Education has always been something to look out for whenever you are planning to get a job or be someone in life. This world keeps going forward and if you fall behind this world is cruel enough to leave you behind. If it gets to that point you’re going to have to drag yourself forward and put in the effort needed to prove not to us but to yourself that you can do it. This was something my parents tried to make me understand since the first day I stepped into school. They wanted me to feel positive, good, and as optimistic as possible which to this day has helped me push on forward. They would tell me that everyone is born with a thirst for knowledge, it can be as simple as just doing or thinking about something. Doing so can bring out our curiosity and get us to experience new things in life. They would always ask me this question, ‘Do you want to end up like the people on the streets, the street vendors/homeless? They struggle to survive and they are always in need of something. From a family who comes to America to give us a bright future, they give you the sense that here in America, education is key to success and future, you are given the opportunities and it is up to you to use them.
Schools are some of the most diverse and unique ways to learn. Education in public schools has always been different from that in private/charter schools. Kids from all different backgrounds and cultures come together to learn and help each other, with different ideas and opinions we can all learn from each other. We got to know each other and when it was needed we would all help each other as well. That was elementary school and what I thought the rest of my life in public schools was going to look like. I was wrong, in middle school, I was opened to newer opportunities that were quickly crushed by the students around me. It felt different and the atmosphere was completely new, I was surrounded by students who cared and didn’t, and that surprised me. Students started making groups and if you didn’t fit in quickly you would be alone. These groups limited the diversity that I was used to and if you tried to talk to them they would just give you that look of don’t talk to me. Also being shy really didn’t help me cope with this new system. I was lucky enough to have made friends, but to my surprise, they were the do-nothing type of kids. They would spend most of the class time chatting and playing games, unfortunately, I had no choice but to sit next to them since I felt more comfortable doing so. My friends who were good for nothing had potential; they just didn’t want to show it. I had a project to do with them, which I knew I was going to have problems completing with them, so I decided to do it by myself. This put more stress in my life and forced me to do the work in order to keep my grade as-is and pass. This changed my view on how education was meant to be and I realized that in school you are all alone with your education; it was just you and the teacher. The other students in the classroom are roadblocks, distractions, and just students who want to hurt you into being one just like them, well that’s what I thought. I remember one day the teacher called a student who liked acting funny to attract everyone’s attention the “class clown” because this student would always do something to stop the teacher from teaching the entire class time.
I was now in High School and I decided to be alone this time, but it was hard. You had group projects to do with assigned people and it didn’t matter if you liked that person or not you had a project to do. In high school, students were more mature and know when it’s too much or too little. This is when the diversity starts to take place, you make new friends and people are open to learning more about you. They even start talking to you by walking up to you and starting a conversation. As students, we now know more due to past experiences and by sharing them others learn from them too. But, after all of this, some students never change and continue to be in the spotlight of everyone’s attention. At least they now keep it within their groups instead of stopping the whole class for an unnecessary comment. This once again helped me change my view on how education and school should work. Specifically, the way I was learning due to my past experiences. I made sure to make the right decisions when going through the grades of high school. Education is only for your benefit and it is up to you to expand your knowledge with the help of the people around you. It is up to you to see if the people around you can help you benefit or hurt your future.
The people around you can really affect your actions and emotions. Having free public school could be a good thing, but when parents force their kids to go to school because they don’t want to, this affects us because they won’t put in the same effort as someone who does and wants to learn. They would instead waste time for themselves and others by talking and joking while wasting class time. Some will even tell you that school is useless and not needed, that there are jobs out there that don’t need a diploma or degree. But others that care about you like your parents always want the best for you and they want you to become a good person. Having a unique experience helped me define who I really am and what I want to become. These experiences have really taught me to work and learn for myself and the rest of the world on its own as well. Learn to trust and who to distrust can help you go on the right path.
I agree with your draft i had to learn how to do things myself once i got to high school because a lot of kids there didn’t care. Once i left i saw how diverse people are. In my high school if you didn’t act or dress a certain way you were like outcasted. Sometimes family makes it harder when they apply more pressure on you.