Cracking good show.

Ye olde bookwyrm.

PAGE 6

Arts & Culture

“The purpose of this creative arts mag-azine is to showcase ISB high school stu-dents’ thoughts through writing and art.” Posted on the inside cover of every Senten-tiae issue, this statement of intent conveys compactly the raison d’etre of Sententiae, an ISB high school creative arts magazine that produces an issue the fall and spring of each school year. Once Sententiae season comes around, multitudes of high school students clamor to get their hands on the latest in-carnation, packed with artistic vitality and printed in multi-coloured splendor.

One of the most endearing qualities of Sententiae is the independent nature of the magazine. As frequent Sententiae reader Brandon Guo (11) notes, “Senten-tiae is great because it’s one of the real student ‘run’ organizations.” In other

words, “though Ms. Boyce supervises, the magazine’s run by students, for students.” Moreover, the magazine is an “excellent opportunity for students to write some-thing they are interested in, outside of English class,” states Isabel Perrin (11).

Another notable aspect of Sententiae is the fact that the publication remains large-ly uncensored. Themes and topics, which might normally be deemed inappropriate for circulation within an academic institu-tion like ISB, seem to be allowed a cer-tain degree of autonomy within Sententiae.

According to Abhinav Chhabra (11), a member of the Sententiae publication team, “The Sententiae team sends each issue to Mr. Fagg to be approved, and he often approves quite readily. Sententiae is good because it represents independence within a school, due to its [more liberal] content matter.”

When asked about the inner work-ings of Sententiae, Chhabra replies, “The process is quite simple. Everybody in Sen-tentiae independently reads each submit-ted piece, rates it on a number scale, and the highest-rated pieces are then discussed and voted on for its potential inclusion in the next issue.” In addition, Chhabra men-tions that “though each issue has a ‘theme,’ the themes are just an artistic chal-

lenge and do not affect whether a piece will be chosen to be published or not.”

Criticism and suggestions for im-provement directed towards the publica-tion include those concerning Sententiae’s per-issue themes. Partel Unga (11) states that “the themes seem kind of random at times” and that “there should be a vote open to the public to decide the themes.”

Regarding Sententiae’s submission pro-cess, Ayaka Habu (10) adds that “Sententiae should perhaps advertise upcoming issues earlier, since sometimes there’s not much time to get a piece finished for submission.” A more extreme view of the publication is held by Enrico Baculinao (11), who argues that, whilst it’s nice that ISB has a creative arts magazine, Sententiae “is pretentious. It’s only there for artsy people to show off and to feel better about themselves.”

No matter what opinion one holds on Sententiae, the magazine seems slat-ed to remain a mainstay in ISB’s high school creative arts culture. So spread the word, discover the hidden art mae-stro in you, and submit to Sententiae the next time a new issue is in production!

Photo Courtesy of HeRa Kang

by JJ Wong, Staff Reporter

“So You Think You Got Talent.” The slogan of this year’s annual Talent Show not only at-tracted hundreds of audience members but also a variety of student auditions. While some successfully made the cut, others were not so fortunate in presenting their talents to the community. Some may have lacked preparation for the auditions, while other “talents” simply did not appeal to the selection committee. Even so, many question whether the select-ed acts really do have talent or are just there to provide entertainment for the audience.

Edward Huh (10), a member of STUCO, the committee that organizes the annual event and plays a role in the selection of performers, states, “During the selection process, we obvi-ously focus more on talent; after all, it is the Tal-ent Show.” He personally believes there should be a “balance” between talent and entertainment, and that “entertainment can come from having a lot of talent, but definitely not the other way around.” Likewise, Da Eun Jeong (11) states, “Many acts audition because they are entertain-ing, [although some audition solely on the basis of being] talented, [and] they don’t make it.”

“Talent” can be hard to define. What

Talent... or Show?by Cindy Liu, Staff Reporter

Sententiae: Latin Name, Artistic Fame

The top three finalists of the talent show.

might be appealing to one audience member may not be another’s cup of tea, and there is a fine line between a talented act and a dull one. Yiwen Hu (10) considers entertainment to be more important, especially at an event like the ISB Talent Show: “An act with true talent may keep the audience interested for a short time, but an act that is entertaining can keep them engaged for the entire performance.”

