Introduction
The education journey is affected and determined by various metrics and factors that shape the way a learner grows in terms of cognitive capacity that applies to social, political, and economic perspectives. A person must undergo a thorough training directly or indirectly while in school. That can be credited to the societal settings, the government policies and agendas, and communal outreach, among other key aspects (Kabirikopaei et al., 2021). In the US, education is significantly improved compared to many other countries due to the technicality and relevance, more so on competency-based curriculums. However, many students are leaving the country to study in Germany, the UK, and Canada, among other nations (Culver et al., 2022). On the other hand, students from many walks of life have dominated the US education market, specifically the immigrants who visit the country daily. Thus, there must be a unique experience toward personal goals regarding educational prospects in the US.
I come from Apple Valley, CA, and I live in San Bernardino County in the US. I schooled at K-8 School Vanguard Preparatory in Apple Valley, CA. after completing the preparatory school, I joined Granite Hulls High School in Apple Valley, CA. My academic experience has been characterized by the histories of the community where I live, and practices are undertaken in terms of government agenda and funding processes. While in school, I learned that many parents had committed themselves to pay fees for their children, including remedial. Special students used to have various experts to help them advance their academic skills. In the state, about 25% of school students were English learners compared to about 10% in the entire country (USDE, n.d.). There are almost 200 English learners in my school, as shown in Figure 1 below.
History of the Community
There are many features of my community that have affected education. There is a significant amount of love for education for all. It means that many parents have been working hard to ensure that they are not left on matters of educational programs that enrich students. Apple Valley is known for its variation of weather and appealing scenery that makes the place have a recommendable ambiance. With a population of approximately 70,000 people, sprawling apple orchards historically defined the town before disappearing later (Groeger & Eads, 2022). The place has many historical points, such as California Route 66 Museum, that we used to visit while in school and explore outside classes during weekends.
Many books talk about the heritage areas in Apple Valley, CA, and to experience them, one has to be outgoing in school activities to see them. For example, I heard about Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area, which has marked a key leisure time zone in the area since its independence. Thus, during the top-10 student trips courtesy of the school, I was privileged to visit the place, which boosted my interest in working hard in class to visit many other places.
Apple Valley is known as a center for arts in the entire California. Our school director encouraged us to press more on our talents, more so any element of music, or craft, among others. Due to that reason, I have developed the habit of drawing from the school perspective. The experience has been a unique and motivating one that is useful for breaking monotony when I am bored. I remember we used to draw many objects during weekends with my classmates while at Scandia Family Fun Center (Kabirikopaei et al., 2021). Parents used to sponsor students to go out to learn more and have a different experience of what it feels like to study outside the classroom. Generally, I found that schooling in such a place was motivating and that marked an epitome of a long journey towards my life story.
Factors that Impacted the Quality of My Education
Practices
The schools that I went to were relatively strict since the key goal was to nurture students to be role models in the future after school. One of the practices that I learned while at school is frequent prayers, which helped me grow in Christianity. I understood the essence of praying, and we used to have assemblies on Mondays and Fridays where we would read the bible and pray. I can credit my staunch Christianity to school life since our teachers believed in the power of the scripture and praying without ceasing.
Our school did not encourage racism in that white students were not privileged as African-American students. Several learners would bully others based on their racial affiliation. Back in the primary level of education, my teachers planted a notion that all races are equal, and that is what I grew up knowing up to today. I learned how to appreciate and value human beings from that perspective which is important to me and the generation after me. Respect for one another creates a firm network with everyone and improves interpersonal relations. Thus, my school experience has been characterized by social-centric aspects that help me build myself and those around me.
Throughout my high school life, I changed from an introverted person due to practices such as active learning and collaboration, which were rampant. I mastered the skill of understanding concepts through activities that were undertaken. For example, assessments, assignments, and curriculum outlines developed my ability to be far compared to other students in remote area schools. We frequently had presentations in class that helped all the learners improve on their eloquence and boost the self-esteem levels necessary for any person in life. Collaboration with teachers and fellow students was necessary since it offered my capabilities to be seen and nurtured (Whitten et al., 2021). Generally, the integration of feedback and reactions from the teachers and students made me differentiate between what was required for me and what was not as far as self-development was concerned.
