For the millionth time here in China, I have run into yet another idea that those of us from the Western world take for granted: the idea of the genius. I know I like to think that if a person is a genius in some subject or discipline, that he or she will be successful no matter what the conditions. As if I needed a reminder that this idea is flawed, I read this in an essay by a student I taught for a month this semester:

"As a citizen, I admire my country; as a student, I admire my school; as a family member, I admire my family. But as a child, I admire my mother. My mother is 47 years old now. She is becoming older and older. She is a farmer and a housewife. She has never been to school. She is not a beauty, the ages have given her wrinkles and disease. She is not a genius because there’s no chance for her to become a genius."