I'm fascinated by the contrast between North American and Chinese education. Chinese students are in class at 6:30 AM and by the time they get out, their Americ

I'm fascinated by the contrast between North American and Chinese education. Chinese students are in class at 6:30 AM and by the time they get out, their American peers have been playing Guitar Hero and hanging out in the malls for perhaps five hours. And the Chinese students will probably put in the same hours on Saturday and Sunday. I'm not saying it's a better system - I actually think it's bordering on insanity - but there's a middle ground between the two extremes (and they are extreme) which is probably more sensible. Chinese students get no freedom to follow their curiosity and American students don't learn the value of hard work or even of education itself.