Being a first-generation immigrant has truly affected my family’s views on education. We immigrated from Ukraine in search of opportunities to live better lives. Since the day we arrived here, around 13 years ago, my parents have preached the importance of an education and getting good grades. They believe that in this country, education is the key to success.My social class has given me insight into why they were so strict with my schoolwork. My dad would often take me along during the weekends to show me the harsh conditions he had to work in all day; ensuring that i wouldn’t want to follow in his footsteps. I had learned the hard way that acquiring a college education would be the difference between doing back-breaking labor (such as my dad) and working in a comfortable office.
Almost since i could remember, my parents attitudes towards schoolwork affected my life in many ways. They always bought books to help me not fall behind and to learn beyond the classroom material. They firmly believed that the public school curriculums were subpar and pushed me to aim for specialized schools such as Bay Academy and Brooklyn Technical High School. My parents also sent me to after-school tutoring programs to help me with subjects that i didn’t fully understand. One of my worst subjects was always English, and it made sense considering the fact that my elementary school had no special programs for kids whose first language wasnt English.
Throughout my life, with the help of my parents, i have developed a strong work ethic and a zero-tolerance policy for failure. I think that their values have rubbed off on me, and i wouldn’t be able to see a future for myself without a college education.
Growing up from a family that didn’t speak English would always have an impact on our ability to speak English. Therefore, it would depend on who we interact with and how to improve our English. Similar to you, I went to prep school that would improve my grades. However, it may not always be helpful as it’s just a memorization game. But coming from this background, it gives us the ability to be able to tolerate hardships no matter what.
I agree with you, I do not see a future for myself without a college education either. Although I still have no idea what I want to major in, I think that college will help me figure out what I want to do in life. Like you, my parents have always wanted me to be accepted into specialized schools and did whatever they could to enrich my education. I think that education is definitely the key to success and we should never stop educating ourselves.
My immigrant parents have also stressed the importance of education, because they know that getting a college degree will make our futures better off. They want our lives and living standards to be better than the little they had growing up in their childhood. Though my parents do not directly/physically go out of their way to do this (like take us to their jobs like you mention), they still hint at it in conversation, always glorifying the opportunities we were to have if we go to college.