How Culture And Background Affected My Educational Experience

As the son of two Korean immigrants, my educational experience consisted of exploration and experimentation. My entire extended family is comprised of immigrants and first generation Asian-Americans, so our knowledge on the US education system was very limited. With each grade I surpassed, I not only learned the academics but also how the education system functions. As an Asian-American student I can be the one to say that the experiences I have had differ drastically from my Caucasian, African-American, Latino, etc. Peers within education. Several factors of my upbringing and background affected my educational experience, the three most significant ones were social relationships, language, and culture. In any social institute, relationships

Each culture contains stark differences between each other, whether those are languages, social structures, values, etc no two cultures are identical. The majority of Asian cultures are patriarchal and extremely conservative. My family was no different, I was raised in a conservative patriarchal Korean household with stiff rules and expectations. My upbringing was one factor that affected my life both socially and academically. Growing up in a Korean-American household consisted of abiding by conservative values while living and learning in a very liberal and erratic society. My parents advocated the importance of education and pushed me to excel in academics from a very early age, as most Asian-American families do. I felt that most Asian-American parents aimed for their kids to transcend in academics rather than in sports and other activities, dedicating a majority of their time and money on their child’s academic performance. My parents also aimed to influence my social life, dictating the number of times I was out with friends, who I was with, and what I was doing. I also felt that many Asian-American parents have a very protective and controlling mentality over their children. The upbringing that a student experiences is just as important, if not more, as the relationships the student builds independently, as our parents are the one constant influence that

With little available guidance or mentorship, I spent the majority of my early academics figuring things out for myself and relying on my own capabilities to succeed. My approach to obstacles within school was trial and error. When first encountered with a task, whether a project, the SAT, or ACT I first attempt it with the best of my abilities, and if the results are unsatisfactory I regroup and prepare to try it again. My academic successes and failures can be attributed to the influences that were present in my life as well as my individual performance. Although individuals can have similar factors affecting their educational experiences, none are the same. Each student has their own set of factors that creates a distinct identity that is not associated with their race, ethnicity, or