Throughout history, many people have come out to claim that they are educated, which raises the questions as to what such claims mean. It is unworkable to establish whether a person is educated or not simply because they attended an Ivy League school, have a perfect GPA. Indeed, it is impossible to assess whether one is educated or not using any standardized tests. In essence, education does not equate to knowledge although many try to pair the two together. The fact is education is immeasurable and one is either educated or they are not. To be truly educated, one has to possess the ability to listen vigilantly, think critically, and explore points of view that differ from one’s own. There are numerous ways by which one can become educated including through travel, from books and meaningful discussions and naturally through the school system, which equips one with the tools they need to succeed in such an endeavor (U 58).
Susannah is a straight A student who decides to not pursue physics and calculus in favor of drama and work-study. Her reasoning is that she intends to major in art or history and, therefore, has no further need for the subjects she elects to drop. The phenomenon is observable all throughout history where girls and women shy away from sciences and math in favor of history or the arts. The lack of motivation happens at a very critical stage given that if, in the future, Susannah decides to change her mind, it may be too late for her. The case of Fredrick Douglass is in glaring contrast to that of Susannah. While she shows a lack of motivation in certain aspects of learning when they are readily available, a lack of resources only serves to motivate Douglass to the point where he resorts to “stratagems” to learn to...
... middle of paper ...
... not utilized enough is the television show, “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?” The core of the show is that adults who many consider educated by traditional standards such that they hold masters and doctorates go up against children at the fifth grade level in a battle of the wits. While there are some adult winners from time to time, what the show depicts is an all out massacre of the adult teams by the children. The reason behind the dismal showing by adults is that these children continuously learn and apply such information in the course of their day-to-day activities while the adults, inevitably prestigious people in society, have not given a thought to such questions in decades. It is important, therefore, to ponder periodically the knowledge one gains to prevent it from atrophy and even help one gain an enhanced understanding of numerous ideas and topics.
It is evident that Gerald Graff’s article is bias because he avoids talking about acquiring academic intelligence through academic learning rather than non-academic ways. For instance, Graff shows bias when he generalizes our way of seeing educated life and academics. He said that, “We associate the educated life, the life of the mind, too narrowly and exclusively with subjects and texts that we consider inherently weighty and academic. We assume that it’s possible to wax intellectual about Plato, Shakespeare, the French Revolution, and nuclear fission, but not about cars, dating fashion, sports, TV, or video games.” (Graff 264-5). Graff clearly thinks that everyone associates educated life with academics, when in reality this is not true. He believes that
Education is one of the most important heritage that a father can give to his son. Education is the greatest inheritance a parent can leave to the son, being educated is not to acquire knowledge but more than that it be lack of ignorance. Someone once said that “I do not read for more intelligence but rather to be less ignorant”, these words have a world between them, because many people study for a degree not for gain knowledge. Education can be defined as the wealth of knowledge acquired by an individual that would be a common way to define which education, but is also the most seen college students? This is the biggest mistake of most college students, which go to colleges
Being educated can help people earn their living and be more responsible. Nowadays, education level is one of the most important requirements and comparative advantage for searching a job. The people who finish higher education, they would have more opportunity. Just like the author Wes’s father, “he finally had the chance to host his own public affairs show. And he’d hired a new writing assistant. Her name was Joy.”(12) After graduate from Bard College, his father gained more opportunities to realize his dream, being on television. Studying in college, we can learn the professional skill and know more about the
Knowledgeable, educated, and wise have become descriptive characteristics that have become seemingly interchangeable in today’s society. However, what does it mean to be educated, wise or knowledgeable? In the article “The Educated Student: Global Citizen or Global Consumer” by Benjamin Barber, he says “…young people were exposed more and more to tutors other than teachers in their classrooms or even those who were in their churches, their synagogues-and today their mosques as well.” (417). It is suggested that the places where these characteristics are obtained have changed with industrialization and capitalism. “The Student and the University (from the Closing of the American Mind)” by Allen Bloom directly postulates from the vantage point of a college while referring to an entering student “In looking at him we are forced to reflect on what he should learn if he is to be called educated.” (422). The main reason students continue their education falls under the assumption that will be considered educated at the completion of their studies. But, what does it mean to be educated? Deborah Tannen proposes in “The Roots of Debate in Education and the Hope of Dialogue” that students since the middle ages have gone to places of higher education to learn how to argue or, more formally, debate (538). Where does the ability to argue fall into education? With little support for the education system currently in place, Barber, Bloom, and Tannen discuss in their respective articles the existing problems, their origins, and what they entail.
