The other day after my brief encounter with two Chinese students on the street, I could not help but ponder on why Asian parents are still sending their young impressionable kids to study abroad.
It happened that these two 17-year-old ones, not quite five feet tall, are studying at a nearby high school under an International Student program. They, new to this neighborhood, were asking passers-by on the street to help them find a place to rent. Obviously, they were not happy with the family their school had arranged for them. Like many others, I had nothing better to offer. But I did think it is better for them to stay put at where they are at this time until they become more familiar with the neighborhood. But definitely, I do not think their parents were giving them a head-start by sending them miles away from home to study English here.
I hate to think that like many other professions, new computer APPs may some day make teacher a thing of the past too. In these days we can learn many foreign languages including English, anywhere. Today without pens, paper, and dictionaries, we can translate other languages in a split second. We can even obtain advance degrees on line. Besides, there are thousands of English teachers in China, Taiwan and Japan at our disposal, the audio system in our personal computer can also help us speak English better. This is why I do not understand why parents are still sending their precious young ones, the future of the wold, abroad to learn English.
Letting the youngsters study nearby hometowns has many benefits. In addition to saving the hard-working parents a bundle in tuition fees paid to foreign schools, keeping the kids at home can also spare the concerned parents a bundle of worries when their wee-ones are studying miles away from home. - Ayee
