ducation is important to my life because I want to complete my GED and get my citizenship. In my class I have learned to communicate with my American co-workers and UVA students. When I go to the store, the bank and elsewhere I understand what is going on. When my children start school I am able to help them with their homework.

I want to help interpret the English into my native language for my people, who don't speak English. I know when you are from foreign countries and don't know the international common language in the United States you will really get confused and even be ignorant. Lack of education is lack of knowledge.

I am sure everyone at least has to know how to communicate with people, because someone I know had this problem and took the wrong city bus! They don't speak English and had been on the bus at least an hour! The bus driver asked them where they wanted to go, they had to call my husband to talk to him and my husband told him their address. He showed them the right bus. They were frustrated because of their lack of knowledge. That is why education is important to me.

ducation is very important. If you have knowledge, you can get a better job and a good life. In most weeks, I spend seven and a half hours on my education. That is time in English classes, or with a tutor, learning to read and write. BEsides classes, I watch the news on television to learn to understand more English.

Education is not just for children, but for older people too. When I learn more, and have more knowledge, I would like to go back to my country and teach English. English is important if you go to other countries. If I can't understand the language in China or Italy, I might be able to talk to someone there because they might know English, too.

If I could have more education, I would like to study science or agriculture. In Kenya, I graduated Grade Five in their system. Before I could start Grade 6 (Adult Primary School), I left for America.

The first time I came to the U.S.A., I saw a lot of students going to school. I asked my friend about it and he said, "They like to learn more, more reading and writing. When they graduate from high school, they can go to college. When they graduate from college, they can find a better job." I met a college student and asked him why he was in college if he already knows how to read and write, and he said he was studying to be a cardiologist.

When I came to the U.S.A. I didn't go to high school because I was already 19. If I had, I think an American school would have been very different for me. At my school in Kenya, we had classes of 60 or 80 or even 100 students sometimes. There might be 4 students sharing a book. We had classes for science, math, agriculture, and English.

In addition to that school, I went to a "medrassa" which is a school which teaches the Quran. It also teaches what is good and what is bad, and how to live as a Muslim. One day after school at the medrassa, I was in a fight with a lot of people hitting me and beating me with sticks. Someone hit my head with a stone, and I had to go to the hospital. The next day my father went to the medrassa and told them about the fight. He was upset that I had been hurt. The medrassa did not know who did it, so he didn't do anything about it. After that, my father took me out of the medrassa.

In Kenya, there was also anothers chool, like the medrassa, but called a "dooksie." There we studied the Quran. Instead of books, we wrote verses from the Quran on wooden planks. We made the ink from ashes. I think this is very different from American schools!

When I came to the U.S.A., I went to an adult school run by the IRC. That school had people from Somalia, Sudan, India, Uganda and other places. That school taught us about being good workers in America. They taught us to have respect for a job, how to get along with your supervisor, and to be a hard worker. I stayed in that school until I got a job, then I went to work. Now I study English two days a week, and have a tutor for reading and writing. I used to read words with three letters, but now I can read some long words. I feel good that I have learned so much. I want to thank all my teachers and tutors.

believe education has a big influence on a person to become a good citizen and to be a positive influence on others. I don’t mean a person who has no education is worthless to people and its country, but it is advantageous to be education. When I was a child, my parents tried, but they had a hard time focusing on both their daily life and my educational life. Plus, I spent most of the time with my babysitter, who wasn’t that pushy or too worried about education, so I spent most of my childhood time joking and wandering around. As I grew up and started to become more mature, I started to realize the importance of education. Even though I went to college and graduated, I still regret the decisions I made when I was a kid. Now I am a mother and a little bit busy doing some other stuff, but I am still attached to school. I believe education has no age limit and I want to take this opportunity to enhance my knowledge about the world and its surroundings. My son will be heading to school in a few years, so I want to be able to read and write at least Basic English so I can respond to my child’s requests.

veryday at 6:00 AM I wake up and go to the bath. After that I take the time to do my homework from Mrs. Labonnie Allan (my GED teacher.) It takes a lot of time to do my homework.

