Understanding the American Education System - Research Paper Example

(Assignment) The Right Decision The success of one’s life highly depends on the rightness of the decision one makes at every crucial moment. Every individual goes though certain phases of decision making which will have either positive or negative impact on his/her future life. Obviously, one of the important stages of decision making in an adolescent’s life comes just after the schooling with regard to further studies. To my hunch-this is the very stage in which I flawed. My life as an adolescent was a wave pool all the way. Almost all tribulations of my life could be attributed to the poor decisions I made on various occasions. However, the experiences of teenage life despite its bitterness have imbued me with right concepts perhaps at a later stage. The most vital advantage evolved from the past failures includes my acquired ability to make a self assessment. Today I am well acquainted with the possible ups and downs of life, and can easily envisage the outcome of each personal decision I would make. To begin with, my decision flawed for the first time as I dropped my studies. After I finished my high school, I joined a college for further studies with half-assed ideas of a career life. Since I did not have a proper goal or strategy, I could not pursue my studies well. I was in a hurry to get involved in some sorts of business activities though my situation was not very favorable. It was not because I wanted to win bread for my family, but just thought of proving my mettle in front of my friends and relatives at a very younger stage. Obviously, the academic life was of little relevance to me for I found no relevant things taught in my classes. Subsequently, I quit the studies just after the first semester, thinking that I would better seek some jobs that best fitted my age and interest. As far as the education of my home land is concerned, since the founding of the UAE in 1971, section 17 of the constitution ensures free education at all levels and mandatory primary education. The UAE constitution emphasizes on the significance of education in the overall development of the nation. In addition to free education, all associated requirements including books, uniforms, transportation, and all study equipments are free for students. Education is one of the most important areas of governmental concern that frequently undergoes several policy improvements. The concerned authorities of education include The Ministry of Education and Youth (MOEY) and The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR). In fact, I cannot blame anyone for my discontinued study. Despite all the above said viable social conditions, I suspended my studies; and that eventually resulted in my getting humiliated by my employer. Soon after my retrieval from college I got employed in a regional bank where I was the youngest among all employees. In addition, I was the individual paid least; and that soon became the part of my identity in my workplace. I spent two years working for the bank expecting better chances in future. Although I requested the manager for increment, he did not heed genuine concern to my need. He said that I did not have sufficient educational qualifications for a better pay or promotion. To add to my grief, I found my friends in better positions earning handsome salaries from their employers. This was indeed the turning point in my life because I decided to leave the job with intent to resume my studies. I was well convinced of the significance of a university degree for the first time in my life. As a result of my sincere effort, I got a scholarship to study in USA. This is the most rewarding challenge I would get because I have been very much curious about visiting the States since my schooldays. Now I have got the chance to visit and stay there until I complete my studies. I am confident that the new academic environment in the States would offer me better educational aspirations. At this juncture, it is important to evaluate the characteristics of the educational system of the United States. As everyone knows, American education system offers the most diverse options to international students. One can make use the endless possibilities of this system by pursuing one’s own area of interest. One of the most important features of the system is that education can be attained at public or private educational institutions. As stated in the USA study guide, “grading from an accredited American school and being exposed to the rigors of the American education system is an investment in your future life” (American education system). The basis of the entire system lies with the recent education regulation No Child Left Behind (NCLB) 2001. As described by Ravitch (94), the policy contained four major principles; 1) every child will undergo a grade assessment using state test rather than national test, 2) how to reform schools will be the concern of state governments, 3) schools with low level of performance will get assistance to improve, and 4) students got struck in such schools would be free to transfer to other schools. As far as the US higher education system is concerned, the ‘knowledge industry’, as it is termed by Thelin, Edwards, and Moyen (Higher education in the United States), constitutes 3% of the gross national products; and it includes more than 4, 000acredited institutions with more than fifteen million students. The higher education in the United States offers wide varieties of options to international students. I am looking forward to my bright academic future as I would soon get educated at the world’s best hub of professional knowledge. As compared to my schooldays in the UAE, the new academic environment would be more feasible and appealing. To sum up, the personal integrity and development of an individual is highly influenced by the effectiveness and aptness of the personal decisions taken at important stages of his/her life. However, “to err is human”, and hence every individual would get a chance to review the faulty decisions in one way or other. Therefore, the real and ultimate success lies with the effectiveness of the thoughtful action we would initiate to compensate the previous ones. Faulty decisions and their negative outcomes are not really the end, but the turning point of one’s life. Works Cited “American Education System: Understanding the American Education System”. USA Study Guide, The International Student Guide to Education and Study in the USA. Web 30 March 2011 Ravitch, Diane. The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choices are Undermining Education. US. Basic Books, 2010. Print. Thelin, John R., Edwards, Jason and Moyen, Eric. “Higher Education in the United States: Historical Development, System”. State University.com. web 30 March 2011 Read More