Education should be a passion (Last essay assigment)

Narinder Kaur

July 08,2013

English 7

Mr. McFarland

                                            Education should be a Passion

                      One must have passion toward something to achieve and succeed at something. You can’t live life based on others’ demands because that is not going to make you happy. I recall watching a movie called “Passion,” and it is then I realized my deep passion for wanting to help people and take part of the process of treating and curing them. I heard an array of opinions and scenarios from the students making the passionate movie.  They strive to live for themselves and are passionate about their goals. These students have pressure from their family to become something different than what they desire. Personally, I have come to my senses that I have a family to look after and having a stable job is a must. Luckily, I am passionate toward something that will be a very stable job, but I must finish college and become educated to practice as a nurse. I have to be strong and remain motivated to achieve my goal of finishing school so my family will be secure in the long run. I know even though my family supports me going to school, they sometimes create hurdles that block me from focusing on school.

                      Chris McCandless was born into a rich and materialistic family. Chris was different than all his family members and friends. He was neither materialistic nor proud of his parent’s money. He was a loner because of his parent’s egoistical behavior toward their materialistic life. Chris could have lived happily, spending money like the other rich people around him but he chose to define his own life. He wanted to be alone. Chris wanted to explore the nature’s beauty by living off the land, by leaving everything behind. He did not care about the relationships he had in the world he was born into because he saw the bigger picture.

         Educational success is defined when you have achieved your educational goals and you are able to fulfill your needs toward your dreams.  For me to take care of the many responsibilities in my life, I must accomplish my goals and become educated to be a successful person in life. I have to work extremely hard for perhaps a few more years to achieve my educational goals. I want to be able to sit with my family at the end of the day and not to worry about paying my bills. There are different aspects in life that help me succeed in life such as being positive, having a family support, and sacrifices. In my essay I will further divulge into these aspects, and discuss the three components which will help form the mentioned aspects. These are three different aspects that I will be talking about in my essay. First I will talk about how being an optimistic will help me move toward my educational goal. Secondly, I will show how having family support plays a major role in life when you are working hard toward your educational goal. Lastly, I will talk about how making sacrifices toward my educational goals will help me achieve my goal as well. In each of these aspects, there are components which combines and enforces the importance of each aspects. Notes and quotes from various online and literature sources will be provided to support the different components and aspects that eventually all tie together how and what is needed to get educated and succeed in life.  Also how to keep going strong through all the hurdles life has to offer.

                       To begin with, I believe people should be optimistic to improve their life at every given opportunity. One can change life just by having the right appearance and perspective. One must always have a smile on their face when approaching others. A smile can always hide true feelings especially when you are not feeling good or you are feeling sad. A great smile can always get a person good feedback from others. When one is smiling and reflecting on others, it is also brightening their day. Remember, smiles are contagious, and by smiling not only will you share positive energy with others, you will also receive this positive energy and be able to accomplish more. According to Marcus Aurelius, “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” I truly believe people must make a difference in others life even if it’s done once. One must take pride in what they do whether it is big or small. One must reward themselves for doing little things so that they can do better next time around. Rewarding yourself when you accomplish something is a good idea because it will give you time to feel good and know that you have done something great in life. Treating yourself will encourage you to do better each and every time. By showing your gratitude to others for their support, once can feel a sense of relief and optimism that can translate into helping others.

                     Secondly, another aspect of leading toward optimistic lifestyle is to have a positive mental attitude. I believe that people who have a positive mental attitude about life in general will be able to live a happy and healthy life. When people are happy, the energy levels change around them. One Quote by M.R.Saraswathy is, “Attitude is seemingly trivial. But it can effect astonishing changing”. People should know themselves whether they have bad or good qualities. By knowing themselves they will know what areas they need to work on to make their life easy and better. People should avoid hanging with negative people and stay away from negative influences. Negative people tend to bring you down in life. When someone is negative, one must not stay involved with them otherwise that may change their perspective. They may make matter seem worse than they actually are. According to Sonya Lyubomirsky PhD, “Avoiding dwelling on downers. Focusing on negatives isn’t just unpleasant, it also can make you less effective in tackling tasks you face”. One must try not to focus on negative things because once a person starts focusing on negative things then their point of views may become negative and everyone around could be a bad influence on the other person’s life. One of the quotes by M. R. Saraswathi is, “Despair constitutes only a quarter of our lives. Unfortunately, we are unable to focus on the joy that makes up three fourths of our life.” One must understand themself them and accept for who they are to move ahead in their life. At end of the day if you have been happy you will feel much more relaxed and more geared towards achieving your future goal.

