Education has always been something to look out for whenever you are planning to get a job or be someone in life. That is obvious to see, but we can only support you so much and give you the pushes necessary to keep you motivated. We want you to be independent so you may learn and prepare yourself for the big world. This was something my parents have said to me to get me to learn from my mistakes and actions. They wanted to set me up for school and to understand that in school your decisions can affect the way you continue through your education and that just like the outside world, in school you’re on your own. This is why I feel like my education was impacted the most by the students around me. 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 no matter the obstacles.
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. Full of unique experiences since kids from all different backgrounds and cultures come together to learn and help each other, with different ideas and opinions. Elementary school was very much like this, we got to know each other, by communicating and being interactive. We all started at the same level of basic knowledge and it didn’t matter where we came from, we all had one thing in common. We were hungry for knowledge. We were still young enough to be curious, we all wanted to learn something new and have our own thoughts and opinions on that specific subject/matter. You are never alone in this beginning experience when you are with kids who want to learn just like you. In elementary school, we would learn from each other more than from the teachers, which was what made it such a unique experience.
Middle school was 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 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, even though 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 decisions and actions. But others that care about you like your parents will always try to guide you to become a successful person who has accomplished everything that you have wanted. All of these experiences have really taught me to work and learn for myself and the rest of the world continues to move on forward with or without you. College is a completely new experience for most of us, but it is built upon our own past experiences. We are here for a degree, but we must learn that we are all on our own. It is up to us to put in the effort and take the work seriously in order to learn something from it. These experiences have really helped me become who I am currently and will become later in the future.
