K-12 Upbringing

School is an essential step in the development process for a child. The experience a child has between Kindergarten and 12th grade (K-12) varies on different social and economic issues. In my own educational experiences I have learned a lot about myself. The sacrifices made and the support given by my parents made me pursue academic excellence in my K-12 experience.

My upbringing was different than many of my classmates. My parents are from Fiji, and immigrated to this country 30 years ago. My mom and dad both did not graduate high school. I was brought up speaking Gujarati, the official language of Gujarat, a northwest state in India. As a child, my parents owned a motel located in Downtown Sacramento next to the Governor’s Mansion. According to Wikipedia (2008) “Indian Americans own 50% of all economy lodges and 35% of all hotels in the United States, which have a combined market value of almost $40 billion”. I was unable to go out and play because I lived on a main street. I didn’t attend preschool, but was smart for a child because of watching educational television and tutoring from older siblings.

I attended Bannon Creek Elementary school in Natomas. I didn’t even live in the Natomas school district, but my dad made sure that I didn’t attend an urban school near our residence. Using my uncle’s home address I was able to attend. My dad agreed with Jan Anyon, whom describes the inequality of education in urban and suburban schools (Anyon, 1997). Downtown Sacramento wasn’t the best of neighborhoods. The lack of social interaction with other kids prior to Kindergarten was a reason for my early struggles.

The first day of Kindergarten was the most terrifying day in all my school years. I remember going to class and just started crying. At the age of five I didn’t know any better. I cried for a whole week, because I never been to a place without my parents or siblings. After a week I understood what was going on. I was still fearful of the teachers because I didn’t know what they could do to students. I was a quiet and polite kid. I quickly learned the English language. By the end of Kindergarten I spoke very well.

My skills in math and in sports help me make friends quickly. I recall that every recess I would play basketball. In the classroom I always was the first to finish math assignments and I would always win the around the world game we would play in class. I became good friends with Robert, one of my classmates and he played on my soccer team. Everyday after school he would have to wait one hour for his ride while I walked to my uncle’s house, according to Jones & Newman (1997) “We used to talk in school but when 2:30 was up, I didn’t see him till the next morning on the breakfast line.”(p. 29). I wanted to invite him over but I didn’t want people knowing that I didn’t live there.

Around the fourth grade I began to realize that I was the only East Indian kid in my class, and all my teachers have been white. This was the case in my previous years as well, but this was when I realized it. I had a diverse group of friends, Blacks, Whites, Asians and Hispanics. I even asked my mom why we couldn’t be white. I thought if we were white everything would be easy, and we would be like everyone else. I just didn’t want to be Indian because there was only about ten of us at the school. At times I felt out of place because I had different religious beliefs. I wasn’t a religious person but my parents told me not to eat beef, so I rarely ate anything from the cafeteria. At the end of the 5th grade I was looking forward to the 6th grade, because I knew that I was going to be one of the best basketball players at the school. Unfortunately before the 6th grade started my parents sold the motel and the family moved to Elk Grove.

Attending school in Elk Grove was a lot different from attending school in Natomas. The income level in Elk Grove according to city data is an estimated median household income in 2005: $82,784. I attended 6th grade at Franklin Elementary. I realized that there were a lot more white people at this school and less diversity. I was the only East Indian kid in the 6th grade. I wasn’t surprised and began making friends playing basketball. I became good friends with this African American kid named Julian. We would hang out at school, and even after school he would come over to my house and we would play basketball.

Harriett Eddy Middle School was likely the worse time in my education. This was the first time that I could