I am studying hard in class. My goals include improving my reading, writing, math timetables, and using computer and the internet. I am working hard for my GED. My teacher always tells us to complete homework every time she gives it to us because the GED is not easy to pass. I know that it is very hard.

I know that all of my classmates are working hard, too. I hope one day my dream of getting my GED will come true.

was born in Croatia, a country located in east Europe next to Italy and not so far from Austria. Croatia was part of Yugoslavia about 15 years ago. My city was small, and the people who were living there were almost all hard workers with very limited education. We had basic schools for everybody, but the University was only for rich people.

I was a young boy, who liked to play and have fun, even normal things that were regular for a young boy at the time. School was not really something I liked. I thought "that’s not cool enough for me." My mother used to tell me, "My son go to school, learn something you like, make your life easy. Be somebody."

But I didn’t hear the voice of someone who would never tell me something bad or send me the wrong way. My mother was a smart person with no high education. She fought for me, but I didn’t realize that. My father passed away when I was seven years old. She was for me a Dad and Mom. It was a hard time to grow up without an important person. I didn’t know how it would be not to have a dad.

At this point, I have lived in six countries and on two continents. I have met people from different religions, beliefs, and education. I finished school and got a University degree unaided.

I have worked all kinds of jobs. But something I will never forget is the voice from an old woman who used to tell me, "Go to school. Make your life easy. Be something."

Now, I have become a real man, educated and smart enough to manage all kinds of difficult situations, with multicultural and international experiences. For all of the young boys and girls, I say "Knowledge talks; wisdom listens. Go to school. Be somebody."

am a 31 year old woman and I was in Special Ed classes all my life. It was not fun at all! I got teased a lot. Then I heard about Families Learning together so I signed up so I could learn my skills like math and reading all over again because I still have a hard time reading and doing math. I did it for my daughter because she was in school and I wanted to help her with her work. I help my nephew and my niece with their work but sometimes I still need help by my sister and sometimes my niece still helps me.

Sometimes I feel helpless when I ask a nine year old girl to help me with first grade work. That’s why it is better to stay in school. Your education is better to have than have no education at all. So it is better to stay in school and don’t quit school. It’s not good at all to give up.

joined a company in Oman as a maintenance technician. After six months they transferred me to a rural power plant. It was on an island called Al-Halaniath near an Omani city of Salalah. Twenty-three families lived on this tiny island. There was a small school, a clinic, a fishery and our power and water plant.

This island was an abundant place. A few years earlier many people were sent to live in this place after a chicken pox epidemic.

Many of them died without medicine. Many of them died without food or proper shelter. We can see a very big graveyard and old huts on the island.

Now these people and their descendants catch fish from the sea. Fishing is the main income for the people. They are very hard workers. Many of them have their own boats and a good house in which to live.

They started with a very difficult situation. They started to utilize the natural resources and with their hard work they have a very good living.

ducation is very important for my life and for everybody. Education gives a right way to read, to write, and to learn many things in the world.

Education provides the opportunity to have a good job, to become an important personality, to become a doctor, a minister, a judge, a president…

For example: the new president, Barack Obama, before becoming president of the USA, went to school, worked hard, and became successful.

Education helps the States development through my life experience. I have learned that education is the key to our careers and successes.

I am working hard to support them for their education, and I hope they "can".

I am learning how to get my GED. If I have my GED, I can make more money, go to college, and get a new, better job.

I encourage others to learn by talking to them about how education changes the lives of people. I am giving them the good and bad examples to compare.

Good example: education allows people to have a good job, and they can buy what they want. Bad example: someone with no education can become a thief and finish his life in jail. For me, "a person with no education is like a house with not light."

Good luck to everyone who focuses on education.

ducation is very important for all people of the world, especially for me. He, who learns the books, will gain more knowledge. This is the best way to gain knowledge. If we study, we know about our environment which surrounds us. Education connects us with other countries that we don’t know about. Also, we learn about human civilization: culture, religion, economics, race, locations, and climatic environment.

