 |
|
This School is Helping Me
to Become a Better Personby Alan Truong (6th Grade)
I first came here when I was 8 years old, in September 2008. The main reason why my family and I came here was because my parents wanted my sister and me to get a good education, and for them to learn the Buddha Dharma. When I first came to the school I was a bit shy, but after awhile I got used to the other students and my teachers. I also started liking the school and thought that the school had good teaching methods. I liked it when I was able to excel at my own speed. I'm glad that I came here because back in Kansas, I did not really have an interest in learning, so I did not really focus on school. This school is located in a very peaceful environment and so it makes it a very nice place to learn. And since this is a Buddhist school, we have vegetarian lunches which helps save more living beings. This school is helping me to become a better person.
Every year we have celebrations such as Honoring Elders Day and Cherishing Youth Day. The students do performances such as lion dance, dragon dance, and drumming. We also organize games for students from other schools on Cherishing Youth Day. We also celebrate the Chinese New Year and Moon Festival.
I feel like the teachers and students at this school really encourages me to learn. Since the classes are small, that gives me more time with the teacher so I can ask more questions if I need to. When other students get good grades it encourages me to try harder and also to get good grades.
This year, in sixth grade, I have eight classes a day including Chinese class, virtue studies, math, science, literature, English, physical education, and history. We also have meditation class once a week. We try to memorize mantras and meditate. We also play sports such as basketball and soccer so we can stay healthy.
Ms. Zephyr has been my teacher for the last three years. She has taken us on several field trips including the Health Angelo Coast Reserve, Lawrence Hall of Science, Mendocino Adventure Ropes Course, Petrified Forest, and Old Faithful Geyser. We also went to the fight rail to see Vector, a high speed train.
I'm very happy that I came to this school and I'm thankful to the Venerable Master and all of his disciples for establishing CTTB. For if he didn't, I wouldn't be here.