Confused in Future

 When people immigrate to another country, many of them deal with new stress and some anxiety, which is called "culture shock". It can be experienced in the area of religion, language, food and education. Education is the most significant part in most people’s lives. It is relatively easy to achieve the goal through education to be successful. However, for a Chinese student like me who has language and communication difficulties, education is the most challenging part to get used to. I became accustomed to the traditional Chinese education system for twenty years, which is unique because I just followed what the teachers wanted me to do. It has been hard to change my custom of education because education in the U.S differs in choosing courses and teachers, homework and grades.

Choosing courses and teachers has been hard for me to adapt to. When a student succeeds in registering, it doesn't mean that she could already have classes in school. The next step is choosing your courses and teachers. It is very important because it decides what I will learn during the whole semester, and the teachers will determine how much I will learn. For me, as a new immigrant, I had trouble in choosing courses and teachers. The first time I registered in Harold Washington College, I didn't know how to choose courses or teachers. There were many different courses and teachers I could select. I had three courses in my first semester. Writing and grammar was the regular course, but I had to choose two other courses, and unfortunately, I didn't even know how to pronounce them. Also the school just provided the names of courses and the names of teachers, so it confused me. I had no idea what courses and teachers could help me to improve my English. These drastic changes made me cherish my school life in China. In China, there was no pressure to go to a new college because the school provided students with a good education. As a leader of the students, the teacher had set each course for the students. The students just learned the courses that the teacher had picked for them. The students didn't need to worry about how to take the courses because a professional teacher already had selected the best standard of the course for the students.

In reality, the homework in Chicago perplexes me entirely. My first semester in Harold Washington College made me crazy because there was a lot of homework. Not only the homework took me a lot of time to finish but also there were many different kinds of homework to do. They included weekly video recording, interviews, field trip homework and group project. Some of the homework that I need to do was to go out to find the information. I still remember one of the homework assignments in my reading class. My teacher required the student in group to go to the cemetery to take some information and do the presentation in the class. But I had to go to work, so I didn't have time to get the information. Naturally I didn't finish the homework, and I didn't get a grade for the assignment. The homework was so complex and difficult that I couldn't handle some of it. Sometimes, the homework made me want to cry, so I thought if I were in China, I wouldn't need to do the terrible homework. When I studied in China, I also had a lot of homework. However, the homework I did in China didn't make me waste my time to go out for a field trip in order to finish the homework. The homework I did in China was not complicated, so I could finish it in the book. Therefore, if I didn't even grasp the basic point, how could I enrich the new knowledge.

In addition, grades are the most worrisome part of my school life in Chicago. There was too much homework I couldn't handle, so I didn't know how to do in the homework and the homework kept my grades low. Each homework assignment is equivalent to an exam. The grades that I got on the homework directly affect my final total grades. If my final grades are lower than 70%, it means I won’t pass the course, and I have to take the course again. If I don’t pass, my level will not go up to another high level, and I have to waste my time to retake the course until I pass it. It is quite a long way for me to get a diploma in the U.S. It reminds me of how happy my school life was in China. I didn't worry about my grades. In China, I was allowed to make mistakes on the homework and if I didn't do the homework, the teacher would figure out the questions in the class. All I needed to do was listen to the teacher and do well in the final exam. The grades in the homework didn't affect the final exam. As a result, I only needed to finish my homework, pass in the final exam and get a basic major’s certificate, which meant that I could graduate from college. It was easier to get a diploma in China than in the U.S, so I could go out to find a job early and economize my resources.

As I continue studying in U.S, the culture shock of education has made me yearn for my country. Although I am proud of being Chinese, someday I will adjust to the American culture, get a high diploma and speak English fluently. I may even sound like a native speaker one day. I hope I study hard and become successful in the future, and my best wish is that I will go back to China and make my contribution to the development of my country.