The Power Of Education : The Most Powerful Weapon

Education is the fundamental element in our modern society that knowledge can surely change our lives and make our

‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world and to turn mirrors into windows, it is a companion which no future can depress, no enemy can alienate and no nepotism can enslave’

Education has been a very controversial issue over the years and has been becoming an increasing topic for discussion. Many people will say a formal education is the only way to get anywhere in life while others claim that with soaring college prices, the education might not actually be worth it. Molly Knefel, author of “Incarceration vs. Education,” stated in her article “Americans believe that education is the great equalizer, the key that opens the door to a better future.” A proper education is vital in order to become successful in life. However, this education does not have to be in a formal setting such as high school or college. Knowledge is everywhere and life is filled with lessons we try to grasp as we try and fail during our teen years. It is important to try many things because this is what teaches us our valuable life lessons. It is also crucial that we remind ourselves we are in charge of our own success and we take the responsibility to educate ourselves. Through all of this we must remember that failure is inevitable and we must think of this failure as a lesson rather than a downfall.

When I woke up the next morning, I swatted at my alarm, like every morning, reluctant to get out of bed. I dragged my feet to the bathroom and, blinking at my clock, suddenly realized;

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” - Nelson Mandela. Without education, there is simply no telling of what this world would be like. There wouldn’t be doctors, lawyers, businesses etc. Life and everything around us would be fatuous. Schools and education give us a plan in life and help guide us. Throughout the years education has changed tremendously. It had its improvements throughout the decades, and it also has had its falters as well. Education in America is an issue in this country and it definitely needs to be tweaked and improved. Education is what makes us people who we are and what we will be. Nelson Mandela had it right, there is no weapon more powerful than education.

A school is a system designed to provide a learning space for people under the influence of educational professionals. For centuries, education has played a major role in developing and changing the world. Therefore, children are obligated to go to school at a very young age to expose them to new skills, ideas, and knowledge. School is to provide the individual with the opportunity to further develop and learn their purpose in society. All around the world people are taught the same thing but feel unsatisfied and useless, are judged and labeled as a letter or number, yet for some people this system is beneficial for them.

There is a famous quote by Miles Kingston that states, "knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." Often people use the words Knowledge, Wisdom, and Education interchangeably. However, this is far from appropriate. Currently, being an educated individual does not necessarily mean that that individual is wise or knowledgeable but simply that he or she has had an "education" and therefore carries a level of status and qualification.

According to the book on page 363, “education is a social institution through which a society’s children are taught basic academic knowledge, learning skills, and cultural norms.” Every nation has some sort of educational system which teaches all of these thing and each system varies greatly. What affects the educational systems the most is the money that goes into supporting each system. Many factors come into the amount of money that is spent on educations. A main one is the wealth of the country that particular system is in. The countries that have little to nothing are barely able to support any kind of education, if any. This is a social concern for many countries.

The way you grow up directly affects how successful you are in the future. Many parents can’t provide as much to their children to give them the necessities they need for school, medical care, and even the basic needs. When it comes down to it, the way a kid is taken care of shapes who they are as a person and their development in this world.

Parents put their children through the educational system with the hope that their education will lead to real world success. Many skills and lessons are taught and learned in the average 12-year education that children are required to undergo. Although schools teach many subjects such as math, science, and English; many would criticize that they do not adequately prepare students for real life. Some, if not most, classes that are required during grade school teach useless life lessons that are not transferable to the real world. These classes are tested and graded by a system that is not visible in real life. All throughout a student’s education, teachers who may not care about the students, train them to pick a degree and get a job, without offering more creative life plans. This letter is being written to inform you, the school board, of the flaws in the public school’s curriculum and ways to improve them.

English is the primary language that the family speaks in the home and no other languages are known by either family members at this point.

Intelligence means applying knowledge learned in school and college to everyday life, which helps individuals achieve personal goals and aims in the game of life. The value of education is different for human beings. According to some people innovation in education should not be luxury it should be necessity, but on the other hand some people think that education can be gathered without attending schools according to some people book smart are not always smart. From a middle-class family to an upper-class family, education is extremely important in society, as it is the assessing tool for predictable success. Education leads to greater success in life, and the right and education provides skills that lead to long-term employment, future

In different cultures and civilizations around the world, education isn’t always mandatory. Some cultures even frown upon education deeming it useless. According to the “Time for School” documentary, some children in impoverished countries will go to extreme circumstances to obtain an education. Children who do not acquire an education in impoverished countries almost always stay in the same social class they are born into, leading to a life of poverty.

As Nelson Mandela said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” and this should be our guiding principle when instituting reform in our country. The United States has the worst economic inequality in the developed world. The wealthy are making more money than ever and the amount of people living in poverty are growing at an alarming rate. As a whole, the impoverished are struggling to provide for their basic needs. A major factor in this inequality is the gap in education. Inner city public schools are not effective at teaching children the necessary skills to succeed in college, if they do not drop out of school altogether. Clearly, traditional welfare programs are not effectively ending the poverty cycle, so, new targeted programs must be put in place to help normalize this inequality. The most effective reform would be to increase educational opportunities for children inhabiting the inner city. Improvements to the public school system are constantly being proposed, but, virtually, nothing improves in their infrastructure regardless of how much money is invested. It is more than just increasing funding, the environment in these inner city schools must be more advantageous for learning. Changing the overall culture is more difficult than just improving facilities and hiring better teachers. School vouchers are effective by granting qualified students a voucher that allows them to attend a private school that meets certain criteria set

John Dewey once said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” I never thought education was extremely significant when I was in elementary. But, I was sure lucky to be able to get educated, some of us never realized how fortunate we are. Quality education is quite difficult to find, maybe even education itself is hard to discover to certain people. It’s also hard to find quality teachers/staff and schools. I realized that problem many times.