Why should we let our children do what they love?
Who says scientific research doesn't make money?”
This is Zhang Xuefeng's rhetorical question to astronomer Feng Yi in the live broadcast. Feng Yi is a very outstanding young scholar, and he has just won the 2023 Damo Academy Young Fellow Award, which is an award aimed at supporting young scientists, with a prize of up to 1 million yuan, which can be used freely. Feng Yi's achievements surprised many people, because he was not a typical scholar, he once went to Tsinghua University, but later chose to start a business, and after two failures, he returned to academia and focused on the study of astronomy. He has had a strong interest in science since he was a child, and was inspired by great scientists such as Albert Einstein and Qian Xuesen, and aspired to become a scientist. His advice to current students is to "sleep well and stay healthy."
Feng Yi's story gives us an important lesson, that is, we should let our children do what they love. It sounds simple, but many parents don't actually do it. In our society, there is a common belief that children's education is to get them into good schools, get good jobs, and earn a lot of money, so that they can be considered successful. In order to achieve this goal, many parents will enroll their children in various cram schools, let them learn a lot of things that they are not interested in, force them to participate in many activities they don't like, and even deprive them of time for play and rest. This kind of education will not only make children feel stressed and painful, but also stifle their creativity and imagination, making them lose their enthusiasm for learning and joy in life.
We should understand that every child is unique, they have their own interests and strengths, and they have their own dreams and aspirations. We cannot measure their value by a uniform standard, nor can we shape their future with a fixed model. We should respect children's individuality and choices, and give them enough freedom and space to explore their interests, develop their talents, and realize their potential. We should encourage our children to do what they love instead of doing what others expect. In this way, children can find their own direction and goals, have their own motivation and confidence, and show their own style and charm.
Of course, this does not mean that we can just let our children do what they want and not give them any guidance and help. We still need to provide a good educational environment for children, so that they can be exposed to all kinds of knowledge and information, let them know all kinds of people and things, and let them learn how to think and judge, how to express and communicate, how to cooperate and compete. We still need to give children certain rules and disciplines, so that they understand what is right and what is wrong, what is okay and what is not, let them develop good habits and morals, let them respect themselves and others, and be responsible for their own actions and consequences. We still need to give children appropriate pressure and challenges, so that they can constantly surpass themselves, improve their level and ability, let them face difficulties and failures, learn to persevere and work hard, let them enjoy success and achievement, and learn to be grateful and dedicated.
What we need to do is to provide children with the necessary support and guidance, but also to leave enough autonomy and choice for children, so that children can do what they like and pursue their dreams and ideals according to their interests and strengths. In this way, the child can truly grow into a thoughtful, capable, individual, emotional, responsible, and happy person.
When talking about how parents educate their children, Zhang Xuefeng also believes: "It is much more useful to cultivate children's interests and let them have self-motivation from an early age"I very much agree with his point of view, I think this is a scientific educational concept, but also a humanistic educational attitude. I hope that more parents can realize this, stop using their own expectations and requirements to bind their children's hearts and futures, but use their own understanding and support to unleash their children's potential and creativity. I believe that only in this way can we cultivate more excellent scientists like Feng Yi and more happy children.