What is wrong with a wealthy kid getting a “normal job”?
I’ve never met anyone who learned Mandarin, and I know a bunch of folks who attended elite schools…as well as other colleges.
What %age of kids have their own businesses?
I guess what I’m saying is…I don’t see any of these as trends.
I say good for Sasha Obama having that kind of job. That brings out the un-cynic in me.
In some areas, lots of people learn Mandarin… as heritage speakers.
In some high schools, it may be available as a foreign language option, but less commonly than Spanish or French.
What does Sasha Obama’s summer job have to do with admissions? People like Sasha Obama, Ariel Winter, [insert anyone on TIME’s Most Influential Teen List here] have nothing to do with admissions trends. They can get wherever they want by virtue of fame/reputation. It sounds like you’re just looking for reasons to be cynical.
I agree about Sasha Obama or any other kid of a wealthy/famous parent. It would be so easy for them to get coveted internships at so many places, including where their parents work in the case of children whose parents own companies, are movie stars, whatever. Instead they take a regular job, leaving those internships, such as a slot working for the Department of State, for children of ordinary mortals like my daughter. I would not be surprised if I had found out the a politicians kid had gotten such a slot, so talk about can’t win for someone like Sasha if you have that attitude, OP. I guess she could volunteer somewhere, but then cynics say “Oh right, of course she doesn’t have to earn her own way. She never worked for a paycheck in her life”. Like I said, can’t win. IMO this is the healthiest of choices.
As for entrepreneurs and kids learning Mandarin. I suspect the former is far rarer than you think, it is just that those kids get the publicity and the Internet makes things like funding, sourcing and other aspects of these ventures far easier than before. Not to mention that social media brings it to the main media’s attention much more easily. I also suspect that while there is likely an increase in interest in learning Mandarin, this only makes sense. China is the other superpower after all, and #2 to us in economic power. During the height of the Cold War, there was similar interest in learning Russian. That fell off dramatically after the USSR fell apart. Similarly, Japanese had a brief moment in the sun when it looked like the Japanese were going to take over all manufacturing, as well as a lot of real estate, back in the '70’s-80’s.
@fallenchemist “Instead they take a regular job, leaving those internships, such as a slot working for the Department of State, for children of ordinary mortals like my daughter.”
Sasha’s older sister Malia is interning for the State Dept. in Spain for her gap year.
Well, darn it. Turns out the OP is a banned member that has done a reregistration. So closing thread. But if anyone likes the idea of the topic, even if not the particular examples, feel free to start a new thread.
OK, but you didn’t complain about her?!?! So not sure of your point. But now you cannot answer anyway.
But to finish my point, as I said that hardly surprises me. I was just appreciative of a connected child that didn’t do that. But then again, if Malia is interested in such a career, it is hard to say she shouldn’t be able to do such a thing. For all I know, she didn’t take a slot from anyone but is simply being accommodated, which is fine because that is just how real life is.
Not sure what’s wrong about learning one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. I’m glad the US is breaking out of its Romance language bubble.
I think learning a pictographic language is especially great, because it has its own layer of differences from English and I believe exposure to different types of language also exposes students to new “pathways” of thought.
But @fallenchemist should this be closed?
I love the "trend"of rich kids working in ordinary jobs, if it is a trend. Around here, Mandarin was big leading the public schools to phase out German but now the Mandarin teachers don’t have enough students to teach. My daughter’s Spanish teacher is the Chinese teacher who had to be reassigned.
" My daughter’s Spanish teacher is the Chinese teacher who had to be reassigned."
That sounds far from ideal.
Oooops. Guess I didn’t hit the command firmly. Now it is closed.