Education Makes Life Better Education Essay

Acquiring education is one of the most critical aspects of a person’s life. It should be seen as vital as the air we breathe. The root to maintaining a strong wisdom and being an extraordinary person is learning. “Without education, you’re not going anywhere in this world” is a famous quote by Malcolm X. His quote reiterates that the competitive world makes it essential for us to have a proper education since it will serve as our weapon to conquer the world. Education will help a person grow as an individual because a highly knowledgeable person will have a better grip on handling any problem that comes his or her way. Literacy is the foundation of what we are as individuals. Every decision we make, as well as our thought process, is the basis of what we know. Gaining knowledge gives us pleasure as well as boosts our morale. Education should be part of everyone’s life because it is one of the most precious possessions a person could ever have since that can open doors and facilitate the pathway for future achievement and economic successes. However, many Americans are faced with many hurdles along the way that they need to overcome.

One of the hurdles that we encounter with education is the way school is perceived by people. Americans have lost their desire to learn; very often we hear phrases like, “school is boring” or “school is a lot of work,” among students. Children in school today would much prefer to be somewhere else. These students would rather be out with their friends or cavort around their home or anywhere but be in school. Now, when in school, they fail to remember the main reason why they are there. Thus, many students avoid school and sometimes do not bother to show up at all. According to the U. S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics, for every twenty nine seconds, another student bails out on school. This comes to over one million American high school students’ withdrawing from school every year. The lack of motivation and family values, as well as student responsibility, has created this crisis in the education system.

In addition, insufficient funding of schools along with quality teachers that are retiring are some of the problems we encounter in the education system. In some parts of the United States, there is a lack of adequate access to materials for reading and writing due to budget constraints. In Allen D. Kanner’s article, “Today’s Class Brought to You By…” he mentioned that with the baby boomers retiring, and a high turnover among new educators, who are ordered to give instruction on subjects they are not properly trained for, are causing difficult classroom situations (280). Similarly, Governor Jerry Brown’s statement last January 11 pointed out that K-12 education has ‘borne the brunt’ of the state’s budget cuts with more than $18 billion in cuts over the last three years. This resulted in larger class sizes, programs are cut, and over 30,000 educators were laid off. These educators are truly valuable to our community since they supply our children with the information and the know-how that they can work with to improve their destiny and the destiny of the whole universe. As a student, I have suffered the consequences of triple digit fee increases and the lack of available classes offered. The high cost of education has put the burden not only on the students, and many of their parents, but educators, as well.

Another major determinant that is partly responsible to the intellectual troubles of Americans is poverty. Poverty is considered to be a serious at-risk factor, with more of the nation’s children facing this dilemma. Other determinants that may put these juvenile at-risk are treacherous neighborhoods, young illiterate parents, unemployment along with insufficient educational background. The phrase, “at-risk,” describes those children, who are without a doubt, will fail whether at school or life as a whole when considering their individual situations. In my experience while growing up, I noticed that students, who passed the fifth grade and quit school to support their family financially, are creating a large uneducated labor force. Unfortunately, poor families are more concerned with the basic necessities in life such as money and food, rather than books to help their mind grow. Without money and resources needed, children will continue to grow up to become another statistic of poverty. However, the variation in the quality of education should not be dependent upon the wealth or lack thereof. Assisting those needy students will raise the level of education available to them which in turn will allow them to get a better paying job to better support their families.

On the other hand, it could be argued that Americans are not in serious intellectual trouble because of the impact that technology is creating in our education system. If we take a look at the history of education for the past thousands of years, we may just imagine how personal computers could have impacted the educational system. When technical knowledge and correct learning structures are combined, technical knowledge will build up their scholastic achievement. One way that technical knowledge can help students learn is by keeping more students interested in the subject matter for longer periods of time. Teens and their parents believe that access to the Internet improves the social life and academic work of teenagers. For them, the use of the Internet, for instance, plays a key role in their bonding with their friends, their families and their schools. Many younger people today are hooked to computers and advanced technology. This fascination may keep them at a computer terminal learning about some subject rather than remaining interested in a book or a lecture. Technology in the education system has shaped the students and educators in several practical techniques, among other things visual field trips, testing tips, teacher resources, class websites, and lesson plans. Adoption of technology in classrooms should be foreseen as an asset rather than as a liability. Moreover, state-of-the-art technology must be available at schools in impoverished neighborhoods since technology can help improve their education system.

Therefore, the significance of learning should never be taken for granted. For example, an eye-catching definition of education in Wikipedia states, “Education encompasses both the teaching and learning of knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency.” The higher the education a person has, the greater chances of that person landing a better-paying job. With education, a person can have a successful life. It can provide people with information and knowledge for getting a job and pursing their dreams. “Knowledge is power” says the celebrated painter Francis Bacon. Although, knowledge alone is not enough for someone to succeed in life; a person should also have the skills to be a leader, to be highly educated and never leave at the sight of a problem. Educated people are looked upon for guidance. Education is also your way to your success. An ideal education will not be possible if one of these three components is missing; they are: parents, educators and students. The student, the parent, and the educator should always conspire to develop and establish a flawless academic plan. I truly believe that my success is dependent on the choices that I make in life and the people that influence me growing up.