Ambition, Commitment and Enthusiasm in My Education - Essay Example

Ambition, Commitment and Enthusiasm in My Education One of the episodes of my life that is similar to one of Rodriguez’s episodes of schooling is my ambitious commitment to education. Like Rodriguez, I was always determined to succeed in my academics at school. This essay will look at this episode in the same manner that Rodriguez does. It will interpret my experience as a student in the same manner that Rodriguez interprets his own experience. In other words, the essay imitates Rodriguez’s approach. However, it focuses on my own experiences as I struggled through school against all challenges. My dedication to studies is similar to Rodriguez’s dedication since childhood, but in my case I balanced school and family life better than him. In my childhood, I admired people who had attained high education levels. Although my parents were also educated, I had an ambition to do better and gain even higher education than them. Like Rodriguez who barely understood English, I also started my education with little knowledge in English. Despite these challenges, my ambition to become educated pushed me to learn fast. My parents and siblings also encouraged and supported me. They would ask me if I needed time to study, and I always seemed not to get tired reading – from novels, to newspapers, to short stories, and several other books that I could access. The thirsty of knowledge and of education brought me closer to books. Despite my commitment to education in my childhood education, I always liked being close to my parents. Rodriquez explains that sometimes he would be detached from his parents due to his ambitious reading (Bartholomae & Petrosky, 2005). In my case, reading and education never threatened my relationship with parents and siblings. Whenever my parents were hasty to go somewhere or do something, I would go with them, bringing my book along with me. I learned to balance between family and education life since I was young. My parents always encouraged me, giving me the motivation to improve my study skills and perform better in school. I was not confident in my education when I was young, just like Rodriguez. However, my parents always reminded me that I had the ability to achieve my dreams. I built my confidence slowly, and by High School I was confident. Before making any significant decisions regarding my education, I consulted my parents who would always give me advices that changed my approaches positively. Rodriguez also changed his attitude from third year, showing the similarity between his education and mine. From a middle class family, my adjustment to the classroom was also difficult, but my desire to improve academically led me to adjust easily. I was used to the home’s plentiful love, support, food, and play with my siblings and parents. School was different. Students would stay long hours in class, reading, writing, and listening. It was not easy for me to adapt to this system, but I always reminded myself of the achievements I targeted in education. I thought of the educated people in my neighbourhood, and the kinds of life they live compared to illiterate poor people back in my grandfather’s village. I would say to myself, “No matter how hard it is adapt, I must do it”. Rodriguez contends that there is little success without extraordinary determination and assistance from others. Although all the students in my class got the same amount of assistance from teachers and staff at school, some students scored lower grades than others. I was always among the leading students in every test and examinations. Now when I think about it, I start to believe what Rodriguez said. Looking life from his lenses and his perspectives makes sense to me now. Indeed, my success was as a result of my extraordinary determination as well as support from home. Enthusiasm is also a good element of determination and dedication for success. At second-grade, Rodriguez was already enthusiastic about education. Although I was not enthusiastic in the lower grades, my enthusiasm grew significantly in the upper grades. When I was young I enjoyed my life at home, playing and attending parties with my parents. My parents gave me everything I wanted, and supported me in many areas. I did not see the importance of Education until I started to see life beyond our home. Then my enthusiasm grew. In everything we learned I was curious to know more. As a result, I asked our teacher a lot of questions. My classmates laughed at me and called me names, but I did not relent. I was always curious to learn more. At home, I told my parents about our lessons at school. I thought it was important for my parents to learn and teach me more. I asked them questions, and sometimes I thought I was becoming bothersome to them. This curiosity expanded my knowledge and my determination to perform better in my education. Earlier in my childhood I opposed my parents when they encouraged me to study, but as I progressed in my education their encouragements became relevant to me. I no longer waited to be told to go to school, to learn, to read or to study. I grabbed a book and a pen at every available opportunity and studied hard. As my enthusiasm and determination became stronger, my performance also improved. I started to see the fruits of my hard work and determination. I started to see my success. I noted that education had changed my life since my lower grades. At home I combined domestic work with my education. I would sweep the house with one hand, and hold a book and pen with the other. Every time I stopped to rest, I would read a few lines or paragraphs of my book, and wrote down the things that interested me. My parents would remind me that it was time to sleep, eat meals, or go to the garden. At school, my hands were always raised to answer or ask a question. Without knowing, these habits transformed my life. They became the pillars of success in education. Since first grade, I was always supportive and obedient at home. I