My own educational Path

From 2003-2006

Introdcution

Hi everybody,

                  My name is Ka Ho Lee, I am an international student from Hong Kong. As an international student in Foothill, this is my second year in this college but it¡¦s the third year in the United States. I have been studying in Arkansas for one year as an exchange student. In this year I am planning to transfer to one of the UC and especially I would like to transfer to UCLA. That¡¦s why I join the honors program. On the other hand, I could challenge myself and also, the honors program can be defined as a short cut to get in to UCLA. In this eprofolio I would focus on describing my educational path starting from the first day I came to the USA to this moment. It is because I think there is such a big change in my attitude on learning and also my academic result too. Also I would explain what led me to have this kind of change and also how I felt after I came to the U.S.A. by several journey.

        ¢×hope everyone would enjoy reading and feel free to leave comment for me so I can do better in this eprofolio.

Educational system in Hong Kong vs. U.S.

                 After graduating from high school, I decided to pursue my studies here because U.S. education system is more innovative and motivating. In contrast, Hong Kong¡¦s education system merely requires students to learn by rote and cram for examinations. Not only does the education system here arouse students¡¦ appetite for learning, but it also inspires and develops their capabilities to the fullest extent. As a result, I have long seen the advantages of U.S. education and was attracted by it.

              First of all, the most obvious different is that in U.S.A. it has 3 year elementary study and learns come to 12 years middle and High school study. But in Hong Kong there is a little bit different although we have 3 years elementary school too, but then we have 6 years primary school and after those 6 years you would need to take a public exam and try to get in to the best High school you would like to get in. After than when you enter secondary school which equal grade 7 to 12. At grade 11 you would need to take another public exam which will cut off half amount of student in grade 11 since there is not enough school¡¦s seat for the entire grade 11 students to get into grade 12.  Other than that one of the most important different is that in Hong Kong the education systems engage students to stuff their brain with knowledge rather than build up their creativity.  In United States, the education system encourages students to be creative and leaves space for them to create their own things by themselves. I don¡¦t know which type is better but all I think is the U.S. kind match me more., American education system require students learn and improve themselves academically because they rather their students¡¦ build up more creativity.  For example teacher would make some those creative questions which do not have a correct answer in order to let those students to think themselves. In my home country, Hong Kong, our elementary school teachers request us to recite the multiplication table fluently from memory. Thus, if someone tries to ask any elementary students to answer a mathematic question, they can answer directly without calculations.  In oppose, the American education system allows students to create their own method on calculating. Although there is some statistics showing that the American students¡¦ knowledge level, only 11% of eighth-graders students can solve seventh-grade math problems, also, almost half of them cannot locate Britain on a map of Europe. But for me I think if teenagers just learn in a classroom setting in which students have to follow teachers¡¦ instructions or exactly answers. It will limit what the student idea.

School life in Hong Kong

                     In Hong Kong, I am the kind of student that really naughty. When I am in primary school I have tried to escape from school. Start form grade 7 which equal to our secondary school, I have tried to tell myself I should work hard and do my best in the next 6 years. But the truth is I become more and more lazy and also I become naughtier. I am the kind of student that most teachers don¡¦t really like. Actually I know I should not blame on the educational system but I how some to some extent I dun really like the teaching style in Hong Kong. The grade I got in every grade become worse. Since my class teacher will meet my parent every year so every time all the said is, ¡¥Your son speak too much in class, and also if he could concentrate in class, he could have better achieve or at least get better grade.¡¦ The kind of thing just keeps coming from my class teacher mouth to my parents. And all I told my parent is that I can do good in class just I can¡¦t bear the risk in exam. Actually that¡¦s the truth and sometime is even got frustrated since I don¡¦t know why I could not do well in exam. Finally I come out with a really naïve conclusion which is I am not work hard enough, may be this is really one of the fast but at that moment I still haven¡¦t figure out that the problem is coming for my attitude. Also sometime I have the feeling that I do so badly already so sometimes I don¡¦t really have the motivation to push myself to study. I just don¡¦t care about it and keep being like so finally¡K¡K¡K¡K.

My failure..