                   The last component of being optimistic is to pay gratitude toward others. I believe people should pay gratitude toward others and all of the things they have been given in life so they truly appreciate how much they have. People should respect others in order to get respect back. By showing respect to others, you will be praised and it will earn you a lot of respect in someone’s heart. As Sonya Veer says, “Help rendered with pure love does not expect any return or praise. Forget the help you have done for others. But never forget to express your gratitude to the people who have helped you.” People should help others and should want to make a difference in each other’s life. Helping others when they are in need is very important because one day when you need someone by your side people will remember the times you were there for them. According to Jenny Mennion, “Seven ways to stay happy and positive during uncertain times” one of the prescribed remedies is to help others. She mentions, “Helping others will fill you with joy.” As you give and you are promoting kindness and spreading love, remember you are uplifting someone’s life. When someone does good deeds, one should praise them so that they know that they are being recognized.

                      Family is the most important support that is needed when you are working diligently toward your education. It really eases your day and mind when you know someone has helped you do some of the household chores. Family is always there for you when you need that extra care and support to stand on your feet again after a long day. According to Charles Kuralt, “The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth and priviledge.” You need the encouragement when you feel overwhelmed, and that is what pushes you in the days ahead.  In my life, I am very loved and blessed to have two mothers who help around with the daily household chores, along with being a second mother to my two young children. In addition, I have two sisters, a brother, my husband and father that are my cheerleading squad. No matter how difficult my classes get or how tiring my schedule becomes, the four of them keep cheering me on and encouraging me to succeed. They spend countless hours studying with me, so we all know that we are striving together for this one achievement.  Combined together, they are my support squad to help me achieve my goal of getting my B.S. in nursing. According to TamirJha, “The love of a family is life’s greatest blessing.” This is exactly how I feel when I have this happening around me. I am able to concentrate toward my success and concentrate on my goals without having to worry about my family. I come home and I see my kids are fed and cleaned, and it is very reassuring. It also gives me the strength to continue with my work and school load having such a loud and encouraging family. Instead of the stress attacking my mind, I can slowly bring a smile to my face and have the courage to face these obstacles in order to achieve my dream.

              In addition to my husband being my cheerleader, he financially supports me in my college expenses. Having the additional money for my education makes me focus on my education goal. I would not have been able to go to school and college without having money in my account. I appreciate my husband working so hard for me to continue going to college because that helps me in so many aspects. I can buy my books and other necessities that are mandatory for my school and not worry about the bills too much. According to Dr. Sharma, “Market sells everything for money.” This is true because nothing in life is free. You need money for every turn in your life. My husband works so hard for our family and me. I am truly blessed to have a good husband that helps me afford my needs who can emotionally and financially support me in my college studies.

                      Another important thing that plays a role when I am working toward achieving my educational goal is my passion toward helping people and curing people in the medical field. I like interacting with different types of people. I have always been good at starting conversations and making people feel comfortable. I enjoy taking care of people and it brings me satisfaction to know I am having a positive impact in their lives. For example, Chris McCandless was also passionate about meeting people and helping them in any way he could while he was on his journey to the wild. I see Chris like to interact with others just like I do everyday in my life. According to Julia Child, “Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.” That is exactly what I have found in my life is my passion that came to me naturally since I was little. I never found anything better and more rewarding than helping others, and being part of the ones that do not have too much going on in their life. I enjoy working with disabled children and talking to elderly people to help bring joy to their faces just by being there with them and showing them that I care about them.

                     I know I have to achieve my goal as soon as possible because my children are still young and they don’t require so much of my time because my husband and other family members are there with them. However, as a mother I am sacrificing all my time therefore I can be there for them in the long run and so that I can provide better future for them. This aspect of sacrificing really takes a hard toll, and one has to be very strong in determining what they need to focus on. In my case, I sacrifice quite a bit in order to fulfill my goals. According to Victor Hugo, “Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” This is exactly how I see it. I might be away from my family for most of the time but once I am done with nursing school I will have my opportunity to fulfill all my dreams with my family. I hardly see my children because I am working full time and go directly to school after I finish my job. By the time I go home my family is sleeping so most of the time I see my family on the weekend. According to Lauren Oliver, “I guess that’s just part of loving people: you have to give things up. Sometimes you even have to give them up.” This is exactly what I am doing. I am giving up spending precious little moments with my children in order to complete my degree.

