One evening at the campus in China, I was waiting at the main gate to the campus for a student to have dinner with me. It was a eureka moment for me because it was the first time I took notice of the two huge bonsai trees in elegant pots, one on either side of the gate. Suddenly, I saw something more than those two elegant potted trees. They reminded me of the young men and women under my care in my daily classes; their thinking, behaviors, mindsets, personal interactions, class participation, community activities, likes and dislikes, and habits were expected and predictable because of years of trimming, pruning, twisting, and shaping by their parents to be who they are today. They are the bonsai kids. Here are some of their voices.
