Kelly’s Answer:
Kelly has rightly pointed out that the child has focused on the physical appearance of her parents to describe them. She has described her mother as “pretty” and her father as having “short hair”. These are aspects that she probably likes about her parents, and therefore finds them worth mentioning. Moreover, being the first born does have its effects. Not only are first born children more pampered, but they are also given more attention by the grandparents. It is usually noticed that the first born child is very attached to his/her grandfather or grandmother. Having a motherly/fatherly feeling for siblings with a considerable age gap is also completely normal. Forcing education onto someone never really works. Therefore, while Kelly is taking her science course forcefully, she might not retain what she learns. So Finland’s education system is actually beneficial in this respect.
Whitney’s Answer:
Whitney’s child may realize that her parents are busy people, but she might also be craving for more attention from the inside. Being proud of her father’s profession is good, but she describes her mother as “busy” and her father as “works a lot”. No matter how much she realizes, she is a child and needs attention like one. With such a less age gap between siblings, it might have been easy to have someone to share feelings with. However, Whitney did not require attention as a child, which is why even her child is following her footsteps now! Whitney’s self-reflection about how life treated her is shared by many over the world. She is an inspiration for them.
Lastly, standardized testing does put unreasonable pressures on students. Therefore, Whitney rightly supports Finland’s approach and would be glad to see it implemented in America.
