STUDENT WRITING: EVALUATION by ALISA KIM

Assignments and Tests

Do you think it is necessary for students to have assignments? If so, why is it important to do homework? Many people believe if you are sitting down to do your homework, you realize how much you understand of what’s going on in class. Also it can help you have critical thinking skills. On the contrary, what if you have so many assignments that you can’t finish them?

In Korea, I had enough homework to do after school because in those days, most teachers as well as parents thought homework could help students improve their abilities to solve the questions and improve the grades they got on exams. Whenever I took vacations, I was always concerned about how to manage to do my assignments because I could not ask my parents and I didn’t have any reference books at home. However, on seeing my kids’ assignments, I realized that their teachers do not give so much homework because they know that most students attend various types of classes after school. Even though my kids have some homework, they don’t worry about it because they can ask dad and mom, search the reference books and surf the internet. Nonetheless, many students do not care about the assignments. They only focus on getting good grades on tests. The evaluation of their assignments does not influence their grades significantly. On the other hand, when my kids came here, we didn’t know that teachers gave grades on assignments.

I have thought over what homework’s benefits are. My kids’ ability to bring it home, gather and organize necessary materials to complete it, return it and receive a grade strengthens their sense of responsibility. There is also improved development of personal skills such as the management gained by completing homework. In addition, homework can play a public relations role by keeping parents informed about class activities and policies. It also seems to be a bridge that joins schools and parents. From the school’s perspective, there is the opportunity to monitor students’ independent progress. For parents, there is the potential to gain a greater appreciation of education and to express positive attitudes towards their children’s achievement. For these reasons, I can comprehend why my kids’ teachers give them assignments almost every day.

Next, as I examine and compare the tests, most students in Korea are worried about them, so they spend much time studying. Some students even stay up late or try not to sleep during the test periods. Many people evaluate students with rating grades. According to the rating grades, many students get stressed due to the tests. They have two big tests a semester. However, it seems that the students in the U.S. do not get lots of stress because of tests. As far as I can see, they have one big test a year, for example, STAAR. It doesn’t seem that the test result influences their promotion to the next grade. This is one of the answers why my kids like to study here even though they have assignments and tests very often.

I’d like to conclude by saying that I believe that the educational system and the parents’ mind-set need to be reformed in Korea. It is time to ask again why you study. We know that learning continues throughout our whole life. We also know that those who study hard are good, but they cannot keep up with those who enjoy studying.

STUDENT WRITING: PROPOSAL by JANETT AMORES

Deserving
Each year hundreds of students come to El Paso in order to study English. The University of Texas at El Paso through English Language Institute (ELI) provides high quality academic courses. Students from many foreign countries come to ELI in order to improve their English. It is a true multicultural experience. Therefore, students learn and enrich their knowledge when they interact with one another. However, I have noticed that ELI does not require health insurance for students.

People who want to become ELI students have to follow some specific steps. For example, they have to fill out an application form, get an I-20, get a visa, and provide proof of financial responsibility. I wonder why health insurance is not included in the requirements. As a current student of ELI, I am interested in this topic. I firmly believe that health insurance should be a requirement.

Having the opportunity to study English in ELI should be an exciting and a safe experience. Students should realize that anything happen while they are away from home, so they should be required to buy a health insurance plan to protect them. It is important to be prepared for any unexpected illness, injury and medical emergency. Health insurance provides high quality medical care if students become sick or injured during their studies. Some plans include emergency coverage for illness and injuries and medical evacuation. In addition health insurance protects students from exorbitant bills in case they are hospitalized.

Participation in the student health insurance plan should be mandatory for ELI students unless proof of comparable coverage is presented. The benefits are not only for students but also for the ELI because this strategy can attract more students.