A typical comparison might be an act featuring a talented musician playing clas-sical music versus a talented singer who in-teracts with the audience. Although con-tent and skill play an important role, many will agree that the singer would have great-er appeal to the majority of ISB viewers.

Distinguishing between the role of enter-tainment and talent in an act may depend on an individual’s approach to the Talent Show. Jeong wishes to find out about student’s “hidden talents” through the Talent Show (not Talent Show), while Hu stresses the importance of having a “fun eve-ning of show and entertainment with friends.”

Talent and entertainment are often ob-served side by side in mainstream media, but when it comes down to events like the Talent

Show that are used to showcase the abilities of ISB students, it seems that there are varying opin-ions on the value of entertainment and talent.

The debate over which is superior can, unfortunately, lead to disparagement of the other. Perhaps, then, the most important con-clusion is that “talent” can come in a wide range of forms and appeal to different people, and that it is crucial to view events like the Talent Show with an open mind. Who says that the ability to entertain others isn’t a talent in itself?

Photo Courtesy of Chan Ah Jung

Give us your attentiae.

PAGE 7

Standing Columns

This month, The Break was lucky enough to interview internationally acclaimed writ-er Ms. Emma Donoghue, one of many in-ternational authors visiting Beijing this month for The Bookworm’s Literary Festi-val. Her most recent novel, Room, is written from the perspective of a five-year old boy, Jack, who lives with his mother in a shed.

Jack’s entire world is confined to the shed, and everything he knows comes from what his mother teaches him and what he sees on tele-vision. When Jack and his mother are finally freed, they have to learn to deal with their exposure to the real world. The Break ques-tioned Ms. Donoghue on her book as well as her personal viewpoints on other subjects.

The Break: How old were you when you discovered your talents as a writer?

Emma Donoghue: I began writing po-etry at 7; it didn’t feel so much like discover-ing a talent as discovering a great pleasure.

TB: How important do you feel reading is for young people in particular?

Donoghue: Absolutely crucial for expanding their minds and their sense of the wide world. I only wish more adults would keep up the habit!

TB: Do you think your upbringing in Ire-land contributed to your appreciation of lit-erature and desire to write? Do you think you still would have been a writer if you had been born in, for example, France?

Donoghue: Yes, but I would have been a different kind of writer - a more philo-sophically profound one, perhaps, rather than one whose characters constantly chat-

An Interview with Emma Donoghue

by Emma Monaghan, Staff Reporterter and mock each other in the Irish way!

TB: How influential were your parents on your decision to start writing?

Donoghue: They did not push me to-wards it but they were deeply wel-coming to my efforts in that line.

TB: Room’s concept is very imagina-tive and intriguing, while being a bit dis-turbing. How did you come up with the plot, and was the process differ-ent from other books you’ve written?

Donoghue: It was much easier, oddly. The whole premise and story and perspec-tive of Room came to me in one go. I’ve never felt so certain about writing a book.

TB: Why did you decide to narrate Room from Jack’s perspective? How did you draw inspiration for his “voice?”

Donoghue: The child’s perspective was the whole idea of the book; I would never have written such a story any other way. I drew a lot on my own son who was five years old while I was drafting the novel.

TB: The experiences of Jack in Room are com-parable to those of the Chinese immigrants, in that they have been kept ignorant of some parts of life and then suddenly “freed” and exposed to another reality. How do you feel personally about the two worlds that censor-ship creates: would you prefer to live in sim-pler world where the things that exist can be picked or chosen, or do you feel it is better to live in a world full of variety and “truth?”

Donoghue: What a fascinating parallel! I would always vote for the wider world, but Room is about recognizing how much we

lose, and suffer, and struggle, along the road to a truly adult life. Many readers find themselves wish-ing Jack - and they - were back in [the room], and then they are appalled to find themselves thinking so nostalgically about what is, after all, a prison... I suppose ev-eryone’s childhood is precious in some way

to them, no matter how limited it was.

TB: Have you ever faced censorship or felt you had to change aspects of your works to comply with some external expectation?

Donoghue: I am very aware that some people avoid some of my books because of their les-bian themes. I’ve never let this influence me.

TB: What are the benefits of literary festivals for a city like Beijing? Why are they important?