                       Another sacrifice I am facing is to give up almost all my shopping habits to save money for my education expenses and for my family. I love to shop and collect the latest fashions. This used to be habitual for me because I have always enjoyed shopping with my family. Most of the time I shopped for my children and my family but I still enjoyed being out in the shopping malls.  According to Tom Felton, “I’m obsessed with shopping. I’ll get these urges to buy, like to shop for stuff on the Internet. I search for all kinds of weird gizmos I could get.” This is what I used to do and now I realized I should not be because all the things I buy are the things I want but not the things I need. So I have stopped shopping just to save a little bit toward to future so when I quit my job to go to full time school I will have a little savings.

                 The third sacrifice that I am doing is sacrificing all my vacation times with my family. I have not taken any vacation with my family and children for over five years. My family loves traveling and exploring things around the world, but unfortunately I can’t become part of it because I never have time from work or school.  Time passes by so quickly, and we cannot visit our relatives in India, or go on vacations to Disneyland. Even if I have to miss all my vacation for a while I am ready to do so, as I know this is a huge sacrifice I am doing in order to complete my goal for future of my family. According to Kelly Clarkson, “The thing I love most about going on vacation is that I get to leave behind any kind of schedule. My entire life is scheduled from morning to night, and when I’m on vacation, there is no schedule.” I totally agree with this quote and it relates to the kinds of life I am having right now for being busy. I am busy the entire time and missing a lot in my life. I know these sacrifices are hard, and only certain people who are committed to the goal can do it; but I know at the end of my college education I will be able to go on a luxurious vacation with my family, find my dream job and also be able to properly take care of my family.

                    It is very important to be passionate toward things in life. It is important not to cave in to what society thinks you should be or what others think you should be. It is important to have a good and supportive family that understands you from inside out and is always there for you to encourage you. One must surround themselves with positivity to enrich their lives. One must remain optimistic, living life with the glass half full. It is important to have support from others’, especially family and to never give up on your dreams. Even though I know I am sacrificing all the fun in life but at the end I know I will be a better example of education to my children and the people around me in my life. I want to tell my children that nothing is impossible in the world as long as you have a strong passion toward something because word impossible says it’s possible if you get rid of “im” at the beginning.

     

What kind of student do you consider yourself to be?

What kind of student do you consider yourself to be?

            I consider my self to be a laser student because I have preplanned my future and have been following it. I was always passionate about being a Nurse and to become one I knew I had to follow a strict but simple and a clear path. I am the first generation going to college so I wanted to make sure I use smooth transition toward my future goal. After I graduated from high school I met my counselor at Chabot College to plan my future.
My counselor helped me layout my classes by semester to years that helped me see my future path clear. I have been following it clearly with no problem, so I have idea about what I want. I also have a good family support that helps me focus in my school, and knowing I have to provide better for future also pushes me toward my goals. It's always easy to follow the path toward your goal that you are passionate about. According to Brigham Young, "You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation." And this is exactly what I want to do when I am educated because I want my children to have a mentality that having an education is a must. But, having a clear path to be educated is equally important.

Should a student in this passion class be asked to critique education?

Should a student in this passion class be asked to critique education?

A teacher should be like a friend and a support to the students.

A student in this passion class should be able to critique about education because their future depends on the type of education is given to them. I also feel a student must observe the way a teacher is teaching the class. Most of us come to class to learn, but also want to make sure our teacher is not the type who would give us work on paper and expect us to do it without any explanation. A teacher needs to be involved in anything that we as a student are learning. Teacher should know where his/her student is lacking and work with them. A teacher must not expect that as a student you must learn on your own.
That is the reason we are going to school because we don't have the knowledge of the subject. According to Jehu Sharma, “A teacher is a guru who is guidance to future like a light in the dark." I truly believe this is true because I know one teacher, who is a good example of being a teacher, and his name is Mr. McFarland, who teaches English and I have observed that he like to involve with his students. He goes above and beyond for his student’s future. He tries to help in a very nice manner, and he has a good sense of humor. That makes you want to stay in the class and learn more because your teacher is inspiring you toward the subject you are taking.

