A Study on Positive Aspects of American Family Education

唐睿 熊行

【Abstract】As we all know，education is more about imparting knowledge of how to think rather than dead and rotten facts piled up in textbooks. Apart from formal education-schooling，family education also helps to shape the way we think and behave. Globally speaking，American family education is comparatively more successful than any other nations，which is well-evidenced by its world-leading economy that primarily is fuelled by its unparalleled technological and educational levels. According to my research，American family education really builds its deserved success upon its practice of individual focus，that is，enough consciousness of treating children in a scientific way-human attention on brain development，psychological pattern and identity cultivation of children. American family succeeds in its conformity to the brain development，psychological patterns and identity cultivation.

【Key words】American family education;brain development;psychological pattern;identity cultivation

Ⅰ.Introduction

This essay centers on the positive aspects of American family education. In this essay，the concept of education is about how parents “teach”，guide and help their child to grow into a responsible and complete social and emotional being. The end is to fathom the bright rationale of American family education and reflect on the deficiencies of Chinese family education by the means of comparison.

Based on analyses，the research result is that American family education trumpets its victory in the combination of emphasis on brain development，psychological pattern and identity cultivation.

Ⅱ.Childrens Brain Development

As is known to all，brain is the core organ of human body，and its development defines a persons ability to learn and live decently. Hence，when dealing with home education，brain development cannot be shied away.

Different brain areas are in charge of different functions of body. Brain functions when neurons are connected，therefore failures to connect necessary neurons will dishearten ourselves to perform in the way a person wants to present himself Its just like a modernized metropolis which relies on complex transportation networks to connect different functional buildings.

Brains development asks for neurons which entail new and constant stimulus，which explains why providing enough or even abundant stimulus for children to develop their brain is important. In addition，the connections between different neurons established，the connections can vanish gradually. Therefore，encouraging brain to practice thinking and repeat those reactions to strengthen the connections seem to be more important.

Children in first three years need nutrition and basic stimulus to grow their brains while in next years，childrens brain development will accelerate until they reach adulthood，when their brain development begins to deteriorate，keep at an optimal level and grows with low speed and many struggles.

2.1Effects of American parents treatment on childrens brain development

age period brain development What it means？ American parents treatment toward their children

Pre-born life

crude consciousness Messiness

existence

no meaning antenatal education

0-3 Emotions

Feelings Comfort

Senses safety，nutrition，physical movement，health，early learning

4-8 1thinking

2cognition

3understanding

4establishing strong neurons connections Fun

individual awareness

curiosity

doing-tendency

eager to know 1invite children to make family rules

2behavior management

3encourage curiosity

4infuse love for sports

5be tolerant and patient with children

9-17 psychology

emotion

rationality

learning 1world-view formation

2clear intention of specific behaviors

3confusions

4transformation 1culitivate economic awareness

2strenthen responsibility

3give more freedom，support and trust

4encourage competition

5reinforce self-reliance and individualism

6emotional guidance when necessary

18- 1psychology

2learning

3rudimentary maturity want or not

ambition

responsibility

energy

great agility 1Only provide help when its really necessary because children are independent from their parents，at least they have good reasons to be independent

2emotional care

Ⅲ.Childrens Psychological Patterns

Scientifically，psychological development is in perfect accordance with brain development. The pattern and mode of psychology explains why children at different ages behave differently not due to their knowledge or intelligence but their psychological symptoms accompanied by brain development and social codes of conducts of certain age periods imposed and passed down from previous generations.

