Media: flood of information

Nowadays, people are living in the era full of information so that it becomes difficult for us to cut down information that we actually need. To be specific, there are full of gossips and false information on the website which distract general public or even make them biased. On the other hand, there still exist bright sides of flood of information. People are able to experience various opinion toward the same issue. In the past, it was hard to get diverse views due to some of the dominant news sources. However, nowadays, everyone can express and share their ideas on the internet, which provides people with an opportunity to get different point of view.

Raise Children in the City or Suburbs?

There is a saying that, “There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in”. Likewise, childhood is the most important stages considering its huge impact on a person’s life. Deciding where to make their children spend their most invaluable time always matters to parents. I personally believe that raising children in the city is better than raising them in the suburban areas.

First of all, cities provide children with a high quality education with better facilities and equipment compared to the countryside. According to a research, environment affects a lot in a child’s academic performance. An atmosphere encouraging him or her to concentrate on his or her studies, and good learning chances from qualified teachers are two of those environmental factors. In terms of educational setting, schools in cities are far better than the suburban schools. I believe a quality education is one of the most important advantages that parents can give to their children. In this sense, educating in cities is the best choice for parents.  

Moreover, there is a high chance of enjoying cultural activities while living in the city. Along with education, cultural experience is also critical in childhood; it encourages a child’s mental and psychological development. Life in the city makes children have dynamic and fresh experiences by being involved in various cultural activities such as theaters, concerts, and art exhibits. Although the countryside offers clean air and peaceful neighborhood, children can still find peace in the city’s quiet places like libraries and museums. 

In addition, cities are suitable for children to experience the tough world before they get into the society. It is true that kids raised in the countryside are likely to have a limited experience -- a peaceful neighborhood having special occasions once in a blue moon. On the contrary, in cities, accidents always occur and children can face various types of people with different characteristics. This experience would lead them to handle their problems with ease and confidence in the future when they encounter the reality of society. 

To summarize, advantages of living in the city far outweigh those of living in the suburbs. Of course, just deciding where to raise children would not solve chronic problems for parents. However, it is clear that nurturing kids in cities is the first step for parents, which would lead their kids into their successful futures.

 

Comparison between two math prodigies

During the classes for the whole last week, we’ve dealt with child prodigies such as Amadeus Mozart and William Pitt the Younger who showed outstanding abilities as highly skillful adults at a young age. Among those prodigies from various fields, I’d like to compare two prodigies from the field of mathematics: Yoo-geun Song from Korea and March Tian Boedihardjo from Hong Kong.

First of all, I’ll introduce their similarities while focusing on each person’s profile. Yoo-geun Song, born in 1997, created a nationwide sensation with an exceptional talent in mathematics and physics. What’s more surprising was that he hasn’t had any type of private education except for ballet lessons. In fact, he has got several offers from top-ranked universities in Korea. Among those, what he chose was the one with a high-quality mentoring system, making him the youngest university student in Korea.

Similarly, March Tian Boedihardjo, born in 1998, is also known for being a genius for mathematics. Like Yoo-geun, at the time he was accepted at Hong Kong Baptist University, he became the youngest ever university student in the city. Later, he attended Greene’s Tutorial College which is famous for its one-to-one tuition helping him to further develop his interest in mathematics. In this sense, we can draw a conclusion from their profiles: they caught public attention for being genius in mathematics, were the youngest ever to attend university, and got one-to-one tuition from their schools.

Then, what is the difference between these two boys? Their differences can be explained in terms of their academic career and hardships. Firstly, let’s talk about their academic career. As mentioned earlier, Yoo-geun hasn’t been educated in any private institutions, but rather got homeschooling or public education in his country. What’s special about him was that he participated in a mentoring program in university and at the same time attended elementary school in order to socialize with his peers. However, before obtaining a Bachelor’s degree, he decided to enroll in the Master’s course in Space Science and he is now in the Doctor’s course in Astrophysics. However, in March’s case, not until he was accepted at a local university in Hong Kong, did he get education in his home country; he had an education in Britain. In addition, he doesn’t have any experience in studying with students his age. After graduating from the university, he went to the United States and he is currently conducting collaborative research with two renowned mathematics professors.

Furthermore, they have gone through different types of difficulty. In Yoo-geun’s case, he has faced the harsh reality of education in Korea. Instead of being encouraged, he had a problem for being different from other kids of his age. In fact, he wouldn’t have been able to jump on college-level if it had not been for his parents’ efforts against Korea’s current education system. On the other hand, there’s nothing much revealed about hardships March has had. However, his father once stated that his family has financial problems so that March wouldn’t be able to enter Oxford University as well as his brother, who is also a child prodigy and has already been studying there.

Taking things into consideration, these two boys seem to have something in common, but lots of differences as well. It is true that their future is unpredictable and there are possibilities that they could either be more successful or hit a wall. So, let’s cheer both of them to be a winner in their life.  

Asma's family

Today, there were new classmates in the class and we've talked about family. My partner, Asma, is from Saudi Arabia and it was a totally fresh experience for me to listen to her story. The most interesting thing was the different point of view toward the matter of single parent. In Korea, there is no solid legal system for those single parents yet, so it is difficult for a single parent to get any financial aid and legal protection from the government. In Asma's society, however, things are quite different for single parents. If a pregnant woman with no husband is known to public, she is then sent to jail and her child is raised in an orphanage. It's kind of a custody which makes her society stricter than any other cultures.