Donoghue: I think they are important for any city, because there is nothing more stimulating to any city’s culture than an encounter with outsiders. TB: What are looking forward to most during your visit to Beijing?

Donoghue: I know this is not an origi-nal answer, but... I have a hike booked on the Great Wall and I’m deeply excited about that.

TB: What advice would you have for high school students who want to become writ-ers in the future? Are there any misconcep-tions about the career that you’d like to dispel?

Donoghue: Writing is not a reliable way to make money, but it is a profoundly satisfying activity.

Photos Courtesy of http://www.emmadonoghue.com

Cover of Donoghue’s novel.

Plenty of room for talent like Donoghue!

Standing Columns

PAGE 8

The average ISB student has been to many of the tourist hot-spots around Bei-jing. However, among the many great sites to see, one might overlook two stops on the west side: the Beijing Zoo and Aquarium.

While the trip to the zoo might be a horrendously long one by car, it is conve-niently situated just outside of the Dong Wu Yuan subway stop – all one has to do is get in line for the agreeably cheap 10 kuai ticket is walk through a smelly underpass.

Perhaps in the warmer months the zoo is a much more pleasant place, but during the winter, the Beijing zoo is quite pitiful. Upon entering, one must endure a bevy of twists and turns and many un-welcoming food stands before any caged

animals come into view.

The bare-ness of the area makes one doubt whether this even quali-fies as a zoo. “It barely has any animals,” com-ments Kathy Summers (10). The few crea-

tures that the zoo does pos-

sess, however, are interesting ones, like the portly and adorable raccoon dog and the beautiful white tiger. Howev-er, upon noticing the bits of trash that have been thrown into the cages, there comes an overwhelming feeling of sor-row. Maybe it is simply too cold for some of the animals to be on display and, apparently, for workers to pick up the trash strewn about the enclosures.

After the disappointment of the zoo’s apparent the lack of animals, make a bee-line for the aquarium, a shockingly white building located at the back of the zoo, and purchase a ticket. Beware – the advertised price for tickets for students under eigh-teen is 55 kuai, but they will charge the full price of 110 kuai if you are over 5’3”.

Despite the ludicrous ticket price, the Beijing aquarium is a wondrous place. Patrons are greeted at the entrance with a giant painted mural of various sea animals, dinosaurs and men in track ap-parel. Visitors are then funneled into a “rainforest” section filled with various fish ranging from the tiniest guppies to the giant catfish of the Mekong River.

Visitors are then guided into a sec-tion that allows people to actually touch the fish, though they are placed com-

pletely out of reach. This is followed by a huge, mystical-looking tank occupied by two rare beluga whales, a section com-pletely dedicated to sturgeons, and various other fish tanks filled with many familiar friends from the under the sea where one can scuba dive for a nominal fee.

The biggest letdown is probably the absence of sharks at the aquarium, despite the various plastic shark statues that hang from the ceiling. Towards the exit lies an arena for daily dolphin performances, as well as the inevitable, obscenely large and over-priced gift shop and food court.

There may be some hope for the Beijing zoo, but, until it finally starts to warm up again, the only reason to go to the zoo is to get into the aquarium.

Photo Courtesy of http://images.beijing2008.cn

NEIGHBORHOOD REVIEW: by Maura Dentino, Staff Reporter

All teachers have lives outside of school, so there is a possibility that some-day you just might unexpectedly encoun-ter one of them. How would you respond if you were to come across a teacher beyond school grounds: fight or flight?

The sight of a teacher approaching outside of a school environment may strike multiple chords in your heart: fear, antici-pation, curiosity, excitement, or bewilder-ment. “One time I saw a teacher outside of school. I think I just about peed my pants,” confesses Madi Hockaday (11). In the mere seconds you have before you come face to face with them, you must make a choice.

How should one react in such a situation?

The first order of business: do not flee! Dare to look them in the eye, and perhaps even mumble an inaudible greet-ing of some sort. A simple “How are you today?” will suffice. Teachers are people like you and me who crave human in-teraction and simply want to be loved.

How does getting to know teachers benefit students, you ask? First of all, it will make teachers like you. And when they like you, they can write you genuine letters of recommendation and thus get you into college, or at least a job at McDonalds. Be-ing liked by your teachers will also pay off

when it comes time for report cards or officer applications for BEIMUN. You want teachers to recognize your face and name; otherwise, you will just blend in with ISB’s giant sea of students.