Those countries, which gain high levels of education, also reach high levels of economy. And this is the way to success of our wishes and lets us reach to our goals. Education can open the doors of career opportunities for us. Education is enhancing our knowledge and increasing our honor and prestige in the human community. Education is brightness. Through education, we can solve easily the problems we face. Without education, we are able to find the way of proper life. With education, we can help and show good direction for our friends, students, and our families.

Education shows us how to write about our past history and shows us how to make plans for the future. Education is most necessary for getting a job or employment. The educated person will get a higher position, and will get more salary then others who are working in lower positions.

I attended school, and learned a lot about school subjects, and found lots of friends at school. I faced new faces when I was a student, and then I also continued with my school lessons. I learned lots of information about, land, mountains, my country, other countries of the world, their locations, people, types of life, some of their, export, imports, incomes, agricultures, mines, races, foreign countries languages, religions, rivers, communications, type of the countries, governancegovernment, and much more.

I encourage lots of my friends and other people, whom I had known before, to learn more. When I was an English Institute administration officer, I had recruited lots of people to join our institute. That helped them a lot. And when they graduated from the course, they found jobs with international companies, and they got very good salaries. And I also encouraged the school’s students to enhance their knowledge. Also I encouraged students who are attending University.

We can learn so many things by reading, and we understand from these verses how important education is. People must be aware of education. Most people want to associate with an educated person. Because they are open minded and tolerant, and they are also good models for the people around them, especially for children. For example, it is important to be educated for my husband and me. That is why we decided to come to America to advance our education. We believe our decision to come to America is going to affect our kids’ lives in a positive way. They will have the opportunity to learn English, and experience a different culture. In conclusion, I believe an educated person means a happy, peaceful, and fulfilled person. When world leaders become really educated people, there will no war in the world. My opinion is that the only way we can stop wars, where our kids can live in peace and harmony, is by getting educated.

chool has become a challenge for me. I had not attended school in twenty-one years. Algebra was introduced in the public schools I attended after I left, so I had to learn everything. I prepared myself for the Pre-GED. On my first try, I passed all subjects except math. I needed twenty more points. There were times when I wanted to give up, but I keep pushing on. I’m becoming very comfortable with mathematics, so I wrote a poem to express my accomplishments.

My triumph will be a turning point in my life. I will have my GED when I leave these walls. I will also have greater knowledge, a sense of pride, and the courage to face the world’s challenges with my head held high.

want to go to school because I want to learn English. I study at the Adult Learning Center. I am now in the second English class. Before I went to school for French and for mathematics. I finished 12 years. This was in Uvira Congo. I want to learn English first, then continue mathematics. I want to work at a pharmacy. After English I will study for my GED. After GED I will continue my school.

or an adult to know how to write is of great importance. I say this for many reasons. One - to be productive in everyday society, two - to be able to operate on a job, and three - to help teach our kids.

To me, writing is how you learn to read. If you can’t teach your child to write, then it may be difficult for them to learn to read. Take this essay for example: if you were never taught to write you may not understand my point.

Not every job consists of manual labor. There’s such a thing we call corporate America, where you need clerical skills. Last but not least, if you can’t write, then how do you write up a resume?

As far as everyday society goes, writing skills are a must. We fill out forms everyday. My belief is, to properly do this, you have to know how to write. It’s just a part of life.

So, as you can see, writing can be knowledge. This knowledge helps in personal and work relations. Writing can also be fundamental. So, as I said before, writing is of great importance!

ducation is important for me. Of course, it is important for everybody. Why do we have to learn English? Because we live in this country. In the United States, English is the main language. Also, English is an international language.

If you live in the United States, you are going to need to look for jobs. The first question an employer will ask is, "Do you speak English?" In this country, you need to speak English to get a job. After you get a job, you will need to talk to people. Sometimes you will need to talk to your supervisor about your job. You need to understand your benefits and your job description. There are lots of reasons. More importantly, you need to talk to co-workers.

If you can speak English you can also travel to different countries. Now in the 21st century, most countries use English. When you travel and you know English, you will be able to talk to people more easily.

Education is very important to people in this world. People with education can understand lots of different languages, cultures, and histories.