Should a student in this passion class be asked to critique themselves?

  Yes, because one must change themselves first before they change others around them. As student you must know your strength and your weakness. Most of the time we do know where we lack but it's hard to admit sometimes because as a student you don't want to show yourself weak. It's important to work on the weakness first so you can become a strong student in the future. As Mr. Franklin, Ravi says, "As a student, you must be flexible and strong to make your own decisions." This is true because as a student you must preplan your agenda so it's easy to follow when you are learning.
 
 It is also important to learn who you are and where your plan's are headed to. It is important to have confidence so you are not afraid of learning. One must challenge themselves so they can learn the right path.

success

                                       How do you define success?

          Success is when you have achieved your goals and you are able to fulfill your needs and dreams. I see my responsibilities that I owe and for me to take care of those responsibilities, I have to succeed toward my goals to become successful person in life. I have to work really hard months and perhaps a few more years to achieve my goals. I want to be able to sit with my family at end of the day and not to worry about paying my bills. There are different aspects in life that help you succeed 
 in life like family support, money and being positive.
.                                      

          Family support is very important when you are working hard toward your success daily. It really eases your day and mind when you know someone has helped you do some of the household chores. Family is always there for you when you need that care and support to stand on feet again the next day of being so tired the day before. You need the encouragement when you feel overwhelmed. According to Tamir Jha, “The love of a family is life’s greatest blessing.”  This is exactly how I feel when I have this happening around me. I am able to concentrate toward my success goal without thinking about my family. I come home and I see my kids are fed and cleaned.
                                           

          Money is the second important thing that plays the role toward being successful. I can’t imagine my life without having money. I would not have been able to go to school and college without having money in my account. I appreciate my husband working so hard for me to continue going to college that helps me in so many aspects. I can buy my books and other necessities that are mandatory for my school and not worry about the bills. According to Dr.Sharma, “ Market sells everything for money.” This is true because life is hard if one doesn’t have enough money for living. You need money for every turn in your life. I am blessed to have a good husband that helps me afford my needs.
 

          Third important thing that helps me achieve my success in life is my own positive attitude. I have learned to ignore negative things around me that used to control my mind from moving forward. I still see and hear some of the people whom I should be calling my family members putting me down talking about materialistic things or instigating my family and breaking my peaceful life. But with my inner strength I have learned to survive. I know people who don’t want to see you happy and try to take your happiness away can never be your own or family. According to Ashley Smith, “Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” After I got over the negativity in recent chapter of my life, I have become more aware of my coming future. I am able to concentrate on my success. I see my life full of beauty and everything feels and looks good.
 

          Where I see so many aspects that helps me succeed, I also see aspects that prevent me from being successful. These aspects are lack of money, personnel issues and economy.

          I have been working at my job for 8 years and now I have to cut down hours to continue with my school. This means I am making less money now and have to control some of my future expenses. I have to think twice before I buy anything for my house and family.

          Second thing that prevents me from being successful in life is my personal issues. I have seen and endured so much in my life, It has been so hard for me to stand for my self again and work toward my success in life. My personal issues were taking toll on me at one point when I realized I had to be successful toward something I was passionate about. That will help me live happier because I will not be depending on others with so many things that I depend on now. 
 

          Third thing that prevents me from being successful in life is economy crisis. Everything is so expensive now a days that you have to think twice before buying. Most of the things I do or anywhere I go it involves money. Gas prices have gone up and I have to pay for parking at school as well. Life’s getting harder and harder everyday to live and achieve for better so I have to work harder toward my success.

High school student stands up for himself/video.

It takes one person to stand and spread the awareness. That's what Jeff, a high school student at Duncanville, Texas had to do when he felt like he was not learning in class. Jeff was in his history class when he got up and told the teacher how he felt about the way she was teaching the class. Yet the teacher ignored what he had to say and told him to leave the classroom. He told her that she's coming to class to collect her pay check as she had mentioned to the student perhaps earlier. How she is never interacting with students face to face. She is never engaging with any part of the classwork/homework she is giving to the students.