After you have finally made contact, it is time to start lay-ing the groundwork. Start out small, casual yet profes-sional conversations regard-ing the latest quiz or lecture. Dare to be bold! If you find that class time isn’t enough, schedule a time to meet them

outside of class. Over time, you can slow-ly begin integrating personal facts into your exchanges, and hopefully, they will reciprocate by opening up themselves.

When enough time has elapsed, it’s time to break out the big guns (no, not your biceps). After peeling away the layers of your teacher’s personality, bestow a gift upon them before the holidays that shows that you have been paying more attention during your chats than when you do in class.

If you feel comfortable enough with your teacher, consider grabbing a cof-fee or a delectable pastry together. Noth-ing screams sophistication like the phrase, “I have to meet someone for coffee.”

In your senior year, sacrifice a portion of that precious senior page to personally thank your teachers. After graduating, you can finally add them on Facebook. Keep up your relationship throughout university and beyond; some relationships can last a life-time! Remember, teachers are not creatures squatting in the depths of ISB, but are people with hearts, capable of being your friends.

Photo Courtesy of http://images.allmoviephoto.com

HOW TO: Student-Teacher Interactionsby Maura Dentino & Nicole Zhu, Staff Reporters

The Beijing Zoo & Aquarium

“And they expect us to mate...”

Under the PRSea.

BFFs.

PAGE 9

Standing Columns

Now that spring break is over and we are well into the three-month stretch from now until summer break, the pitiful two-day ex-cuse known as our weekend comprises mainly of homework, sleep, and more sleep. Though work may be piling up and sports practices may be exhausting, the (very) rare days of Beijing spring are slipping by. What better way to enjoy an excursion than using the newly built subway line in Shunyi to explore Beijing on the cheap?

For the Intellectual/Cupcake Enthusiast:

Board the subway at the China Exhi-bition Center station (across from Euro-plaza), enjoying the heated seats of Line 15 before transferring at Wangjing West to Line 13, taking it to Dongzhimen. 2 RMB.

Take a cab to The Village in Sanlitun. 10 RMB.Walk to The Bookworm while dodging

crazy Beijing traffic. The Bookworm, an un-mistakably pea-green building located next to Banana Leaf, is a book lover’s paradise, com-plete with cozy corners and romantic lighting.

Browse books and stationery to your heart’s content. Aspiring writers can take ad-vantage of the café‘s free Wi-Fi to type up their latest novel, screenplay, English com-mentary – or perhaps an article for The Break.

Stroll back across the street, taking care to avoid homicidal taxi drivers, to The Village. Keep walking in the direction of the Village North to Crepanini at Nali Patio. An Earl Grey cupcake (with a mouthwatering combination of berga-mot and lemon frosting provided by the Lolli-pop Bakery) is highly recommended. 20 RMB.

Trek up to the Village North to window-shop at Bvlgari and Versace while pondering the meaning of the store named “A Bathing Ape.”

When you’re ready to return, take a cab

back to the Dongzhimen station (10 RMB) and hop back on Line 13 to the last station of Wangjing West. Transfer to the warmth of Line 15 heading home to the Exhibition Center station. 2 RMB.

TOTAL SPENT: 44 RMB.

For the Sightseer/Political Activist:

Board the subway at the China Exhi-bition Center station before transferring at Wangjing West to Line 13, taking it to Dongzhimen. From Dongzhimen, take Line 2 to Jianguomen station. Switch to Line 1 and take it to Wangfujing station. 2 RMB.

Wander down Changan Avenue to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, be-ing sure to take cheesy photos (double peace signs mandatory). Warning: in the square, avoid loud references to Tibet, June 4th, or jasmine, unless you’d like to make the ac-quaintance of burly plainclothes policemen.

While there, buy a pair of light-up devil horns; costs may vary depend-ing upon bargaining abilities. 10-15 RMB.

If you’d prefer something more cul-turally relevant, fuzzy Communist hats are also available, though they may require you to dig a tad deeper into your pockets.