I have finished my TOEFL for the first time with unsatisfactory score. During the test that I was preparing for TOEFL, I benefited a lot from the suggestion list from people who attended the test. I would like to share my experiences and feelings here.

When the real test started, I was very nervous because I realized that my shortcoming is in listening and speaking. At the beginning of the test I would be faced with the listening part. I didn’t understand the first conversation at all. I became more nervous! Sweat was running in my hands! I told myself, "Relax! Relax!" when the listening part was done. I know the score couldn’t get high. I was so depressed! At the same time I figured out what was going wrong because I’m not confident with my listening comprehension skill. I’m always worried that I can’t completely understand after conversation. So I thought during the test, "The most important thing is: intense concentration. Do not think of

Another speaking part was quite difficult for me. There are four parts in speaking. I just remembered the first part is free answer. I had 15 seconds to think how to answer opinion questions. Then I had 45 seconds to speak my idea. I looked completely blank. I even forgot the simplest words as a result of my nervousness.

Maybe I will try my best to take the exam again this year. To tell the truth, I even wanted to give up before. However, my friend told me, I should do it as another way to learn English. That I harvest a lot in a short time and I will pass the TOEFL test in a few months. Even though the unsatisfactory score depressed me, I have confidence that I can do better.

ell, I sit here, and I’m trying to come up with the right words; but, I don’t think there are right or wrong words for this. I’m thirty years old, and I dropped out of the seventh grade. My grandmother raised me to be hard and to work; but, she never pushed me to go to school. I’ve been working since I was sixteen years old to help her because it has always just been me and her. But to tell you the truth, I haven’t really enjoyed my life up until now. I’ve never started something good and finished it. I’ve always been like, "I’ll get to it later," which never happens.

I’ve been working in the bar scene, and that’s all I knew. But now it’s time for me to make a change in my life. I’ve learned education is so important, and you need it in life. So, now I’m in school to get my GED. This might not mean a lot to others, but this will be the world to me. I don’t care if it takes me the next year, I will get it. I’m doing this for myself, and it will feel so good to have that paper in my hand, my GED. So, I’m starting here, and this is just the beginning.

ducation is very important in this world. Everybody should have education, either formal or informal. Education plays a vital part in the country.

It can be learned by two ways: that is practically and theoretically. Practically means you get your education by using in practice or use the things in work. Theoretically means simply read the book, and pass the test and go the higher class. I have a little education from Nepal but it is different from American education. Different in teaching style, materials used, language, and all. Now I am trying to get American education and hope that I will learn American education soon. When we have proper education, only then we will be part of American society.

So education is most important thing. Every individual should have education. It helps us to be in the right position in our life. Anyway, I am trying to learn American education.

Thanks.

hen I applied for undergraduate courses, my family helped me select the nursing major since they thought nursing has good job opportunities and I really had little knowledge of nursing at that time when information access was not as easy as today in my hometown. After undergraduate study of nursing and working at a hospital, I really had my experience of the nursing specialty. I found I do not like nursing as my lifetime career since the job of nursing is lacking autonomy, and lacking involvement in the decision-making process. The lack of autonomy and authority seems to contribute to the experience of powerlessness in situations where an individual knows the right thing to do but is constrained from pursuing the right course of action. Facing the fact that nursing is not my career interest, I spared no time to try to change my specialty. So, I worked very hard for 2003 national entrance examination of master program study in anesthesiology, a specialty that I am very interested in because of its challenges and high autonomy. I succeeded in this application for the program. During the anesthesiology program study, it seems that I made more efforts than students who previously majored in medicine. I often used my spare time and weekends to learn and practice at a hospital. In the process of doing laboratory work during my master’s degree study, the exploration of mysteries in science sparked my interest in research work. In conducting laboratory investigations, my capacity to independently resolve problems and overcome difficulties and communication skills with research teams have been improved. And I have sensed that thinking, original ideas, independence, and good communication skills are extremely important to develop a good researcher. During my master’s degree program study in anesthesiology, I experience that anesthesiology, whether in terms of its disciplinary scope or depth, is extremely complicated. It is like an art, full of mysteries and challenges. Realization of anesthesiology and making contribution to its development need higher qualifications for staff in the field. The sense fuels me to continuously set new standards for myself,and fuels me constantly to update my knowledge, think, and explore. So I have continued my PhD program study in anesthesiology and positively applied for year 2008 Chinese Scholarship Counsil-sponsored internationally joint PhD training program. Upon competitive and strict evaluation of the applicants for the Scholarship, I gained the opportunity to study at University of Virginia. I enjoy the experience in my efforts for continual education, an experience that is rewarding and have changed my life.

