In the 21st episode of the "Huaxi Lecture Series" titled "Harvard Dad, Stanford Mom Talk Education," Mr. CARLLU and his wife, Ms. Huang Huijun, were enthusiastically welcomed by over a hundred parents, teachers, and students from Sichuan. The couple holds diplomas from five of the world's top universities: Harvard, Oxford, Pennsylvania, Stanford, and MIT.
Discussing parental responsibilities, Carl said, "Every night I ask my children three questions." Carl manages several hundred million dollars in educational funds, while his wife, Ms. Huang Huijun, is the chairperson of the board of governors at Hong Kong's Chinese International School. Once, while on a business trip in Chongqing to negotiate a project that was expected to last from the previous week until the following Monday, Carl politely declined an invitation to sightsee over the weekend, citing his reason as, "No matter how busy I am, I must go home and be with my family on weekends."
The CARL couple has four children: a pair of twins and a pair of boy-girl twins. Every night before bed, they ask their children three questions: "What interesting things did you learn today?", "What did you find fun today?", and "What made you happy today?" After the children enter the first year of junior high school, the first question changes to "What did you learn today, and how will it help you?"
What kind of parents can raise children who attend Harvard, Oxford, and Stanford? This is a topic of great interest to many Chinese parents. Mr. CARLLU said that the most helpful thing his father did for him was to help him find role models. "When I was in the first year of junior high school, my father helped me find an outstanding senior student in our school. Finding role models isn't just for getting into prestigious universities; it helps in other aspects of life as well. The key is to find the right people."
On building confidence, "What should be done for shy children, and how to cultivate their self-confidence?" The CARL couple gave an example of their daughter, who was very shy when she was young but excelled in sports. They sent her to Geelong Grammar School in Australia. In her ninth grade, she moved with 240 classmates to a special campus called "Timbertop," located 300 kilometers away from the main campus. This campus, covering 3000 acres in a remote area of southern Australia, is where Prince Charles also studied during his youth. There, students cannot use mobile phones or access the internet, and without parental care, all activities are done together with others. Every day presents different challenges: physical training, mountain climbing, swimming in rivers, and working on farms... At the age of 14, their daughter even raised cattle and performed one of the most astonishing tasks—castrating bulls!
There, students learn how to interact within a team. Their daughter once carried a 20-kilogram load and walked continuously for 17 hours, eventually injuring her legs. With the help and encouragement of her teammates, she completed the entire journey. A year later, at the graduation ceremony, everyone finished their studies by running a marathon.
On the philosophy of elite schools, Harvard and Stanford value curiosity. Students not only need high scores, "Many applicants to Harvard and Stanford have high scores, but the schools equally value whether you have curiosity and a sense of exploration," said CARLLU. Not everyone needs to attend prestigious universities. "Even if you get into a prestigious university, it doesn't guarantee success. Success comes from your inner thoughts and persistence, not just the knowledge you gain in school." A friend of the CARL couple, Mr. Zhuo Ran, who interviewed the president of Harvard and served as the director of the education committee at MIT, mentioned a famous saying at MIT—"When you are yourself, beauty is right there."
During an interview with Drew Gilpin Faust, Harvard's first female president, Mr. Zhuo encountered the famous parking theory. When driving to a crowded place where parking might be very tight, many people may stop their cars prematurely out of fear of not finding a spot. "Don't park 20 intersections away from your destination because you're afraid of not finding a spot. Go directly to your destination, and even if you have to circle back to park, the temporary parking spot is merely a forced one..." Mr. Zhuo explained, "The Harvard president believes that one should not be too early bound by reality. Listen to your voice and don't stop until you reach your destination." (Reported by Zhang Zheng)