A New Mind Set of Children in Liberia

The Sacrifice of The Founding Fathers

In America, children have the basic right to education. Preschoolers who parents don’t have the financial ability to facilitate their education could receive government's aids by attending special schools like "Head Starts," (an educational base institution that helps build the minds of young children). As those kids grow older they can also be enrolled in public schools which are also sponsor by the federal and the state budget. Children in both private and public school in westernize countries receive equal and quality education. With all these opportunities that the founding fathers of those westernize countries had sacrified to make happen, many young westernize children don't appreciate. An American friend of mine, once told that his best days in high school were getting suspensions when envolved in inappropriate act like fighting or using abusive vocabs in class. He explained that it was great to be kicked out of school for days because he could go home, play video games and relaxed. I was shock. He expressed himself on the stress and headache that follows so many assignments in school. He said shool should not only be a place of homework, test and big exams but it should rather be a social institution where people meet new friends and parties. "It's nice to go to school," he explained, "it's expecially nice during the beginning of fall when you still have the new clothes from summer shopping. But when all of those clothes have been worn it's hard to go to school with those same clothes on." I listened to him as he taled. I wonder why he was worry about new clothes to wear when all of mine are once I have been wearing for years and I still like them. But I also understood one thing that we are all different. "Maybe people who seek new clothing get their confidence from them and others don't," i thought to myself.

A Historically Unknown Land

As I sat and thought about all the things my friend had said, and excuses he made about taking education seriously, I begain to reflect on my personal life. I reflected on where I was born, grew up and the limited resource I had. I reflected back home in my little country that is unknown to other parts of the world but still holds the key to Africa's most famous historical records. A country founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society for the repartriation of free black slaves. She gained her independence in 1847 and was recognized as the first independent country on the continent of Africa. Due to culture and tribal misunderstand among its people, she has had a fourteen years cival war which led to the death of many and brought her down the ladder of abject poverty. After all those year of war, she elected hers and Africa first female president, Dr. Ellen Johnson Sirlief.

A New Mind-Set of Children in Liberia

As I reflected, I think about the street of Monrovia, the capital. I remembered young boys and young girls about the age of 12,13 and 14 selling in the street, walking miles upon miles just to accumulate the cost of their yearly tuitions. Even as they struggle to sell for their parents or guardiances, they still appreciated the privilage given to them to work for their own expense. They understood the common principles that life is not easy and notting is free. They believe in hard work and self responsibility. At early teens, they believe parents shouldn't always be the provider but should be taken care of. They believe that parents should not always give food but instead be fed. Despite their poverty, but this is the best notion that any child, any where could bring into the twenty first century.

School Kids in Liberia

I thought about all these things and some break my heart as I think about them more intensely. I remembered watching tens of kids walking to school early in the morning, some, without shoes or slippers. Some walked about half a mile bare-footed. Poor parents watched their child as they leave the house with dishevel sheets which they refer to as copy book. The only hope for those parent is that there would be better days ahead when their children are educated. Some couldn't afford breadfast in the morning or afford a backpack to store books but despite the lark of these basic needs many kids still had smiles on their faces as their parents wish them a good day at school. With such attitude, I can assure that the country of Liberia will be a better place tomorrow and that the sacrifice today is for the benefits of tomorrow's generation.

The Land of Opportunity

As I sat before my desk that night, I compare these kids to kids in America. A country that gives free education, feed kids at school, provide testbooks, facilitates their school materials base on their economic status, give scholarships and forms for financial assistance. The opportunity is there but many fail to use it. In public schools, teachers stay after school to help students who needs help but few show up. High school students pick up government funded lunches into the cafeteria and end them up in the trash while millions are starving in the world. Let me ask you this question. Why if you were born in a society that doesn't offers all these things? Would you be a man or a woman to stand on your own, struggle to your fullest or break down and give up? As you all know we as human do not choose where to be born so you born in American wasn't a pre-biological right but it was only by chance. So use every opportunity wisely and live life to your fullest. Life can be way better than where they are at the moment. In a country like America you have the switch to your own life. You either turn it on or keep it dark. Life is short and the best is all you can get. Tomorrow is unpredictable but today is what you have to do what you would expect tomorrow to be.

I am not a college graduate or a specialize person in any field of knowledge but this is what I know and how I see the world and this is how I think people should live. People should make ways for their own lives, think differently and use every opportunity to the fullest.