helped my parents with household chores and businesses, and obeyed their wishes. I felt the love and support of my parents, and I felt dutiful to return the love with good deeds. My brothers and sisters were very playful, but I did not join them often because I had to balance my schoolwork with the household chores. Instead of playing, I preferred doing my assignments. My elder brother hated homework, but I enjoyed doing mine. My parents guided me through my homework whenever they got time. Rodriguez had the same level of enthusiasm. He did his assignments on time and supported and obeyed his parents at home. The balance between home and school work gave me an opportunity to succeed in all aspects of my life. I not just succeed at school, but also at home. I gained my parents’ love, support and trust due to my determination and hard work both at school and at home. This reflects the position of Rodriguez in the fourth grade when his gained favour from his parents and his family life became easy. Unlike Rodriguez, my experience of positive life at home began when I was in the first grade. Since my childhood I never acted irresponsibly both at school and at home. This behaviour combined with my determination and enthusiasm is the major causes of my success in education and life in general. Like Rodriguez, I considered the changes in my life through education as important because they gave me a wider understanding and improved relationship with others. I learned a lot of things, passed in my examination, and felt happy about everything. Rodriguez said, “It mattered that education was changing me. It never ceased to matter”. I saw education as an important part of my life. One Saturday afternoon when I was going through my papers in the garden I heard my mother shouting, “you have left the water tab running?’ I was sorry, but my excitement for the good performance at school had overridden everything. Throughout my life, I kept several books on my shelf. Some of them were meant for educational purpose while others were for general knowledge. I would share them with my parents who also enjoyed reading. In fact, some of the books on my shelf were inherited from them. Rodriguez suggests that his parents did not like reading. He was embarrassed with their lack of education. On the other hand, I was very proud of my parents since First Grade. They always enjoyed reading and encouraged me to do so. They were my first role models, and a great reason for my success. Like Rodriguez, my parents played a significant role in my education. Most parents are important in their children’s education, but different circumstances lead different parents to bri9ng up their children differently. For me, my parents were educated, concerned, and determined. They gave me all the necessary ingredients of successful education. My parents had a lot of duties, but the education of their children was a priority. They would always pay my tuition fees and those of my siblings before buying other necessities in the house. Staying at school without lacking anything boosted my attitude as I struggled to succeed in education just like my parents and give my children good education in future. I started to have a dream career when I was in High School. Although I did not reveal my dreams to anyone, I thought that being a teacher would make me happy. In my view during my High School life, teachers were important pillars of my success. They were helpful at school in the same way that my parents were at home. Teachers give motivation to improve students’ studies (Bartholomae & Petrosky, 2005). Through them, I successfully complete my High School Education. I admired my teachers, so I wanted to do the same work they were doing. One day my father asked me if I already had a career in mind to pursue. I was afraid to say that I wanted to become a teacher. I thought they would not approve it. I just told them that I was working on my grades and my career choice would come in later years. I believed that education provides people with an opportunity to advance in terms of career and employment, but my teacher told me that education empowers people to see the world in a different perspective. I took his advice, and I used education as a means of attaining knowledge and skills needed to solve everyday problems. Although one of the primary successes of education is to score high grades, I viewed education differently. I read a lot of books outside my school syllabus in order to know several things outside the formal school curriculum. Without expecting, such a wide reading helped in school to answer exam questions and relate well with teachers and students. More importantly, education enabled me to understand a lot of things that influence human life (Miller, 2005). Rodriguez viewed his success in education as a good influence in the lives of his parents and his siblings. Education widens our perspectives and gives us an opportunity to interpret life issues in a wider context in order to influence lives outside the individual and his or her family. My dream to become a teacher encouraged me to perform better in High School. My parents always said that they were proud of me. They praised my consistent discipline and good performance in Education. Whenever my parents spoke to the teachers, they would always be told of good things about me. My success in education made everyone in the family happy, and we lived with a lot of love and understanding. Sometimes we would face challenges, but unity in the family was imminent. We overcame everything through combined efforts. I borrowed this behaviour at home and applied it at school. Therefore, my education was improved by cooperation with the teachers and other students. References List Bartholomae, D., & Petrosky, T. (2005). Ways of reading: An anthology for writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins. Miller, D.Q. (2005). The generation of ideas: A thematic reader. Boston, Mass: Thomson/Wadsworth. Rodriguez, R. (n.d.). The Achievement of Desire. Read More