Funding
School life comes with a cost, which is felt by the parents, the school, the government, and other stakeholders. While at Granite Hills High School, financing would be from the government and the parents. One of the reasons it was easier for me to have a stress-free life when in school was California’s spending per student. The state is known for surpassing other regions in its expenditure on school materials. At the school, many amenities were up-to-standard, and the equipment used in the laboratories was modern, thanks to the financing from organizers who had visited the school sometimes back.
My parents were ready to offer their energy and resources to see me succeed in school. I rarely missed school educational trips since every time; I would be among the students who went to various learning places courtesy of my parent’s funding. My parents paid for all the necessary stuff at the school, and I did not have a hard time thinking about monetary issues. My mind was always focused on school issues, which made me a person to succeed in academic perspectives.
Housing
While in primary school, I was a day scholar, and at that time, we lived in a rented apartment before my father bought a permanent house later. In Apple Valley, rent was not expensive, and that made it possible for us to have a three-bedroom house that catered for our needs. The house was of the required standard since it had all the facilities. On that note, electricity was also subsidized, making it possible for me to learn many activities that required electricity. Water was available every time, which necessitated my learning because I was very clean and tidy. The maximum payable bills per month were $995, including the rent.
Policies
In California, Apple Valley had various educational policies that enabled my learning to be advanced while in school. One needed to go to school despite a few people having religious beliefs concerning education. Since elementary school, I was confined to studying in school, and my parents did not embrace any schooling from home. Our state-accredited school had licensed teachers who had gone through training, which impacted my excellence since I utilized their expertise and knowledge to boost my understanding of basic concepts. At the high school, the policy was that students must do sciences and at least one language. By doing those technical subjects, I expanded my mind, and I believe that contributed to my understanding of contemporary life.
Self-motivation
It is important to credit my interests in academic issues. Even though external forces and other parties drove school life, I did have an interest in education matters because I wanted to be one of the most successful people in the future. I developed time discipline and motivated myself through day-to-day cognitive challenges that assessed my preparedness for exams and general academic matters. Whenever I saw a newly-introduced phenomenon meant to benefit students, I tirelessly committed myself until I had it done perfectly. For example, during my 9th grade, I started knowing how to create and design digital protocols on a computer. I did that because the teachers had brought a coach to our computer laboratory who was useful upon consultation. Additionally, I admitted that the world was changing to full digitalization of events that require technology to do many tasks. Through my hard work, I learned many matters, and that drive enables me to tackle major problems that I come across in life.
Conclusion
My school experience has been an outstanding one due to the various metrics that improved my quality of education. Funding from my parents, school, and other stakeholders facilitated my learning by providing resources and facilities that built me academically. I am from Apple Valley, CA, and I schooled in Vanguard Preparatory and Granite Hills High School for my elementary and secondary studies. Various practices such as anti-racism, commitment to prayer, active learning, and collaboration are examples of perspectives that helped me grow academically. Additionally, my educational journey has impacted my motivation, which impacted the discipline and remedies I have in life today.
References
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data – School Profile – Granite Hills High. Ed-data.org. (2022). Web.
Groeger, L., & Eads, D. (2022). Miseducation. ProPublica. Web.
Kabirikopaei, A., Lau, J., Nord, J., & Bovaird, J. (2021). Identifying the K-12 classrooms’ indoor air quality factors that affect student academic performance. Science of the Total Environment, 786(9), 147498. Web.
USDE. Research & Statistics. Www2.ed.gov. Web.
Whitten, D., Macharaschwili, C., & Brahmasrene, T. (2021). Empirical evidence of faculty and institutional factors that affect student performance. International Journal of Management in Education, 15(5), 397. Web.