3.1 children Psychological patterns and American parents assistance in childrens psychological needs

Phrases of ages Psychological development Childrens needs and struggles How American parents help their Children？

0-2 1empathic ability

2emotional expression

4control of body 1N：trust，attention，care

2S：doubts，fear 1Continuous love

2play with children with smile and patience

2-6 1control of body

2congtive ability

3language development

4manage emotion 1N：interdependency

，communication and initiative

2S：guilty，and failures 1soft and patient guidance

2encourage children to play and share toys with other kids

3respect childrens reasonable initiatives

6-13 1learning ability

2courious tendency

3gender awareness

4individulism 1N：confidence

Efforts and puzzle-solving

2S：failures，inferiority 1encourage children to try

2provide necessary challenges

3infuse positive attitudes toward their failures

4patient with their confusions

13-18 1moral judgment

2acceotance of physical  growth of appearance

3social cooperation

4learning ability

5relationship management

6self-control 1N：self-identity，

clear objectives of life，confidence and passion

2S：indentity confusion，various pressure， 1provide efficient guidance

2empathize positive sides of children

3help to build right value systems

4continuous attention and aids

3.2 Importance of childrens psychological development

Systematically，taking family of them into consideration is necessary when childrens psychological growth is studied，otherwise，airy results can only be achieved.

Freud，a famous Austria neurologist and psychologist once put that childrens experience is tightly related with their sub-consciousness by which our sexual and social development will be mainly determined（Freud 10）.

Ⅳ.Childrens Identity Cultivation

The ultimate end of education is to give an instrument of learning by thinking to construct the world and various relationships and meanings of things and to reduce mistakes and confusions for better life. Self-awareness not selfishlessness should be brought out to explore. Identity covers heavy significance for individuals in a way that assists them to decide on their own，distinguish right from wrong，squarely view the relationship between various people and things and live as an independent being. So getting to know the meaning of identity as well as how identity awareness contributes to the growth of social beings and relate to their daily life matters.

4.1The meaning of identity

As for identity，it relates to “wholeness”，“individualism”，“uniqueness”. Literally speaking，identity is how people view themselves or how people view everything about themselves in a way of membership.

Self-awareness，another name for identity，refers to peoples self-image，self-recognition，self-evaluation，self-experience，self-control and etc，being the core of “self” as a physical being and social individual.（周298-330）

4.2 Effects of American Family

American family education helps to cultivate the sense of identity of children，especially on childrens social participation. American parents are greatly concerned about “individuality” of their children.

American parents encourage children to be themselves and support their creative thoughts and trying. In a sense，through the things they discover children may think and define themselves as being capable of doing something.

In addition，most American children are not afraid to talk，to express their opinions about something they have resonance with or have disagreement about. This characteristic is not natural but nurtured by the way they are brought up as well as the sense of equality and freedom of family atmosphere.

Active interaction with parents constitutes a part of importance in childrens development. They way parents conduct and handle problems defines whether a child can appear in an active and confident image before the public. That all family sit at the table with ease and peace to confront conflicts and troubles in a harmonious atmosphere contributes to a satisfactory model for children to stand in others shoes to think and look at complex things.（威特 253-261）

4.3The importance of identity cultivation

“Self” is only expressed when it presents itself to others，but there are occasions for the separation between the role and the identity. For example，a person is saying something that he doesnt want to say when delivering a speech but the words are appropriate and needed in that pressured situation，which shows our identities are sometimes necessarily different from the ways we actually express ourselves. Hence，the complexity of identity lies in the discordance between self-understanding and self-expressing.（波普諾154-176）

The problem of identity looms large in adolescent period when childrens primary mission is to establish stable identity. The identity can help children to be confident and clear about what kind of persons they are when they have to shoulder different challenging roles in this demanding period.（波普诺 154-176）

Ⅴ.Conclusion

Pretty things are usually simple，but once analyzed，will translate into organized entities with intricate complexions. American successful family education is not an exception. Scientific family nurture which consists of biological，psychological and identity cares weaves a smart of humorous，adventurous，creative and confident American youngsters. This paper excels other similar research in the aspect of coming up with three essential causes of American home education，although with less care about details and examples with vivid description.

Works cited：

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[2]卡尔威特 卡尔威特的教育  北京：京华出版社 2001.

[3]周忠奎 儿童青少发展心理学 湖北：华中师范大学出版社 2011.

[4]奥·弗洛伊德.释梦[M].北京：商务印书馆，2006.119.