As I mentioned, I was not a good student in my secondary school. I played around in school, disturbing my classmates from paying attention in class, or even tricked my teachers. I spent most of my time in school doing meaningless stuffs. As a result, I didn¡¦t get good grades in school. One year left to the HKCEE, I knew I have to work really hard and spent more time than the others in order to get to the same level as my classmates. I tried, but it was already too late to do so. In the last semester of the last year, I failed most of my classes, it was really a shame and I did regret a lot. After I got my result, I didn¡¦t give up, I knew there were 3 months left to the HKCEE, I could make it. In that 3 months, I hold my textbooks or notes everywhere, even when I was having dinner. Anyway, I took the HKCEE and got my result after 2 months. I was disappointed, I got 11 points out of 30. I failed to get into grade 12 of my secondary school, I could not even make to another lower level secondary school. My friends, they were all glad of what they got, I knew, they worked hard and did pay attention in school all the time, and they should earn those good results. My parents kept telling me not to be sad and I could have many other ways to approach my achievement. As they tried to make me feel better, I felt worse and sorry to them. That was my big, big failure! I shut myself in my room for days and thought of many things. Soon, I thought of studying abroad too.

Change after I come to U.S.A.

                    I have never imagined I would come to a place like that in that year. Though it was a really good experience for me, .when I first arrival Fort Smith airport, my brain was totally blank because it is a really rural area. As everyone know Hong Kong is a really crowd area but in Arkansas is totally different, when I look out my host father car¡¦s window everywhere is just farm. Actually is not that bad if you live in the city part of Arkansas but my host family is living in the part that really rural. In the town I live call Rover, the population is about 2000 people but the size of it is equal to Mountain View. So you could imagine how rural it is.

Finally, after I week I start to get use to the environment. And then it comes to the day of the school start. It shocked me again because it includes both elementary, middle and high school in one block. And there is just one floor. Compare to my school in Hong Kong my although my school is not really big but there is 5 floor all together. What even make me feel surprise that in each grade there is only one class and normally there are just 10-15 people in one class. Also there is just 120 students in the whole school. Hornestly in that year i donlt really learn much since the teacher in the school treat me special. She would give me a good grade whatever i do so i don;t need to worry about grade in that year

 Here is Fourche Valley, although I don¡¦t really love staying there like but it is a really good and unforgettable experience

My academic Venture at Foothill

               After the year I spend in Fourche Valley, I knew myself couldn¡¦t stay in such a rural area. So I planned to transfer to a 2 year college. And finally I choose foothill. Although the year I spend in Arkansas is a kind of boring but it does give me an idea of America teaching style. In the first quarter in foothill I have take 3 subject which is economics 1b and Esl 25. When I first get in the classroom, I find out that in college we have a small class too since I imagine in college we would have more class in a big hall with hundred classmates. Besides that what I feel comfortable is that we could choose our own seat. Someone would think that is not a big dual, but in my mind it signifies that the teaching style in U.S. is to give more freedom to students in stead of restricting them. One other thing I notice is that I find out in the first several lesson is that I need to be really pay attention in class in order to know what the instructor teaching. I start changing my attitude in class from do nothing in class into pay really attention and drop lots of notes. Someone may say that is a disadvantage to learn in a environment which using your second language. But for me I would say because it is my second language so I would spend more time and put more afford in order to understand all the material cover in lesson, if the teacher is teaching by Chinese I would probably act like I in high school since I think I don¡¦t need to pay attention to hear what the teacher say. So finally it comes out I got both A in both classes It really cheer me up a lot because the last time I got all A in one quarter all semester should be in first grade already. Although there were just two subjects but I do feel that in order to success, I need to be work hard. So in the second quarter I take more subjects which included business 22, esl 26, music 10 and also econ 1a. it comes out I drop esl 26 during the quarter. Because the grade of my first essay is really bad, so I tried to talk with the instructor and also think about the problem myself. Finally I decided to drop it. I notice that the reason of it is because that just my second quarter in foothill so is I still couldn¡¦t handle so many work. If I keep on taking esl 26 the result would be bad. In the incident, it shows another change after I come to U.S. When I am in high school back in Hong Kong, once I get a bad result in that subject, I would just give it up in stead of reviewing my problem. I just think that I can¡¦t do better forever in that subject in stead of trying to find out the problem and review it.

Finally I got all A in this quarter. Following by the next two quarter I just get 1 B. So I decided to join the honor program. This is another challenge for me to overcome because I never join this kind of program in my entire life.

