Born in China, I lived with my uncle after my parents’ departing to U.S. when I was seven. Since my uncle was principal of an elementary school in China, I resided in the school as well. My view on education was greatly impacted by my family as my grandfather, a retired school teacher, constantly instilled the importance of education into me. He told me that people with better education could succeed with better chances in the future. That time I had some understanding that the purpose of education is to get people ready for their future.
Schools in China are much harder due to strict regulations and school system compare to these in America. Schools in China have national core curriculum system, so everyone studies same thing at each grade level. Also, the pace of schools in China is faster than that in the U.S. Especially, in Middle School, I had to stay and study in school for almost twelve hours every day. As a result, Chinese schools’ strict regulations have made me an effective student, who respects teachers and completes all assignment on time. Although affected by family and school, I still did not realize how important education was. As a kid who thought little about future, I valued more of a carefree lifestyle.
Moving to U.S. at the age of thirteen, I started to live with my parents. Family again has affected my values of education. My parents own a restaurant, so I go to restaurant everyday to help out. Since I stayed at home all the time when I was in China, I became accustomed to that kind of life style and stay in restaurant every day. In addition, American school also had huge impact on my definition of education. American school style is much different and easier compare to what I had in China. It was hard for me to adapt to new school system and language. Knowing that I just moved from different nation, teachers have helped me greatly to get accustomed to the school and understand English better. Because of the helps I received from...