Professor-turned-Director wants parents to work with JEI when preparing for college

Formerly a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Stony Brook University, Director Jianping Schoolman discussed in an interview with JEI Learning Center the importance of the Self-Learning Method® for college, as well as how parents can take part in preparing their children for the future.

She proved herself to be a big advocate of the Self-Learning Method® as it helps young children try to be responsible for their own learning without depending on others. “I just love JEI,” she said. “It propels the student to not just be good at academic learning but also to become a good and responsible person overall.” This sense of responsibility and independence, she believes, is necessary for kids to make it in college and in life.

However, Jianping pointed out that JEI and the students could not reach success and discover potential alone–rather, parents are also an important player in this trifecta:

I spend half the time talking to parents, explaining that they should let kids make mistakes, explore, and learn from their own hearts instead of pushing, pushing, and pushing them. From asking about 100 students [at the University of Pennsylvania], I saw that students try to please parents, especially as most kids I interviewed were Asian-American kids…Most parents pushed them when they were young to be the best they could be–they didn’t have a choice, so they don’t think for themselves [even in college]. Once they get to college, no one is there to push them, so they are lost.

The students had often told Jianping during the interviews, “I don’t know what to do. My parents used to ask me to do this and that, but now, is this very important? Should I do this?” These students were full of questions and hoped someone would lead them and tell them what to think. She is concerned that college students today still do not know what to do after depending on their parents’ guidance all their lives.  

She told JEI, “It is likely the parents have done everything for the kids, so eventually when the kids go to college, [some] parents are like, ‘I don’t know. I don’t know college or what happens–you will have to figure it out on your own.’” On top of that, colleges are competitive and require students to make their own decisions and manage their own time. Jianping found that many students had not cultivated those skills when they were younger, leaving them to flounder helplessly as independent adults.

To prevent this, Jianping often advises parents of young children, “Let the kids figure out their own way, find their own interests, and, as parents, just be there to support them to let them know their weaknesses and strengths.”  

Jianping also believes JEI Learning Center is the perfect place for children to develop those very skills: “JEI has such a good system to help the kids realize their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as manage their time. I think JEI is the best after-school program that any parent could ask for.”

Thanks to Jianping for the kind words and her constant efforts to spread the Self-Learning Method to others for a brighter, better future. Find a center near you and see how you could help us prepare your child for college and adulthood with our many programs that promise long-term effects.