The True Meaning of an Education
Using a dim corridor light that glowed into his room late at night, a young prisoner flipped through the pages of a book he had selected from the thousands of old books with faded covers from the prison library. Fully immersed in his books, he learned about the history of human civilization and acquired life lessons he would carry throughout his life. This young prisoner, known as Malcolm X, blossomed into a powerful and influential Civil Rights leader in the U.S. during the 1960's who gave African Americans an identity and instilled pride and hope within them. The Civil Rights leader gained his education in a prison library and learned about the history of race through the ancient books he read in his cold, grim cell. Book after book, he was exposed to a new world in which he devoured literature to understand the injustices faced by African Americans throughout history and used his newfound knowledge to become one of the leading voices of the Civil Rights Movement in order to educate and inspire African Americans to fight against injustices. Although Malcolm X did not receive a formal education through school, his life experiences and his vast exposure to impactful books allowed him to transform himself from an ignorant criminal to an eloquent, powerful and educated Civil Rights leader. Malcolm X is only one example of what it truly means to be educated. Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the U.S., also used her passion for learning to empower and inspire others to follow their dreams by becoming educated. The countless examples of educated, influential people such as Malcolm X and Michelle Obama demonstrate that to be educated, individuals have an ignited zeal and passion within themselves to learn and explore our complex world, which enables them to use their knowledge to bring about change.
Webster defines education to be the “knowledge and development resulting from an educational process” and “the field of study that deals mainly with methods of teaching and learning in schools”. However, this definition hardly does justice to the term education. Education is much more than the knowledge we gain through schools. Education is commonly associated with school, however, is a school the only place an individual can become educated? Webster explicitly states that knowledge is gained by learning in schools which is true, but knowledge can be gained through countless other forums as well. The purpose of schools is to foster learning and creativity within students and provide an environment in which students are able to become educated citizens. A school should serve as a forum where intellectually driven conversations, and debates are stimulated within the students. However, in our increasingly competitive world, schools have tended to suppress students’ freedom to explore, learn and make mistakes as they make strides and stumble their way through the journey of gaining an education. For example, the grading system in schools has placed a numerical value on each student which essentially holds the purpose to define their intellectual abilities. Simply labeling a student with a number that defines how intelligent they are can be discouraging and deceiving to students who believe that this number is a representation of all of their hard work, sincerity, and dedication they put into their education. The numerical values students are labelled with are given importance because the grades students receive are largely taken into account by universities, and getting into a well-reputed university will increase the chances of getting a high paying job, leading to a higher standard of living. Since grades are important in the college admission process, students turn to dishonest means of achieving good grades such as cheating. Furthermore, due to the grading systems in schools and the pressures of having good grades, the purpose of learning has transformed from gaining knowledge, to taking any measures in order to maintain a good grade point average that universities will accept. As students become motivated by the numerical grade instead of the intrinsic value of learning to do well in schools, they tend to take shortcuts or cheat as they complete assignments to ensure they get the best possible grade. Therefore, grades often do not accurately portray students’ knowledge as well as their abilities and the purpose of schools should be to ignite an interest and passion within students to learn.
However, without schools, would people be motivated to learn and willingly educate themselves or would they remain ignorant? Schools are important to promote education since they give students the building blocks necessary to be prepared for the “real world.” Additionally, it provides exposure to a variety of activities, subjects, and ideas that students would perhaps not encounter otherwise. Furthermore, schools give all students access to the tools needed to gain an education and provide them with essential skills such as time management, collaboration, work ethic, self direction and critical thinking skills. More importantly, without teachers, individuals would struggle to gain knowledge by themselves. Teachers posses a great power to influence their students and they serve as mentors that support and guide their students along the journey of gaining an education. Our teachers facilitate learning since they simplify the complex, encourage students to find their voice, and help them develop their skills. Schools are essential in the process of education, and it is the job of schools to foster learning, not complicate it and discourage students from understanding the purpose of learning by labeling and pressurizing students. If schools focus on placing numerical values to define students’ abilities, and not on the learning and growth of students, education will be hindered.
As I embark on my own journey of education, I have found that my school is not the only place I have gained knowledge. In fact, many of my experiences have shaped my thinking about the current situation of world. For example, being able to visit and explore different countries has given me the opportunity to understand how different people in this world live. It has allowed me to dive out of my comfort zone and see the world through the lense of others. By travelling to India, I have witnessed the kind of poverty people live in with my own eyes which has impacted me into becoming more empathetic and compassionate towards others as I have a greater understanding of how millions of people are suffering in the world. At the same time, in India, I have observed how lavishly and luxuriously some people live allowing me to understand the huge gap between the rich and the poor that must be narrowed. Furthermore, by travelling to India, I have learned about my rich culture and background which has shaped me to understand my own identity. I also have been able to explore many other cultures through my visits to various European countries. By strolling through the luxurious palaces and the enormous museums filled with paintings and scriptures that tell the story of Europe, I have been able to acquire knowledge about their vast history that a textbook would not have been able to provide. As my family and I enjoyed our vibrant, fruity gelato in Florence, admired the beautiful intricacies of buildings created by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona, struggled to communicate with the Czech citizens who did not speak English in Prague and strolled through the Louvre in Paris, we gained new perspectives on life and became better cosmopolitan citizens, therefore, becoming more educated about our world.
