Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today, a famous quote from the great Malcolm X. Education is one of the most powerful tools an individual can use to unlock the future, breaking barriers, sharing or exchanging knowledge which can later be used to change the world. This is not intended to be a dreary composition about education or its history, but rather my personal experiences and relationship with education as an immigrant. I was born and raised in the beautiful Island of Jamaica, a country that fashioned its teachings around the British educational system.
As a Jamaican, I have faced many challenges adjusting to the educational format in the United States, as it differs in many ways from the style used in Jamaica. The use of spelling and grammar, the class grades, the curriculum content, as well as the standardized testing were some of the main factors that aided in the challenges I had however, I believe the resources and skills that were imbedded in me throughout my years of schooling in Jamaica propelled and shaped me into being the person I am today. People from countries in the Caribbean that utilizes the British educational system tend to have a bit of a challenge adjusting to the American educational style, especially the ones that have completed high school prior to emigrating to the United States. The differences in accent and dialect also poses a challenge when transitioning to the United States.
The biggest challenge for me was learning how to spell the American way. From as little as eight months old, my mom would read and spell to me. Therefore, I started learning the Jamaican way of spelling before I was even old enough to attend school. With these principles being taught to me for the past twenty plus years, it took some readjusting to learn the American way of spelling. The Jamaican and American employs different grammar and spelling styles as a result of the British system using the spelling of words it absorbed from other languages such as French and German. American English on the other hand bases its spelling mainly on how the words sound when it is spoken, furthermore resulting in the differences in the pronunciation of the words. Additionally, the use of grammar is different as the Jamaican system considers collective nouns to be singular or plural depending on whether the group is thought of as an idea, or many individuals. In America, they only consider collective nouns as singular so for instance Jamaicans would say “Which team is/are losing” while the Americans would say “Which team is winning”. I remember having conversations with people I met in the grocery store when I just moved here, they found it somewhat difficult to understand my native language and always tried correcting me when I used the British grammar. I also spoke way too fast for them so for them to understand exactly what I was trying to say, I had to speak slower and in standard English. This is something I had experienced on numerous occasions when I had just moved to the United States.
Another challenge I had to adjust to was the differences in class grades. In Jamaica, it is mandatory for students to start formal education at the age of four which is one year earlier than the required age in the United States. At the secondary level, students are required to leave school by the age of 16 in Jamaica but can attend up to the age of 18 in the United States. There are two General schools that Jamaica offers that students attend between those age group: Primary school (grades 1-6) and High School (grades 7-13). However, the United States has three General schools: Elementary school (grades 1-5), Middle school (grades 6-8) and High school (grades 9-12). At the age of 12, I was in the 8th grade and it works the same for other students at that age group however, American students of the same age are in the 7th grade. The reason for the labeled higher number in comparison to the United States is the fact that year one in Jamaica is equivalent to kinder garden in America.
The curriculum content and grading system used were also factors which posed a challenged in the transitioning process for me. When it comes on to standardized testing, it differs as the United States quality of education as well as the standard varies based on States and sometimes districts. Countries under the British system have a national standardized testing throughout primary and secondary school. In Jamaica we have CXC and CAPE exams which are taken in high school, both contributing to college admissions. Each student has the option of choosing a specialty such as science, business and the arts, in addition to the core Math and English courses which are then tested in that area to see their competence. In America, the SAT exam is taken in high school which focuses on general studies and features their competence in areas such as Math, critical reading and writing, which is further used towards their college admissions. Additionally, an important point to note is that the United States high school standardized testing system is mainly focused on general academic ability of students which aids in the preparation of colleges, while the Jamaican style allows students to test in their specific area based on their specialty.
Amidst of the challenges, I faced adjusting to the educational system in the United States, I believe the resources and skills that were imbedded in me throughout my years of schooling in Jamaica, as well as the limited resources that were provided with it being a third world country propelled and shaped me into being the person I am today. As a result of my personal experiences after moving to the United States as well as stories I have heard from my friends that shared similar experiences, it is safe to say that people from countries in the Caribbean tend to have some challenges adapting to the American educational system. Furthermore, being a Jamaican immigrant was beneficial in the sense that the style, system as well as the limited resources that were provided made me more aware and appreciative of the tools, technology and resources the American system provides.
