Related News
Home » Supplement » Education
Follow your heart and you won't go wrong
By Yvonne Hsiao |
September 28, 2011, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
MANY years ago I was bullied in the SAS elementary playground for not being able to speak any English (by someone whom I now consider to be one of my closest friends). I'm glad to say that I've gained some valuable insight and skills in the 11 years since - skills such as the sheer audacity to write an article like this and the English ability to do so. Recently, some thought-provoking questions from both underclassmen and college freshmen have forced bouts of introspection upon me, and I hope that the ideas in this article will be as reassuring and refreshing to you as it were to those who encouraged me to write it.
As somebody who was uprooted from the male-dominated culture of traditionalist Taiwan and put into SAS's liberal international community, I've had my share of bumps along the way, most of which arose from trying to behave like a proper Asian kid at home while being increasingly Americanized at school. However, through those confusing cross-cultural obstacles, I was able to work towards my independence from cultural constraints while maintaining empathy towards different people who sometimes epitomized those two polarized ways of life. I am now able to confidently pursue my own increasingly defined personal will, mostly because in the past couple of years, I found the people I needed to help me do just that.
What I loved most about my junior year was that I was exposed to students and teachers who opened my mind to grander ideas and picked me up when I doubted my capabilities as a learner. Whether it's having e-mail chains or periodic group dinners at Da Marco, I have found that teachers at SAS are more than willing to foster the growth of students who want to learn for the sake of learning. We really do have incredible teachers and incredible classmates who can pry our minds open and really make us see. Taking advantage of that is ever important when the opportunities are still there. I wish I had realized that sooner, so underclassmen and middle schoolers, please take my word for it: You are the lucky ones.
A very articulate friend recently remarked in an e-mail: "There are things in which you can anchor yourself - in your faith, in books, in studies, in music, in love. But only in their unadulterated forms; meaning that it can't be studying for the sake of some end goal, or books for the sake of anything but enjoyment and pursuit of wisdom."
To me, it's important to realize that doing what you want is more important than doing what you think you should want. A lesson that I've learned is that people will always do well in classes they like - which means that even if the class is harder, it's still better than to sit, completely jaded, in an easy course. That's a hard fact for high-achieving parents of high-achieving children to accept. But we all have different passions and we should have the courage to pursue them.
(Yvonne Hsiao, above left, is Grade 12student at SAS)
As somebody who was uprooted from the male-dominated culture of traditionalist Taiwan and put into SAS's liberal international community, I've had my share of bumps along the way, most of which arose from trying to behave like a proper Asian kid at home while being increasingly Americanized at school. However, through those confusing cross-cultural obstacles, I was able to work towards my independence from cultural constraints while maintaining empathy towards different people who sometimes epitomized those two polarized ways of life. I am now able to confidently pursue my own increasingly defined personal will, mostly because in the past couple of years, I found the people I needed to help me do just that.
What I loved most about my junior year was that I was exposed to students and teachers who opened my mind to grander ideas and picked me up when I doubted my capabilities as a learner. Whether it's having e-mail chains or periodic group dinners at Da Marco, I have found that teachers at SAS are more than willing to foster the growth of students who want to learn for the sake of learning. We really do have incredible teachers and incredible classmates who can pry our minds open and really make us see. Taking advantage of that is ever important when the opportunities are still there. I wish I had realized that sooner, so underclassmen and middle schoolers, please take my word for it: You are the lucky ones.
A very articulate friend recently remarked in an e-mail: "There are things in which you can anchor yourself - in your faith, in books, in studies, in music, in love. But only in their unadulterated forms; meaning that it can't be studying for the sake of some end goal, or books for the sake of anything but enjoyment and pursuit of wisdom."
To me, it's important to realize that doing what you want is more important than doing what you think you should want. A lesson that I've learned is that people will always do well in classes they like - which means that even if the class is harder, it's still better than to sit, completely jaded, in an easy course. That's a hard fact for high-achieving parents of high-achieving children to accept. But we all have different passions and we should have the courage to pursue them.
(Yvonne Hsiao, above left, is Grade 12student at SAS)
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
