Teaching and Learning (Simpson, Sandra)
I hope this post finds all of you taking care of yourselves during this busy academic time. The care of oneself and the care of one's mental health is important for us all to remember. This is a great segue to Institute for Law Teaching and Learning's latest article of the month, which is by Peter H. Huang, and is titled "Tiger Cub Strikes Back: Memoirs of an Ex-Child Prodigy about Legal Education and Parenting." You can find the full article at 1 British Journal of American Legal Studies 297 (2012). Or you can read a review of the article at http://lawteaching.org/articles/ .
This review was submitted by the Institute's contributing faculty member, Andrea J. Boyack, of Washburn University School of Law. Professor Huang, inspired by Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and his own "tiger cub" childhood, examines whether a system that pushes achievement and cognitive intelligence helps achieve ultimate good for society. He concludes that legal education, like "tiger parenting," does produce hard-working, analytic thinkers. But he also contends that both constructs inhibit the development of three key attributes that contribute to happiness, namely judgment and decision-making, emotional intelligence, and ethical character. Reforming legal education (and parenthood) to address these areas is essential, says Huang, if we as educators (and parents) hope to inspire life-long love of learning and sow the seeds of personal success. Professor Boyack weaves the article into some examples from her teaching and weaves in the lyrics from a popular hit song. Having teenagers, I recognized the song, but don't be embarrassed if you have to google the song! It is a pretty snappy song. Again, I hope all of you are surviving the grading push. And I hope this article makes you "Happy."
Submitted by Sandra L. Simpson
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Associate Professor of Legal Research and Writing
Co-Director of the Institute for Law Teaching and Learning
Gonzaga University School of Law