Are Your Children Successful…Why? Why not?

The New York School System has three high schools that are reserved for high-performing, gifted, children—Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, and Brooklyn Tech. These three elite schools consistently turn out students that enter premium universities and ultimately become the movers and shakers of our nation and our society. These three schools accept for entrance about 3000 students yearly; last year 28,000 eighth grade students took the entrance exam. The exam is a 2½ hour exam that is partly written and partly oral. Entrance into these schools is based solely on the outcome of the exam—there is not affirmative action or racial quota involved in admission decisions.

The ethnic mix of students admitted exclusively on the basis of test scores is interesting. Last fall, Stuyvesant admitted 9 Blacks, 24 Latinos, 177 Whites, and 620 Asian-Americans. The question naturally arises, “Why is there such a lop-sided ethnic mix of students favoring Asian-Americans?”

The answer to the above question has nothing to do with genetic superiority of Asian-Americans. The reason has everything to do with cultural differences between them and the other ethnic groups.

 Angela Duckworth, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania studied National Spelling Bee finalists and found there was no genetic advantage for any ethnic group. She found that these high-achieving kids were willing to forgo the immediate gratification of TV watching, texting friends, and playing video games. They worked many grueling hours on the tedious task of writing out thousands of flashcards with words/definitions and memorizing them. She also found that these high-achieving students come from homes where there is a difference in parenting practices from homes where high-achievement is not present. The high-achiever homes are characterized by parenting that guides the children and demands hours of difficult work. Homes like this produce students for Stuyvesant High School.

An Unusual Lexicon of Books for Christian Readers

For some months, I have thought about presenting a list of unusual books for Christian readers. The following is that list. Happy reading to you all!

1)   The first book on my list is Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis. This Christian allegory will keep you thinking. This book is set in the framework of Greek mythology. As Nancy and I were reading this book, various characters appeared; and each time we encountered one, we would say to ourselves, “That character must represent Abraham; or…we would say, “That must be Mary of Magdala.” But each time we offered a guess, the story would take an unexpected turn; and we could see that our guess must be wrong. Then, in the middle of one night, Nancy woke up and exclaimed, “Now I know what this story is all about.” She had figured it out. This book is an inspiration for Christian readers to absorb.

2)   The second book on my list is Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe. Most people think this is a book about a man marooned on a remote island. I can tell you for sure—this book is much more than that. Read it and learn a lot more about the Christian faith!

3)   The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is one of the most beautiful pieces of Scottish literature every written. Its words will thrill you as you read. And…although it never mentions Christianity, God, or religion, its timeless message will cement forever in your mind a basic understanding about the Christian faith.

4)   My last recommendation for your reading is a trilogy. First, read the 3^rd Chapter of Genesis. Next, read Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. This short historical novel is about the Belgian Congo during the latter years of the 19^th Century and the beginning of the 20^th. This enigmatic novelette is one of the jewels of Polish/English literature. It is often studied in university literature classes with a goal of trying to learn its mysterious message. And, finally, in this trilogy, read King Leopold’s Ghost, by Adam Hochschild. This book is an academic and very readable history of the Belgian Congo during the same period as Heart of Darkness. I doubt that Mr. Hochschild is a Christian; but his book sheds bright light on the writing of Joseph Conrad—it is a page turner; you won’t be able to put it down!! I can guarantee, you will never absorb three readings that will teach you more about the basic nature of mankind than these three.