A letter from a senior executive father to his son who is determined to study chemistry
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A letter from a father in Ningbo to his son who is about to attend Peking University has gone viral on WeChat Moments. This simple family letter touched countless netizens, with some saying, “I cried reading it!” ” In the letter, in addition to the tolerance, respect, and deep paternal love evident in the father’s words, the image of an independent child who has a clear understanding of his professional choices and life direction also left a deep impression on many parents. Under the new college entrance examination system, students are given more choices, whether it comes to selecting a major or making decisions regarding their overall life plans. It is therefore very important to help them have a clear direction and sense of certainty. However, teachers note that faced with choices, many students are at a loss. So, how can we cultivate students to be as goal-oriented and determined as the children described by this father? The story persists, all for that 1% chance of success. The author of this letter is Mr. Chen, a director and chief operating officer at a certain international tourism group company in Zhejiang. Mr. Chen’s son received an admission letter from Peking University’s School of Chemistry in July this year, but the journey to get there was \"full of drama\". Mr. Chen’s son developed an interest in chemistry in the ninth grade and often reads books on chemistry. A year and a half after being admitted to Zhenhai Middle School, the child mentioned in casual conversation that he wanted to attend Peking University, as its School of Chemistry is extremely outstanding. Mr. Chen dismissed that sentence as \"childish talk\" with a smile. Unexpectedly, in order to join Peking University’s Department of Chemistry, my son, who had originally planned to attend Fudan University or Zhejiang University, chose the path of participating in chemistry competitions in a determined and unexpected manner. “Your mother was completely stunned; she didn’t sleep well for three days and nights. Your grandparents were also worried, and your homeroom teacher came to see us as well. ”Chen Xiaodong wrote in the letter that everyone’s opinion was that the chances of succeeding in getting into Peking University by pursuing the path of competitive exams were only 1% ； Once failed, not to mention Fudan or Jiaotong, it’s likely that even getting into Zhejiang University will be difficult. Yet, despite all these obstacles and risks, this stubborn child still did not give up. He said to his father, Chen Xiaodong, “I like chemistry, I like Peking University, and I’m aware of the pressure I’m under.” If I fail, I won’t regret it at all, after all, I tried my best! Why don’t you support me? ” These words ultimately moved Mr. Chen, the father, and won his support. In the end, thanks to his outstanding results in chemistry competitions, he was able to enter Peking University with a score 60 points lower than the standard required; since admission was possible with just meeting that basic threshold, he managed to get into Peking University without any major difficulties.
Mr. Chen said that he wrote this family letter in order to complete a task assigned by Peking University to parents. “Peking University asks parents of new students to write a letter to their children: on the one hand, to document their children’s growth process, and on the other hand, to share parenting experiences with other parents.” ” The current situation confuses many students when it comes to life planning. Mr. Chen is proud of his son, which makes him the envy of many netizens and parents. One parent said that achieving high scores or getting into Peking University is not the most important thing; what matters most are the child’s mental qualities, as well as their planning regarding their career and life path. At such a young age, she already knows so clearly what she wants and what she is capable of doing. In fact, among middle school students, this quality is truly valuable. Especially under the new college entrance examination system, students must choose 3 subjects out of 7 as their elective subjects, and they have to decide on their subjects and majors as early as their first year of high school. And the reality is that many students seem very lost. Mr. Xu, a full-time psychology teacher at Ningbo Middle School, also shares deep insights on this matter. Teacher Xu has been teaching career planning courses for over three years and has interacted with many students. She said that, based on her interactions with students in the classroom, two-thirds of them are not very clear about what they want and are unaware of their own interests and abilities. Mr. Wang, the career planning advisor at Zhenhai Middle School, also mentioned in a previous interview with reporters that many students lack a clear career plan and have little understanding of various majors; in the past, they would choose their majors after taking the exams and filling out application forms, but now this process starts as early as the first year of high school, which certainly makes things more difficult. Mr. Zhou, the homeroom teacher of Zheng Enbai, who came in first place in the science category of this year’s college entrance exams, said that there were also students in his class who gave up the opportunity to be admitted directly to Peking University or Tsinghua University in order to go abroad and pursue advanced