Window-shopping at Oriental Plaza, where you can find one of the few Dairy Queens in Beijing, is optional. To head home, take Line 1 back to Jianguomen, switch to Line 2 until Dongzhimen, switch to Line 13 until Wangjing West, and then back to the Exhibition Center on Line 15. 2 RMB.

TOTAL SPENT: 14-19 RMB.

For the Animal Lover/Culinary Daredevil:

For those willing to trek out to the desolate west side of Beijing, take the sub-way to Dongzhimen and transfer to Line 2. Ride until Xizhimen, and then transfer to Line 4 to the Beijing Zoo stop. 2 RMB.

Take the underpass to the other side of the street and wrestle your way to the front of the ticket line. 10 RMB during the off-season.

Wander around the Beijing Zoo for a while, though many animals may be hid-den from view, given the temperature. Alas, no bathing apes are to be found. However, the raccoon dog (yes, it really is called a rac-coon dog) is one of the few creatures still out and about and is positively adorable.

Other attractions include the reptile house, a lone tiger in a pit, and China’s unof-ficial national animal: the giant panda. Be-ware of exotic birds roaming freely on the frozen lake and local children not using the sanitation facilities to their full potential.

Walk back to the subway station, stop-ping for a sausage on the side of the road – if you dare. A sketchy street vendor will hap-pily skewer a questionably pink sausage from a pan of sizzling oil for you. Yum. 2-4 RMB.

Take the same route home to the Exhibition Center. 2 RMB.

TOTAL SPENT: 16-18 RMB

Adventure Is Out There!How to Explore Beijing via Subway for Less Than 50RMBby Nicole Zhu, Staff Reporter

Photos Courtesy of Beijing Zoo. Digital image. Best Place To Visit Around The World. Place2travel.blogspot.com, 16 July 2009. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://4.bp.blogspot.com/Bei j ing+Zoo.jpg>.

Chang An Avenue. Digital image. Stnn.cc. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://www.stnn.cc/society_focus/.html>.

China International Exhibition Center Subway Station. Digital image. Panoramio.com. Panoramio. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://www.panoramio.com/photo/45912095>.

Oriental Plaza. Digital image. Meiguoxing.com. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://www.meiguox-ing.com/images/Oriental_Plaza2.jpg>.

The Bookworm Beijing. Digital image. Meiguoxing.com. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://www.meiguoxing.c o m / i m a g e s / O r i e n t a l _ P l a z a 2 . j p g > .

Opinions

PAGE 10

Flurries of fast notes, crammed prac-tice rooms, an overflowing sign-up sheet surrounded by fretting students clench-ing sheets of music – the scene of the “Simply Piano” concert auditions were far from “simple.” A traditional concert that has been held in ISB for over ten years, the annual Simply Piano concert has become, as music teacher Ms. Scha-pel put it, “the highlight of the year.”

Although I was moved by all perform-ers who evoked passion at the final recital, the singular performances that stood out were the ones that had me marveling at the expertise and high level of technical skill. This led me to question whether rote “skill” in the form of technical correctness was perhaps more important than “musi-cality,” or artistic expressiveness, in terms of creating an impact on the audience.

As the date for auditions rolled by a few weeks ago, I decided to go and see what the hype was all about. There was no doubt that a wealth of talent was present in the auditions. I recall watching a girl perform a fully memorized sonata move-ment with great control of dynamics and rhythm. This exact movement had also been played by two other musicians slight-ly earlier in the auditions. Understandably, the auditions seemed to gravitate toward being a competition rather than a perfor-

mance. However, competitions and per-formances are not mutually exclusive; a well-executed piece can be part of both.

The main issue lay in how many performers stumbled as they were hur-rying through string after string of fast notes. It was as though contenders were competing to impress by showcasing the speed of their fingers, but over-looked the “musical aspect,” which is ar-guably equally, if not more important.

“It’s not a competition,” explains Ms. Schapel, despite the fact that only 20 audi-tions were successful from a total of 41. “It’s the process that’s important.” I ab-solutely agree. Perhaps if students focus more on the process of performing rather than outcome of the auditions, they will bring out artistry instead of a bland over-load of trills and tricks. After all, shouldn’t performing be about sharing music?

