Undergraduate / "Why should my son learn a language that he will never use?" - Challenge an idea [3]

Common Application Personal Statement - Challenge an idea

Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?

"Why should my son learn a language that he will never use?" Said a parent, after forbidding his son from participating in our English program.

At that moment, I could not answer.

My teaching experience began in the ninth grade. A classmate's mother-a local government official-spoke about the conditions of our city's underserved schools. Curiosity led me to explore this issue, and I have served as a volunteer middle school English teacher for the past three years.

As the organizer of the school's volunteer English program, I worried that there would not be a large number of students willing to participate in the program. However, many children were thrilled to take the class; the problem was their parents. A large number of families did not want their children to take extracurricular English classes: They regarded English as useless for their kids, who they expected to begin working as manual laborers after graduating high school.

Education is one of the most effective methods for raising one's position in society. This concept was lost on the parents that I interacted with. What had led them to dismiss this form of enrichment?

The current state of Hangzhou's-my hometown-education system is to blame. Due to the city's thriving economy, an increasing number of migrant-workers have flowed into it. Hence, the local government has established schools that cater to this segment of the population. Although, these new schools are equipped with modern technology and well-decorated classrooms, the quality of education is lacking. Teachers emphasize cramming knowledge, without pushing students to gain a true understanding of the material or to engage in critical thinking.

Though my English program, I hoped to engage students, while changing their parents' attitudes. At the beginning, children-from three different grades-were hesitant to work with each other. In response, we designed various games to get students involved. Moreover, each student was encouraged to team up with a classmate while completing writing activities and dialogue exercises. This promoted unity within the class, as many older students offered to assist their younger classmates. After several weeks, every student made new friends and was willing to cooperate with previously unfamiliar classmates.

In order to make a favorable impression on the school's parents, we organized an end-of-year show. Many stepped into the classroom with frowned eyebrows and crossed arms. They sat near the back door and whispered about us. I overheard one man say that he only let his daughter attend our course because he could not pick her up after school.

When the show began, a girl stood up and read an English story she wrote. I noticed that the parents stopped whispering and focused on her. When several other students presented long dialogue scenes, I witnessed amazement in parents' eyes. At the end of the session, all families were involved in the show, which the song "Seasons in the Sun" was echoed throughout the classroom. When we finished the last sentence and bowed the "this class is useless," man stood up and started clapping.

Our program has continued for three years, teaching over 100 students. Some of our pupils even received second and third prize medals in our district's English Speech Competition. Our success even caught the local government's eye: The government's media channel praised our program, assigning it material support and networking connections.

Although there are many Chinese parents who have similar thoughts regarding the usefulness of education that will not be addressed, I have attempted to enhance one school's English program in order to address this issue. Through this medium I hope to make a small impact on the importance that these families place on education.

Thanks for your help ;)