was born in Colombia, South America. I love and I miss my family and my country too. I have been living in U.S. since 2002. Thank you, United States, for giving me the opportunity to come here.

I believe that education is the most important thing in a person’s life because it makes us better people and gives us new job opportunities.

You need to start when you are young. If you pay good attention and work hard at an early age, it will help you stay focused as you get older. You need to keep good habits: studying hard, doing homework, and asking for help if you don’t understand well. Even if you didn’t graduate from high school, you can go back and get a GED.

For example, in my case, I finished high school in my country. After that I went to the University, but I couldn’t finish.

Then last year I decided to go back to school and got my GED. I was very surprised because I almost forgot some things. But I remembered many things again and learned new things that were not easy. I needed to study hard, but it was a good experience and I enjoyed those times. Finally I graduated last October. I think that a person is never too old to learn. We should never be embarrassed about going back to school to benefit ourselves.

Education should be part of everyone’s life. It will really benefit you in your life, if you are applying for new jobs.

Education is like a precious diamond. I have dreams in my life: first to learn English well and go to college. Second, I want to become an American citizen. Third, I would use my education to help my family and other people. For this reason, I am here in the Adult Learning Center.

One day a classmate asked me, "How long have you been here in the school?" I told him I have been studying English almost for two years. In that moment I was thinking I had been here for a long time, but now I’m thinking that doesn’t matter. I am never embarrassed to learn more. I encourage others to come here to the school and learn English and go back to school to finish their education. So I’m grateful with God, because He is helping me all the time through good friends. He is my wisdom and my boldness. Thanks to so many people who have helped me: teacher, Chip, who is correcting me all the time; teacher, Leslie, who was my first teacher when I began at the school; Heidi and all the volunteers from UVA. Thank you for spending time helping us; also, volunteers from Dialogue Café on Fridays: all my family in Columbia who always encourage me; also thank you so much to my tutor, Gary Holmes from Literacy Volunteers, who is helping me to improve my English. I would also like to thank all my classmates who also help me learn. I would like to be a volunteer and help others.

Education: it can take you far in your life. It could take you as far as you let it.

"If you start, you never stop."

need to study English so that I can speak with my grandchildren, co-workers and people at the store. I need to speak English and at the hospital if sick so the doctor can help my appointment in March 28 for a mammogram. It is very important to read and write English and to understand papers at the hospital.

hy is education important to you?

If today, we are in good style of life, it’s all because of education. Let’s first define education. In my philosophy, education is a source that we can use to read and write and convey concepts. Before, people suffered and died from very simple things like TB, and blood transfusion.

Today Doctors doctors can treat those diseases which were impossible in the past, like HIV, and cancer. Of course not completely, but at least they can increase the survival time and even some of the patients are cured. That is all because of education. Doctors are now able to use the latest technology. The survival expectancy of a brain hemorrhage is better in the US because the population is better educated on diet and lifestyle that in my native Afghanistan. Afghanistan has been facing big challenges and troubles. Outsiders have always come in and forced people to their ways.

Most uneducated Afghans help them and continue to help these evil visitors.

They were being told by the enemy and landlord of our country to burn the girls’ schools.

That way, they can keep people in darkness and nobody stands up to ask for their rights. Whatever they want, they will do to them.

What valuable lessons have you learned?

