Chapter 5

Chapter 5 is about parenting techniques. The authors talk about how correct parenting techniques are constantly changing. So called "experts" keep publishing books on a new technique that parents should use for their children. Parents always want to follow the correct techniques out of fear: Fear that the child will not grow up properly.

I feel that parenting does make a reasonable difference as far a personality goes. My parents always looked out for my best and always wanted me to focus on the right direction: getting good grades in school, joining clubs, making new friends. I think if my parents didn't push me for these things and praise me when I did well, I wouldn't have cared as much.

The book then goes on to discuss that maybe parenting doesn't make as much difference as everyone thinks. But in what aspects? As far as schooling goes, goes does not make much of a difference, according to the Chicago Public School system "experiment." I agree with Richard P. Mills' reasoning that children are not prepared for high school work. There needs to be a renewed emphasis on getting children prepared for the future.

Looking back, even though it was my high school, I don't think it prepared me well for college. I was in honors, but the work was far too easy. I got to college thinking it was going to be a breeze, that I wouldn't have to study much and still get good grades. I was wrong, of course, and when I started getting my grades after a couple of semesters, I wasn't too pleased. School work needs to challenge students to get better. When you don't think you can do it, you need to push even harder to accomplish your task.

The authors then talk about the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. They talk about what factors the study showed that were positively correlated (through regression analysis) with test scores and factors that were not positively correlated (eight of each). I went on to think about myself and the factors that are positively correlated with good test scores, since I generally tested well on tests such as FCAT.

While my parents don't have graduate degrees, they both went to college. My mother was over thirty when she had her first child (me), and I did not have a low birth weight. My parents speak English. I did not have many books in my home, but I had things like encyclopedias to use before we got a computer. These factors lead to me be a fairly intelligent student and test well.

What also helped me was that my parents rewarded performing well in school. My parents would always be very happy whenever I brought home A's. What influenced me even more was that they were not happy with me making anything less than a B. If I brought home C's, they would always want me to do better. My parents would also reward me with money for A's and B's.