research in mathematics. However, there are still not many students who clearly know their area of interest and plan their lives accordingly; most of them decide on which university and major to choose after achieving good exam scores. As parents, don’t do everything for our children. How can we help students and children find their own path in life? This is what many netizens who shared this family letter focused on. The reporter learned that currently, many general high schools in Ningbo offer career planning courses as required courses. Mr. Xu, a full-time psychology teacher at Ningbo Middle School, said that in addition to the guidance provided by the school, for a family to produce a child like Mr. Chen’s son, two things are essential: one is the education given by the parents, and the other is the child’s own efforts. “For children to have confidence and self-awareness, parents must be open-minded, willing to support them, and interfere less in their affairs, especially after middle school. ”Xu Er said that in such a family environment, children come to know themselves better, because in this kind of atmosphere, it is the children who make many decisions on their own, which helps them understand themselves better. Teacher Xu explained that when children make decisions on their own, those decisions can lead to either good or bad outcomes. But regardless of whether the outcome is good or bad, it is useful for children to learn about themselves. Therefore, when raising children from an early age, parents should let them make decisions and give them the freedom to act on their own, rather than doing everything for them. For children, at the beginning of each new age stage, they should try to learn as much as possible about their own learning abilities and other skills – such as what they are good at, what type of personality and communication style they have, and their stress tolerance levels. On this basis, make some further plans that suit one’s own abilities and characteristics.
Excerpts from a family letter: I hope that during your prime years, you can plant these four seeds in your heart: First, gratitude – on the long journey of life ahead, you will meet many people who will help you in various ways; even those who become your rivals, you should feel grateful, for it is their presence that helps make you stronger. Never underestimate yourself, as it will cost you everything. Only gratitude can make your life joyful and fulfilling, calm and strong. II. Acceptance: A person who rejects many people or things also limits himself. Look more at others’ strengths and more at your own weaknesses; be open to everything, for only those who are tolerant can become great. Human wisdom has brought countless fields to an extremely high level. If you wish to move forward from this foundation toward even greater heights, it is not you alone who can do so, but rather a \"team\" – and the concept of a \"team\" is quite broad, I believe you understand. ……Dad hopes that in the future, you’ll always be a “sun” that illuminates others, rather than a “candle” that is illuminated by others. III. Perseverance: Just as in the path of competitive chemistry you pursue, it may seem difficult and exhausting to others, but you can keep going until the end—perseverance stems from belief and passion. “Is it bitter? Are you tired? That’s right. Comfort is for the dead. ”“No matter what difficulties you face, you must always listen to the call of your heart. ”The words of Jack Ma and Steve Jobs tell us that there are many intelligent people in the world, but many of them achieve nothing; it is only by possessing an unyielding spirit, an indomitable belief, and an almost fanatical passion that one can create something truly great. “\"One cannot travel a thousand miles without taking small steps.\" You must believe that… every challenge, obstacle, and difficulty is a stepping stone toward success in your future life ； Whenever you are facing the greatest difficulties, that is also when you are closest to success ； Many people give up at this moment; if you can hold on for just another hundred meters, the door to success will open wide for you. IV. Success: Success can be measured in terms of money, but it must not be measured solely in terms of money. If we must use a standard to define success, it is the value of your contribution to society. Whether you go into research, join a club, or enter the business world in the future, creating greater value for society, striving for a better life for humanity, and presenting a more beautiful world will be the goals you pursue throughout your life. ……We do not seek to be remembered in history, nor do we seek wealth in abundance. As long as you can create something new in your field that will be praised by future generations, then without a doubt, you are a great success. August 24, 2015
This father writes really well; he keeps moving forward toward his goals. .
It’s not that only the best chemistry departments are great – so which one is it exactly?
It has outstanding chemistry programs, but in terms of school reputation, Peking University is stronger. .
But I still believe that Peking University has more fame
How many such people can there be in the whole country? Thousands of people are behind a chemical genius
It’s written in a simple and genuine way, and it serves as a motivation for us in the workplace as well.
My dream back then was to get into Harbin Institute of Technology; later on, I didn’t even get admitted to Shandong University. . . . .