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It's not just Indian Americans. It's other students of immigrants as well. My belief is that it's because their families instill education from a young age as

It's not just Indian Americans. It's other students of immigrants as well. My belief is that it's because their families instill education from a young age as a path to success and this is ingrained in the culture. You don't see this nearly as often in the US. Instead, we look up to movie stars and sports figures. When I was a kid, I won every classroom spelling bee I was in and would almost always make it to the school finals (but never the nationals). The majority of students didn't even try or care that much, so competition was really easy at the classroom level.

eesmith 7y ago
How does studying several hours per day for a spelling bee, for years, lead to an improved education? I mean, I can see how there would be some advantages, but wouldn't it be better to spend that same effort on a broader range of academic study?
- talonx 7y ago
  I don't think the OP is implying that becoming stars at spelling bee by studying several hours per day leads to better educated kids. It is the process, the principles behind the discipline required to study so much, and the intent of the parents to inculcate the value of getting a good education, and the consequent values they pass on to their kids, is what creates the difference in how such kids look at the value of education versus others.
  - eesmith 7y ago
    I consider all those part of the "some advantages". Debate club is one of many competitive academic pursuits which can, for the right people, set up those principles. I imagine chess club would as well, as it also requires much study and discipline. That's why I did the follow up "wouldn't it be better to spend that same effort on a broader range of academic study?" Spend an extra three hours per day on history, or literature, or math, or learning new languages, and it would not only help instill those principles, but the actual knowledge, after graduation, is more likely to be useful than knowing how to spell a lot of words, yes?

eesmith 7y ago

How does studying several hours per day for a spelling bee, for years, lead to an improved education? I mean, I can see how there would be some advantages, but wouldn't it be better to spend that same effort on a broader range of academic study?

talonx 7y ago
I don't think the OP is implying that becoming stars at spelling bee by studying several hours per day leads to better educated kids. It is the process, the principles behind the discipline required to study so much, and the intent of the parents to inculcate the value of getting a good education, and the consequent values they pass on to their kids, is what creates the difference in how such kids look at the value of education versus others.
- eesmith 7y ago
  I consider all those part of the "some advantages". Debate club is one of many competitive academic pursuits which can, for the right people, set up those principles. I imagine chess club would as well, as it also requires much study and discipline. That's why I did the follow up "wouldn't it be better to spend that same effort on a broader range of academic study?" Spend an extra three hours per day on history, or literature, or math, or learning new languages, and it would not only help instill those principles, but the actual knowledge, after graduation, is more likely to be useful than knowing how to spell a lot of words, yes?