As a student, my schooling has also greatly shaped my thinking and has given me essential skills I will use throughout my life. For example, I have learned the importance of hard work, perseverance and self direction through my classes. When I encounter content that is challenging, I have learned to not give up and instead take any measures I can to completely understand the material. For example, if I have trouble understanding the circulatory system in Biology class, I make sure to ask my teacher questions, discuss the content with my peers, and use different resources such as videos or other textbooks to fully understand the content. By being motivated to learn the content and not solely by the grades, I have acquired skills such as perseverance, resourcefulness, and have understood the importance of working hard in order to achieve my goals. Additionally, school has given me problem solving skills that can be used to solve issues I must confront in my life. As I collaborate with my peers in the classroom to complete assignments, I gain an understanding of the importance of communication and teamwork, which is essential in the workplace and to be able to face various situations life throws at us. Furthermore, by reading, analyzing and discussing various influential pieces such as The Autobiography of Malcolm X, To Kill a Mockingbird, or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, I have had the opportunity to understand different perspectives on life allowing me to become a more open minded person.
Through education, we can uplift our world from a place of darkness where ignorance, corruption, and greed rule the planet, to a place full of light where qualities such as compassion, honesty, rationality and intellectuality will reign over our world leading it to progress. Education promotes acceptance of others who are different from us. Furthermore, it encourages tolerance within us as we gain an understanding of the diversity in our world. Religious acceptance is essential in this world since many historical as well as current world issues revolve around the differing beliefs of various religions. If we become open minded through the knowledge we gain through our education, people with different faiths can all coexist since they will have a greater tolerance for one another’s beliefs. Additionally, our diversity is what makes us who we are as Americans and if people do not step out of their comfort zones to learn about different cultures and choose to live inside their small “bubble” their whole life, how can people become more accepting of others and therefore, eliminate the problems of the world that are caused by misconceptions due to ignorance?
It is true ignorance can prove to be “bliss” in the short run but if we continuously use this excuse as we make decisions for our world, how can this refusal to learn about the sad truths of our world transform our world into a better place to live in for all inhabitants? We must be prepared to face the reality of our world and the only way we can is by learning and educating ourselves about the world around us and the circumstances of all people in the world. Through our education, we can gain a voice which we can use to express ourselves clearly and therefore, lead, inspire, and serve our nation. Furthermore, we will be able to make meaningful contributions to the national conversation as we would be able to think critically allowing effective decisions to be made that enhance our wellbeing. As Americans, we have a responsibility to be informed and engaged citizens since the U.S. government is a representative democracy; we must be well educated in order to choose the right people to represent us in the government where important decisions are made that affect each and every one of us. Education gives us hope since it is a promise to students that through hard work, and through the journey of becoming an educated person, you have the power to fulfill your dreams, no matter how big they are. What you need to achieve these dreams is an education and in order to obtain an education, we must posses qualities such as determination, hard work, sincerity, perseverance and willpower. Our education is a powerful tool for students and becoming successful depends on how we choose to use our education. We never truly stop being students in the course of our life. Learning is an ongoing process. It is a journey. It is a mission to discover and explore the world around us. Life experiences and the things we encounter throughout our life can have the same, if not a larger impact on our learning and growth. Our knowledge keeps expanding and promotes our growth as human beings.
Millions of people in the world are not educated because they do not have access to the money needed for an education or they do not have access to schools, books or teachers. The ability to be educated is a privilege in this world and we must never take this for granted since an education presents us with a gift of knowledge. If we work hard to become educated, we will carry the knowledge which we can share with underprivileged people and help them receive an education as well. As they become educated, they can raise their standard of living and pass the knowledge on to other underprivileged people. Education can bridge the gap between the rich and the poor as it gives new opportunities that would not be accessible otherwise. Access to an education should be a right to every human and not a privilege since everyone deserves to become knowledgeable about the world we call “home”. Knowledge is so powerful that no one can ever strip us away of our knowledge. They can take away our car. They can take our money. They can take our valuables but no one can ever take away the knowledge we gain through our education. What we learn stays with us for the rest of our life and our knowledge and values are what will lead us to success, not materialism or superficiality. In the U.S., we are fortunate to be getting an education every single day and it stands as a privilege to us since a large number of people are unable to be educated. Through our education we must fight for the people who cannot be educated. We must fight to make education a right for all humans. Education is a gift we have been granted as Americans and if we value it and make use of it, we can share this gift with the people around us who are less fortunate. With the backbone of our education, we can empower others, and instill hope in them that no matter how much money they have, or what their social status is, they too can fulfill their dreams if they work hard and do not lose focus which is what the American Dream is all about. In her last speech as First Lady, Michelle Obama stated, “Empower yourself with a good education. Then get out there and use that education to build a country worthy of your boundless promise,” indicating that education is the most powerful tool humans possess and the ways we choose to use it is limitless.
