Story: The Underappreciated Heroes in American Society by Utsab Giri

Part of the Youth Story Campaign

The story I tell you today is my first hand experience of what immigrants from low income countries experience. This should serve as a reminder about the current schools and how although there is room for improvement, we should appreciate the currently established education system and appreciate the figures in the systems, mainly teachers who work very hard in order to set their students up for success.

Growing up in a rural town in Nepal was challenging. I had low blood lead levels from a birth defect which made learning challenging for me. Because of this, I would constantly be teased by my classmates because I kept falling behind. The teachers weren’t supportive either, they would often use physical measures such as hitting children like me who weren’t caught up by a ruler. I didn’t really see my dad at the time, this was because he was working in the US saving money for plane tickets and managing the visa application process so that our family could reunite with him in the US.

After about a year of waiting for news from my father, we received word that our visas had been approved. This was big news for the rest of my family but as a four-year-old, I didn’t quite grasp the magnitude of this change. Everyone in my community was thrilled for us; getting a visa to the United States was a rare achievement in our town, and people saw it as a ticket to a better life. My Family members even assured me that I wouldn’t have to worry about poverty anymore, suggesting that life in America would be much easier than in Nepal.

Upon arriving in the United States, I had mixed emotions about the new life ahead of me; Would there be more Nepali kids who want to be my friend? How would I go to school? Will my new teachers be kind? And most importantly, Will I be accepted? My dad eased me through these questions, telling me about how education here is much better than Nepal’s. Eventually the time came for me to begin my education journey in America. It was scary, and those questions came back to me as my parents walked me to my new school, however all of my anxiety started to go away as I stepped into my classroom, seeing the place where I would begin my education journey. 

On the first day of school, I didn’t really know what was happening because my English was lacking as I only knew phrases from the cartoons I watched. Because of the lack of communication, that day I ate a burger, which in my religion, it’s a taboo to eat beef. Obviously I didn’t really realize it until my parents told me that a burger comes from the meat of a cow, and I was worried that I would get in trouble. It was also my first time experiencing American bullies. Because I was the one of the only immigrants in school, some kids would often ask me why I pronounced my words funny, and they would mock and laugh at my pronunciation. I assume that they didn’t know it at the time, but that got me to develop an insecurity at a young age, which was the way I talked. However there were also some other kids in my grade that actually helped me practice pronouncing words and became friends with me. 

When I went home that day, I was pleased, yet also nervous about the next day, I had told my dad about how some kids were talking about how I talked funny, and he also became concerned that I wasn’t understanding the basics of English in a strong pace, so on the upcoming parent-teacher day, he spoke with my kindergarten teacher regarding my weakness in speaking, and she accepted to assist me more in class when she could. I used to find her name funny, as in my language we don’t have last names that mean other things. However I believe that just because of the fact that she helped me understand the fundamentals of English, it has changed my whole entire life. Schooling was much easier as Mrs. Drinkwater guided me through pronunciations, writing, and also she would help me understand more about America. After that semester ended, I was so much more excited to go to school, and as I kept growing older and older, I began to comprehend things much quicker. If it weren’t for my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Drinkwater, I would probably hate the American schooling system, her and the other hard working teachers are the main reason why I enjoy schooling in the United States.

Now, as a high school student, I do notice many flaws with this education system. Other than the poor choice of curriculum and the lack of challenge for many students, I believe that the key figures behind the success in the US education system are being underappreciated. Teachers play a major role in everyone’s lives in America, although there are many teachers who aren’t very supportive of students’ struggles, we still should thank every teacher because they are the reason why so many scholars are successful. Considering that there are areas in the world, such as the country where I come from, where many of the teachers are only there because of the pay. I believe that we should become more accepting to help others, similar to our teachers, so that we can change the life of another individual who might be stuck or lost  just like I was.

Short Poem Regarding The Value of Teachers

To every teacher out there,
Thank you for what you do.
For your patience, your dedication, your persistence.
For being the unsung heroes of our lives,
for guiding us even when we don’t realize it.
You are the reason why we keep going,
why we believe in ourselves,
why we think we can achieve something bigger.