There are a lot of examples. Before, during the era of the Taliban, people traveled all the way from Afghanistan to Pakistan and to spend three nights and a lot of money just to make a phone call to contact their relatives in the US or European countries. Other people took their sick relatives to Pakistan or Iran for medical care. But today, Afghanistan has universities, colleges, school, and new buildings under construction. Roads and highways are wider. There is the Internet, electricity, good Hhospitals, and telephones.

People can contact their families from everywhere in Afghanistan.

How do you encourage others to learn?

As human beings, we have to learn and seek until the end of our life. Education is like light. So, come to the brightness and enjoy the world which God created for us.

In the conclusion of my story, I would like to quote Napoleon: "Give me an educated mother, and I will give you an education Nation."

he first time I came to America, I flew from Thailand to Tokyo, Tokyo to Chicago on United Airlines. The lady attendant pushed the cart down the aisle. She stopped and asked me, "What would you like to drink?" I said, "Water, please." But she couldn’t understand me. I told her four or five times; but she didn’t understand me. I was so upset because my pronunciation was too poor, I thought. Then she gave me a pen, and I wrote down "water." When she saw the word, she knew . She said, "Oh, water."

Now I have a tutor. My tutor helps me practice pronunciation. I think my pronunciation is better because when I’m talking with American people, they understand me.

hen I was small, my father died. After that, I sat with my mother for one year. After that, some of my relatives said to me that if I went with them, they would give me a chance to go to school. I was very curious, and I became happy. I agreed to go with them. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful because they would not allow me to go to school. They made me take care of their cow, goat, and small baby. The other children of that family got the chance to go to school. I was very unhappy because they did not allow me to go to school, and they did not allow me to sit with their children who were going to school.

I don’t know why they did that to me. During the time the children were doing their homework, I tried to go near to them and learn something; but their parents would not allow me to go with them. I cried, and I returned back to my own work.

After that, I was always with my domestic animals. The animals were my friends. I gave them directions, and they always followed me. At the same time, I heard that war had started in my country, and that the government had ordered us to leave the country. I was small. I was happy that I would get a chance to meet with my mother if we left the country.

After that, we started to live in Nepal as refugees. In the camp, our elder brother and sister collected small children, and they started to give them a little knowledge. We used to practice the alphabet, how to say and how to write it. The agency would then know that Bhutanese refugees want to read and write and become educated. The agency helped us in education. I was very happy. I worked very hard on my lessons, and I started my education.

After some months, my sister married and moved to another camp, leaving every responsibility for myself and my mother to me. It felt very difficult because I was nine years old. That responsibility would disturb me from getting an education. I struggled with that problem. Sometimes, I was unsuccessful in my studies. I repeated the same level, and next time I was successful. In this way, I finished my high school level, and I joined the college in August 2007.

At the same time, the IOM (International Organization Migration) started their re-settlement program. Even though I had just started my college level, I heard more about the re-settlement program for the Bhutanese refugees, and I applied for the re-settlement program. After a few months the agency called me into the office to know if I wanted to re-settle in another country or not. I said I wanted to resettle in the USA because I would be able to get more education and take care of my family.

n Togo, it was tradition for all children in my family to go to Ghana (Keta) for English school after French school. This was my grandfather’s law. Everybody knew how to speak English except me. When I went to secondary school, I did not like to take English class. I felt stupid. I said, "I don’t know where I’m going to speak this language."

My uncle asked me, "If one day you live in an English speaking country, what are you going to do?" I answered, "What I am going to look for in an English speaking country?" Now, after 60 years, I’m here in American learning English.

I can’t believe that I’m now again faced with the language I hated in my past life. I can say today, with my loud voice, it is never too late to learn.

cherish that I can depend on my mother and my father. If anything happens to me they will always be there. I trust them and they give me good advice.

My father taught me how important work is. I am learning how important education is and in school I learned to respect people’s differences.

I encourage others to learn by telling them my story. I hope that others will see how important it is to not waste time which they are young.

Education is important to me because in American education is necessary to get a good job and a good life.

I am learning how to read, to write, to use a computer, and to speak English. It has been hard for me to learn all these things. It feels like I am in a new world and now I am learning something new. I hope that will help me to help my family and others. If that happens then I will be successful.