When a Peking Family Meets Aupair tells a story of a typical Chinese household. In this movie, the mother employs aupair (Natalie) beyond economic capability to teach her daughter (PiPi) English in order to immigrate early to provide better environment and education for PiPi. A number of differences exist in culture customs and education methods between Chinese parents and Natalie. This movie shows the real living conditions of present Chinese family may face, such as children’s education, couple’s affection, Chinese outlook on life and values, having aesthetic taste and the meaning of cultural thinking and practical guidance.
Little Miss Sunshine tells a story of an American family who treks from Albuquerque to California to attend a beauty contest called “Little Miss Sunshine” to fulfill the deepest wish of their little daughter (Olive). Although family members go through a variety of frustration constantly, the whole family learns to encourage and support each other on the way to realize Olive’s dream. Many matters in this film have reflected the methods, features and values of American family education, having the meaning of reference and guidance.
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The definition of family education is stated like this in Family Pedagogy: “Generally speaking, family education is the education activity which focuses on parent-child relationship and aims at cultivating people required by the society. It is the influence on inpidual exerted by family during the process of man’s socialization (Deng Zuojun, 1995:7)”. “Firstly, based on blood relationship, family education is an education of love and life which mainly depends on the unconscious influence of what one constantly sees and hears by taking unique advantage of family. Secondly, it is informal education. Although family education has certain purposes, it is not organized and planned education. Thirdly, family education is lifelong education (Zhao Zhongxin, 2001:5).”
However, to reflect all the meanings and essences of modern family education, we must consider the features of the times to grasp and understand family education from the dynamic point of view. Therefore, we think modern family education refers to the interactive education based on the two-way communication and mutual influence of family members with a link of blood relationship in real family life. Family education is directive or indirective: direct family education means to the interactive education and training conducted between parents and children according to certain social requirements in family life; indirect family education refers to the unconscious influence and edification produced by family environment, family atmosphere, parents’ words and deeds and children’s growth.