Additional: Different other than Academic:

There are a lot more change a have made beside on academic field. Although this may not related to my educational path but still I would like to shares my feel and my experience since this will help everyone who read this eprofolio know me better.      Sometime I think in one¡¦s life time, there must be some sorts of unforgettable experience. The experience could be sweet, tragic, or bittersweet one. If it was a happy experience, it is very normal that you would want to remember it. Otherwise, I would like to suggest that we should not have to let ourselves drown in the sadness. As long as we remember the persons or things that have changed our life and learn a lesson from it,         
       I think that would be enough. Everyone makes mistakes in their lives and therefore I think it would be good to take a positive attitude towards our mistakes. Therefore rather than feeling sad or worrying about our past, we should stand up and face our future bravely because there is always a tomorrow waiting for us to begin. I had a lot of great experiences in America that I become so independent and mature now.

I am the oldest one in my family. I have one younger brother who is seventeen years old. My family always give me the best, for I am the. Since my parents own a factory in China and they always spend their day times to work so they can¡¦t always stay with me. They employed a maid to look after me, cook meals and tidy my room etc. I know I am the very lucky one because most of my schoolmates need to do household duties and take care of their younger sisters and brothers. My parents give me enough freedom to do what I want to do and they
provide a good environment for me to grow up. My parents will try their best to satisfy all of my wants. I think I have had a great improvement and being independent since I came here last year. When I was in Hong Kong, I had some bad habits like never tidy up my room by myself and always ask my parents to buy something useless for me, relying too much on the parents and my maid.

 The first time that I went to laundry to wash my clothes is an unforgettable memory for me. At first, I brought my a load of dirty clothes to laundry but I didn¡¦t know I need bring my washing powder with me, so I walked back home to take the powder; but after I got the powder to laundry, I forgot to bring my laundry key. After I had made few roundtrips between my home and laundry room, I washed my clothes finally. When I think everything will be alright, I realized that I put the dark color clothes with white clothes together, so my white clothes dyed to grey color or even worst. Also, I put my woolen sweater into the dryer and it became an extra small size sweater from a small size. I checked it out and found that it only suits my 10 years old cousin. I felt very disappointed to myself when I found that I don¡¦t know how to do such a little thing at age seventeen.

                        Every time I tried to cook by myself when I was living in Hong Kong, my maid always kept me out from the kitchen since she was afraid that I would get injured. One time when there was no one at home, I tried to cook instant noodle, I thought it had to take fifteen minuets to be cooked. However I found out that it mashed after ten minuets. I was so shocked that I could not even cook instant noodle. I started reading recipes and cooking handbook. Now, I can cook different fishes also I know how to make soup and dessert. When I cooked dinner for my family during summer holidays, they were surprised about why I know how to cook various and delicious food, but also this made them feel impressive.

                        Sometimes I would feel lonely in America, especially when I miss my family and I even hide myself inside my room and cry out; but I understand that studying in America will help my future and also it would let me know that it¡¦s time to become independent. I appreciate my parents to give me a good chance to spend one of the most important times in my life abroad. Since I see many Americans need to work for their tuition when they are out of class, compared to them, I feel I am a very lucky person already. Compared to other who didn¡¦t know anything before, I learnt how to cook dinner and tidy up my home, how to pay my power bill, how to cherish what I own and the time with my family.

Conclusion

Although coursework at a four-year university is meant to be more challenging and demanding than coursework at Foothill, I will strive for betterment, try my best in every undertaking and endeavor to make every impossibility possible. In conclusion, I believe that I have not wasted any of my parents¡¦ money nor let them down. During my three years in the States, I have metamorphosed from a lazy, irresponsible, and naughty student into an industrious, responsible, and dependable student. Not only has my academic results improved dramatically, but my attitude as a student has also bettered. I realize that schooldays should be one of the most cherished days in one¡¦s life. Since I have already wasted much of my most precious days in my life, I will not let myself become the kind of student that I used to be. After transferring to a four-year university, I will continue to be hardworking and utilize every available chance to gain the knowledge indispensable to my career success. While I am not sure if I will return to school to pursue even higher education later in my life, I will make sure that I make the best use of the last two years of my college life that are to come. Also, after transferring, I will attempt to engage myself in more extra-curricular activities because I have over-concentrated on my studies in these three years and very much neglected the importance of extra-curricular activities. Since most of my friends will transfer to different four-year universities, I will need to make new acquaintances, I hope that by involving myself in different activities, I can make new friends with ease and adapt to the new environment relatively quickly. Finally, this course has given me an invaluable opportunity to reflect on my educational journey and figure out what I have succeeded or failed. I genuinely enjoyed being part of this class and I wish everyone else the very best in all of their future endeavors.