“The strength of the United States is not the gold at Fort Knox or the weapons of mass destruction that we have, but the sum total of the education and the character of our people.”
--Claiborne Pell--
“The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.”
--Herbert Spencer--
“Education is a method whereby one acquires a higher grade of prejudices.”
--Laurence J. Peter--
Education is a tool that is to be used for a lifetime. I wrote that sentence several weeks ago in an article that I wrote that was directed toward our youth. In that article I gave advice to the young brothers and sisters. I want to expand upon that sentence in this article.
The word educate is defined as either to formally train someone in a profession or trade, or to mentally or morally develop especially by an institution. (See Merriam Webster Dictionary online.) There are differing accounts of the origins of the word educate. One theory of the origin of the word educate is that it comes from a word that means to train. Another theory of the origin of the word educate is that it comes from a word that means to bring forth that is within. The current definition of educate essentially incorporates both meanings. Yet, it seems that when it comes time to get our “education” many of us do things that are counter productive to our goals.
Most people, children and adults alike, look at education as a means to get a job, which most of “us” think will bring happiness. I think that is a mistake that many of us make. First, there is a big difference between a job and a career. A job is something that a person does to make money. A career is an extension of a person’s soul. Second, education is more than a bridge to just a job. It is a tool. Education is a tool to a career. Education is a tool to a lifetime of problem solving skills. Education is a companion on the lifetime road to self exploration. However, like any tool, the task dictates the tool.
There is a saying that “if during your life you have no regrets then you have not lived.” Well, I guess I have “lived” because I have a few regrets so far in my life. The biggest regret I have is how I approached getting my education after high school. I made a very common mistake. I chose to go to college and I chose my college major solely based on getting a “good” paying job upon graduation instead of paving a road to a career. I never gave any thought to what I wanted out of life beyond making money. I never gave any thought to what made me happy and how I could fashion my life to allow me to do that while still supporting myself.
Dr. King once said “be the best of whatever you are.” I submit that it is impossible to follow that advice if a person never takes time to determine “who they are.” An education is a very personal thing. It means one thing for one person and entirely something else for another person. It also means one thing for a person in one stage of their life and something else in another stage of their life. Any time a child, parent, student or teacher treats education as a “one size fits all,” then that person has set themselves and the student(s) up for failure.
The first step in getting a good education is asking the right questions. Once that happens then the next steps should fall into place. Any inquiry must start with what that person wants from their education. Once that has been determined then a map can be effectively drawn to get that person to where they want to be. For instance, if a person just wants a “good” paying job then first they must fill in what good paying means, what it takes to get this job, and is that what they really want. After that the rest is easy.
I guess my advice to young brothers and sisters can be summed up in one sentence. Please choose the right tool for the task. The best way to do that is to determine the task that you are interested in and how best to achieve it.
I'm a new reader to your site and, as someone who's trying to start writing regularly in blogform, I appreciate what you have done here.
I'd really like to respond to several of the ideas from this post, but I'll limit myself to one (especially since I am new to your site).
You wrote: Any time a child, parent, student or teacher treats education as a “one size fits all,” then that person has set themselves and the student(s) up for failure.
In short, I agree. Interestingly, this is exactly what formal, public education has become in the United States: a pre-determined, "one-sized" series of lessons and tests. So, if your idea holds, then the country's educators are continually failing our students, strangling them in ill-fitted clothing (to extend the metaphor).
Posted by: gvl | July 15, 2007 at 08:39 PM