Misconceptions

I moved to USA after I completed 7th grade in a well known Private school in Kerala, I studied in the same school from LKG or Kindergarten till 7th grade. My dad got a job in USA when I was in 7th grade and he wanted to relocate along with my mother and myself. But something in my wishlist remained uncompleted,a National Medal...So my mother and I decided to stay in India to achieve that goal. And so I did by the end of my 7th grade year. Then it was in the summer of 2007 our whole family made the big move... Before coming to USA most poeple I met told me and often laughed at me saying that the educational system in the USA is very bad and compared to Indian education system, it is very poor. People often gave me examples like the 1st grade in India is equal to 3rd grade in USA. I considered those advices and came to USA and joined a magnet school(I will tell you what that is on the way!) in the city of our residence. On the first day of school itself, I realized the huge huge lie that is being spread around in our country about the US education system. US education system is not inferior to Indian education system, its rather superior. People who think that US is behind in educational programs, never bothered to look it up or enquire the facts behind this. I am saying this because I am studying in USA. Anyway upon addmission, to a school here, I was really sad that it is a public school! But public schools are more equipped with facilities, such as free learning, free transportation and better education that private schools (vice versa in Kerala). Upon seeing the school and its technology made me pinch myself several times to believe that is a normal school in USA. Usually my peers in India who went thru a lot of relocations inside the state of Kerala might have gone thru a terrible time of locating where things are at their new school. But here there was a special day for new-students known as the Orientation day where the Head master/mistress took the new ones thru the entire building sectors (schools are huge). I was amazed to see that all classrooms have a TV and kind of like an office set-up for each student. This was the normal classroom in a typical US school. Then I went thru my first day of US school life experienceing the teaching methods. Most teachers have a doctorate in their area of studies and instead of having one classroom for a class, it was 1 room for 1 teacher so we kept switching rooms, and i thought that just refreshed me each time I had to switch. The people who work for the betterment of children, prooved that sitting in the same place for hours makes ur attention span just go downhill. And I agree as i learnt in the Indian way of education, sitting in the same spot spoiled my day :)
So as i experienced more and more of US education, i came to know that here, you see and you learn, you experience the matter of interest and observe it with your own eyes. Well in India we learn about Amoeba and here we saw Amoeba thru microscopes. Equipments were provided to us when we needed them, we got specific microscopes, thermometers, laptops of course and internet wifi in school for learning purposes. I dont think there is much equipmental support for students in our country, it might be just one microscope for the entire school whereas here it is 1 per student.
Anyway my first year passed with full of surprise. As I called my relatives and friends they said USA is bad for Education, like USA uses calculators in math class, but let me ask you one thing, What is wrong with using a calculator in Mathematics class? Can anybody who is readin name a profession where they dont use calculator in the real world. US education system doesnt teach you to be book worms. It teaches you to be streetsmart and thrive in this world. Most of our poor peers back in the "strict code against calculator system" are often amazed by the scientific/graphing calculator they see in engineering course or something while an eighth grader here in USA might even know how to draw Mickey mouse faces in the calculator using exponential functions!
But with all my dreams of studying in my own country with the awesome friends i made over the past 9 years (7 grade levels and 2 kindergarten years) I wanted to go back and continue my studies in my homeland. So by the end of 08-09 school year i went back to join in 9th grade in India. So my dad made calls and i was assured to be admitted into my old school.
My mother and I reached India in a hot April morning and dad stayed in USA. As you know 10th grade is a big deal in our India, teachers tend to stress out poor kids from 9th grade onwards cutting down the summer vacation....
My mother and I reached my school, and our principal, a teacher who taught me in 7th grade, invited us to the office and had a nice long conversation. At the end of this long conversation we came to know something from our teachers mouth that, "American educational standards are low, this child needs to take an admission test to be admitted" I mean come' on how uncool is that. Did this teacher know about American educational standards? Did she teach in America? Live in America? NO More over I stayed out of my country for only 1 year and where is my standard going to go anyways? My mom said a big NO.
And atlast I told my mom, I dont want an education from India anymore. I just wanted to go back. I went back to my old school saw the kind principal who requested my Admission test and told her, I never expected this and I dont crave an education from this country anymore
and left to USA....

Now the story continues.....

I came back to USA with a broken heart :(
and went for a normal school admission here, and the lady in the office of that school spotted- "Hey you went to a magnet school" then she told me Magnet school means a school that specializes on Diplomas in MST- Math, Science and Technology. How cool is that?
So I applied to a great school here and got admission.
I was so amazed to see the school am gonna learn in. It looked like an Airport or a shopping center. The school was equipped with state of the art technology like motion sensor in every classrooms that makes the light go off if no one is in the room, and laptops for every student to take home with them, all homeworks online, all submissions online and also about classrooms- X shaped classrooms for lectures and student conference rooms and awesome labs for Chemistry and Physics.
It is better than a college in India. :) and also remember, this is a public school,
I was happy after all and upon seeing the school I remember what my mother said when we walked back from the old school in India, she told me "Everything is going to be a reason for something really good" and it was true!!!
Now I want to thank my principal of the old school back in India, if she gave me an OK i would be stuck in that school which is not even as big as the cafeteria of my current school. And I would have been like any other of my peers and my best friend adviced me to go back to USA if i wanted a future....
Along with all these now I feel so thankful to my teachers here in USA who walked me thru this amazing education and all my teachers in India, especially, one teacher who took a lot of effort in trying to get me an admission back in my old school :)
But here in USA there are a lot more opportunities compared to our country where it is either Engineer or Doctor :)

My advice to all of my peers are try to study somewhere else (outside Kerala), if you want to travel in a unique path to future and success

**Now these are my opinions and experiences, if you dont agree with this, I really cant do anything about that :)