Zuckerberg Doesn't Have a Tiger Daddy

"Rather than impose upon your kids or try and steer their lives in a certain direction,
to recognize what their strengths are and support their strengths and
support the development of the things they're passionate about."
-Zuckerberg father ( of Facebook founder Mark)

His Ability to Program Was Self-Taught

Orig. posted Feb 2011

by C.J. Westerberg

More and more, my one-size-does-not-fit-all philosophy about schools, education, and
learning, grows stronger in the direction of exposing our youth - aka students -
to the real-world, not through examples of pizza pie math problems, but by getting
them out of the class "room" mentality, by exploring their interests, and not
underestimating their ability to self-learn, especially when "guided" by knowing/showing/
caring adults, who are modeling such learning.

This in, from Salon, Facebook: Dr. Zuckerberg Talks About his Son Mark's Upbringing:

Mark Zuckerberg's father said in a radio interview Friday that an early exposure to computers inspired his son's interest in technology, and he encouraged parents to support their children's strengths and passions with a balance of "work and play."

"My kids all grew up around the office and were all exposed to computers," said Dr. Edward Zuckerberg, a dentist. "There are advantages to being exposed to computers early on. That certainly enriched Mark's interest in technology."

Zuckerberg said he computerized his offices in 1985. His son Mark Zuckerberg, cofounder and CEO of Facebook, was born in 1984 and was raised in the house where his father's dental offices are located in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., in suburban Westchester.

The dentist said his own computer science background was "limited" -- he majored in biology in college -- but he said he's "always been technologically oriented in the office" and "always had the latest high-tech toys," including an early Atari 800.

Ah, and now another "self-taught" exceptional child - saying this facetiously - just talk to
Sugatra Mitra about this "unusual" talent. Zuckerberg's dad continues:

He said Mark got a book on programming, but "ultimately his ability to program was self-taught."

Now, for the crescendo on parenting:

"Probably the best thing I can say is something that my wife and I have always believed in," he said. "Rather than impose upon your kids or try and steer their lives in a certain direction, to recognize what their strengths are and support their strengths and support the development of the things they're passionate about."

Sounds like an authoritative parent, not an authoritarian one, the latter being
"Tiger Mom" :

Zuckerberg said he "didn't believe in physical discipline" but added that certain behaviors require parents to let children know "right there on the spot, this is a behavior that will not be tolerated. If you impart your dislikes about certain negative behaviors early in their lives, they will learn to understand what your feelings on certain matters are.

Zuckerberg said he doesn't want to portray himself as an expert on childrearing, but he said: "I think that extremes in any form in parenting are not good. Children need to be well-rounded. There's a place for work and a place for play."
He described Mark as "a good student" with "a special affinity for math and sciences," as well as a "very quiet guy" who "doesn't like to boast about his accomplishments."

I get the fact that Zuckerberg may not be the epitome of fabulousness in the "person we

want to be department", but you get the point.

Reminds me of that scene in the movie "Any Given Sunday" where Pacino barks advice
to Jamie Fox in the beginning of the movie, where Fox just nods and mutters "Uh huh",
and then the transformative moment for both characters came in the ending, when Pacino
said in a crucial moment when Fox asked Pacino for advice, Pacino replied, something to
the effect, of "Do what you think" . . .

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