Growing up in a small rural village in China, the last thing I could dream of was coming to the Big Apple. “I saw snow for the first time!” I just saw Central Park in real life! The first days after landing at JFK were filled with excitement and curiosity, I explored the city with all my passion, hoping to learn all the details. However, things got worse after I started school; where I realized that I was an exception in the class. I don't speak English, I don't know any pop culture or references. Every time a student tells a joke and the whole class bursts out laughing, I laugh too, even if I don't even understand the joke. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay This feeling of disconnect stuck with me throughout my primary and secondary education. I thought it would disappear as I became fluent in English and became familiar with the cultural references. But it stuck with me and slowly turned into insecurity. However, I reached the turning point in my life after I started working at A+, a tutoring school. To be honest, I wasn't good at it at first. I was awkward and helpless. Whenever a teacher or student asked me a question, I always responded with “uh…I’m not sure.” When an angry parent stormed into the school, holding a C+ report card in front of my face, yelling why their child hadn't improved, I would freeze and give puppy dog ​​eyes to my colleagues, hoping that the 'one of them would intervene and save me. .I thought maybe I wasn't cut out for this. But at the same time, I wanted to prove to others that I could take on challenges. So I started asking my colleagues for advice on how to handle different situations. I saw them handle a crying child during school, and I secretly memorized it in my heart, telling myself that this was what I should do. “Why is my child doing poorly in English? » I learn to answer these types of questions by talking with parents about the student's work ethic and study skills, and I assure the parent that I will offer additional help to students instead to simply pass the phone to someone else. I'd be lying if I said this job wasn't frustrating. Sometimes I explained a math concept to the same student for the 10th time but he still looked confused. Sometimes a child with a bloody nose would walk in front of me, hold her nose and ask me what she should do when I had an office full of students and parents waiting to talk to someone. But it's worth it. It's worth it when the student goes "ahh" after I've tried 3 different approaches to explain the concept, and the next time I check the file, their math grade has gone from 50 to 70. This worth it after I talk to different people and the office is empty again. The student then walks in front of me, hands me the towel which I wet and places on his forehead, says “Thank you, miss”. And the next thing you know, she started smiling and waving at me every time she walked in and out of school. It’s little things like a paper crane with thank you notes written on it that tell me what I’m doing is appreciated. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay A+ gives me room to grow as an individual and discover my passion. I can honestly say I wouldn't be who I am..