She gives out the assignment but never explains or observes the students. A teacher is supposed to be engaging the students by discussing details. The teacher is suppose to be touching students heart with all the knowledge she has. Not by sitting in the corner of the class; but by standing up and going around in the class. This is exactly now I felt in a lot of my classes I have taken at College. Teachers don't like to interact with students anymore. Either we are taught on the computers or we are given a take home assignment and asssumed we should know everything our own. Jeff did not only spread the awareness of education in class, but he is now on the web, and the news spreading

awareness.

Why are we going to school if we already have all the knowledge we need for our future?

video embed # 1

 

                          

Jeff Duncan-Andrade is a teacher at a high school in Oakland. Jeff feels the pain of these innocent and young student that are going to school but facing violence, racism and traumas everyday. Jeff feels like there is so much going on in Oakland but yet no solutions. All these problems are effecting our younger generation's mind and body. Jeff says he has seen people getting killed right infront of his place. Jeff is educated, and has the knowledge of all this can still feel how after knowing all this is effecting him still. He can't concentrate, trauma stops him from doing his daily routines. He says imagine what these young minds would be going through, who are not educated properly and straight facing all the violence, racism and so much more in their daily life. These young people are suppose to be at schools, learning something important about their future.

These children need better guidence. 

 

Teachers can't teach unless they are prepared from the inside out. They have to design their curriculum to where they can feel their students mind and their pain as human being. Schools and teachers have become like a buisness. They come to class but are not teaching in a proper way, yet collecting their paycheck. They come to class, hand out their work to student without engaging with them. Teachers are suppose to be like a candle, enlightening their path, their future. They have to show how their passion toward teaching can passionate someone else's life toward their future. Jeff says these teachers have to set a relationship to teach better. Jeff says poor  kids can never be tought because they don't have political, social or economical power to support them. According to Mahatama Gandhi, " Poverty is the worst form of violence." There is so much violence in the community that no one will tolerate it if they had a support. These kids have so much knowledge hidden within them, that needs to come out and be used for a better future. These kids need all types of help weather it's financial or metal help.  Only Jeff can't do this by himself. Someone else has to stand strong with the right resources to save Oakland and the people living in Oakland.

..

Into the wild

                            

  Into the wild

          Chris McCandless was born into a rich and materialistic family. Chris was different than all his family members and friends. He was neither materialistic nor proud of his parent's money. He was a loner because of his parent's egoistic behavior toward their materialistic life. Chris could have lived happily, spending money like the other rich people around him but he chose to define his own life. He wanted to be alone. Chris wanted to explore the nature's beauty by living off the land, and by leaving everything behind. He did not care about the relationships he had in normal society.
 

          Chris McCandless had passsion toward nature and wanted to go away from the materialistic life and discover for his peace of mind. He wanted to leave everything behind, his parents, his sister Carine whom he was very close to, his friends and all the possession that was given to him by his parents. He had a luxurious life if he hadn't chose to go away from all this.Chris even changed his name to Alex when he left the house. He wanted to explore the nature so he hitchicked. While on his journey he made new friends. When he reached his into the wild. He depended himself on wild food, fruit and other meat resources. According to Harriet Tubman, " Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.". That is exactly what Chris did. He enjoyed his bitter and sweet moments. He wanted to prove to himself that he was not living off his parents possession because he felt his parents never gave him any importance in life.

         Chris McCandless was a very smart and hardworking person, he got good grades at Emory University in Atlanta and got his degree. He loved reading and always used big words to explain things. Even Wayne Westerberg noticed when Chris was in Carthage for a while " he was the hardest worker I have ever seen. Didn't matter what it was, he will do it: hard physical labor, mucking rotten grain and dead rats out of the bottom of the hole." (page 18). He also learned God has provided everything on this earth for us, all we need to do is to explore a little.

          Chris McCandless had forgotten his responsibilities toward his family. His parents raised him even though he didn't like his parents. We have responsibilities toward our family and friends while we are exploring ourselves. For example, our parents raise us, feed us and meet all our living requirements. When they grow older or at the age where they need our help, we should respect them and fulfill life requirements. All they need sometimes is love, care and a good listener to share the moments with. Unlike Chris McCandless, He ruined his life just because his parents made a mistake when he was growing up and felt like he was a bastard child. Chris's father was still married to another woman when he was with Chris's mother and Chris was born. Chris forgot all the hard work his parents did for him to give him a better life whether he wanted to live that way or not.