That’s not to say all performers should trade their Mozart masterpieces for playing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” with emotion. The fact is that perform-ers – good performers – should look to perform with both skill and artistry. This is why the concert, with the pieces ranging in style from Baroque to con-temporary, had performances that satis-fied both “technique” and “musicianship.”

“For [quality of performance] you have to perform with skill,” Ms. Schapel states.

However, these all serve to help the per-former articulate ideas, to help the perfor-mance communicate a message. The skill level should only be as high as the message requires. For example, the message be-hind “Mary Had a Little Lamb” is simple, and that’s why it doesn’t require much skill to convey that a girl named Mary owned a lamb. As the intricacy of the mes-sage increases, the corresponding amount of skill required grows too, making the piece more challenging to the performer.

Therefore, the difficulty of a piece is not measured by its technical challenges, but the message it intends to convey. The impact on the audience is not caused by fast notes spinning their heads around, but the mood these fast notes create that communicate a story in the perfor-mance. I still believe that for a performer, music is more important than techni-cal skill. At the end of the day, music is what we want to create, and skills are merely the tools we use in creating music.

Photo Courtesy of Kathy Summers

Simply Piano: Concert or Competition?by Rebecca Qian, Staff Reporter

They’ll be bach next year.

Four months ago, my mother emailed me an article in the Wall Street Journal: provocatively titled “Why Chinese Moth-ers Are Superior,” it was an excerpt from Yale Law professor Amy Chua’s book, Bat-tle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. In the piece, Chua described her parenting strategy to raise “stereotypically successful kids”: ban them from having playdates or sleepovers, watching TV, playing video games, choos-ing their own extracurricular activities, playing any instrument other than the piano and violin, and – horrors – receiv-ing any grade below an A. One anecdote detailed her attempts to motivate her seven-year-old daughter to master a dif-ficult piano piece by calling her “lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent, and pathetic.”

“See?” My mother said to me. “You had it easy. I only ever called you lazy.”

Chua’s piece, unsurprisingly, drew shock and outrage from many corners (with the words “crazy”, “abusive”, and “scary” showing up frequently on the ar-ticle’s comment board) – including the Western parents whom Chua disdainfully accuse of “being perfectly content to let their children turn out badly.” However, though her tone may tend toward the ex-treme (“deadpan,” says she), it does lay bare some starkly intriguing opinions.

Part of Chua’s rationale for her ag-gressive parenting is that “nothing is fun until you’re good at it.” As someone who thoroughly enjoyed her own brief, failed attempts at skateboarding, fencing, and uni-cycling, I can attest to the absolute

absurdity of this statement. For Chua to suggest that children need external vali-dation of their skill (in the form of med-als and trophies) in everything they do only discourages them from taking on new challenges and expanding their in-terests beyond those which have been drilled into them through brute force. A child’s worth should not be tied to the “praise” and “admiration” of others, nor should a mother’s treatment of that child.

Another troubling aspect of Chua’s excerpt is the excessive control that she seems to take over her daughters’ lives. Her micromanaging is more steely domination than discipline; prevent-ing children from making their own choices (and learning from the conse-quences, good or bad) hardly seems like the path to rearing a confident, inde-pendent, successful adult - and after all, Ms. Chua, isn’t success all that matters?

Still, despite a flawed argument, flinch-inducing examples, and a distaste-ful condescension for those who don’t

subscribe to her philosophy, Chua touches on at least one meaningful truth: parents should always believe that their children are capable of more than mediocrity. A child raised with high expectations learns to both set those expectations himself and meet them, attaining an individual drive to excel that doesn’t require the push-ing of a parent. I think that Ms. Chua is partly right, in that determination and willpower are necessary for success. However, that resolve must come from within and cannot be imposed by shrill demands for constant perfection. Self-reliance and strength of mind cannot be taught through any amount of piano drills, any quantity of math exercises, or any number of shouted insults and threats.

Perhaps, Ms. Chua, what we truly need are more Tiger Daugh-ters and Sons - not Mothers.Chua, Amy. Jan 8 2011. “Why Chinese

Mothers Are Superior”. The Wall Street Journal; Life & Culture. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240html#articleTabs%3Darticle

Grading the “Tiger Mom”by Julie Leong, Managing Editor

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: The journalist (left) and Chua’s daughter, Sophia (right), at Carnegie Hall, 2007.