Education is in itself a concept, which has changed over the millennia, can mean different things and has had differing purposes according to time and culture. Education may take place anywhere, is not constrained by bricks and mortar, delivery mechanisms or legislative requirements. Carr (2003. p19) even states, “education does not necessarily involve teaching”. Education, by one definition, is the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life (education, n.d.).
There is no doubt of how important education is in a free society. Articles like “America Skips School” by Benjamin R. Barber and “The Dumbest Generation? Don’t Be Dumb” by Sharon Begley and Jeneen Interlandi, discuss the education that younger generations are receiving, and its effectiveness. In a free society every individual should be able to combine their creativity with their resources to strengthen knowledge, which is where the importance of education comes in. Education is one of the many services that the market is able to offer. In our culture today, there is a greater importance on education, especially higher education. However, the question of what it means to have a higher education have arisen. Barber, Begley, and Interlandi,
Through our class discussions of education we came across this quote by Joseph Sobran, an American journalist and writer who spent a great amount of his career working for the National Review Magazine, "In 100 years we have gone from teaching Latin and Greek in high school to teaching Remedial English in college." When asked to critically think about the meaning of this quote I concluded that our educational standards have been lowered over the years and that students in America are not as intelligent as they once were in previous years. These two thoughts brought me to the questions, what does it mean to be educated or intelligent and who gets to decide. When reflecting emotionally on how this quote made me feel I realized it made me feel
In a culture drowning in information it is easy to confuse education and wisdom. After reading the article “What Does It Mean to Be Well-Educated” by Alfie Kohn, it can be concluded that education alone does not cause one to be “well-educated”. Becoming well educated is a lifelong process requiring constant effort. Multiple examples from my personal life can be used to defend Mr. Kohn’s argument’s stating that to be “well-educated” is a title no one really knows how to define.
Over the years the value of education has changed. Society has different ways of defining what they consider to be intellectual. Everyone's level of education puts them in a specific social group. In the article “Blue-Collar Brilliance” we are exposed to different scenarios that describe the working class as being intellectual. Many people in today's society are
Douglass’s pursuit of education first starts when his master forbids his mistress from educating him further; thus, igniting Douglass's determination to defy his master's command. Douglass recalls the harsh words of his master, “A nigger should know nothing, but to obey his master. . . Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world.” (Douglass, 1987, p. 130) Douglass, at this point in the story, remains unaware of the power of education. After his master’s powerful stance of opposition to Douglass’s education, his curiosity peaks. “I set out with high hope, and a fixed purpose, at whatever cost of trouble, to learn how to read.” (Douglass, 1987, p.130) While Douglass had yet to understand the power of an education, he started to understand the importance of it.
In summary, we annotate that society forms the opinion of a person being well educated. In addition, the perception is based merely on the accreditations earned from an institute of “higher” learning. Also it is factored with the type of employment a person possesses. This theory indeed proves itself wrong. This is due to the fact that people and technology never seem to stop advancing. Thus explaining the theory of a person being well educated to be an well educated factor. The evidence for this is simple. How can a person be proficient in something that has no limits? Remember WE all learn something new everyday.
How do we get educated? To most, education is an arduous slog through school; starting with simple stories about naughty rabbits swapping bologna sandwiches. As we grow, we move on to more and more intellectual pursuits- onward to ancient kings being depressed. By the time we graduate we are ready for a life as a ‘productive member of society’. One may find themselves wondering where that shift is from ignorant to educated. Most people will tell you it comes when you graduate high school, some will argue that it will not happen until you become a parent, others will say it never happens. David Foster Wallace and Mike Rose believe that being educated is not a matter of how well you have been educated, but how you grow as a person. Mike Rose’s life experiences illustrate this perfectly.
What is an educated person? What charateristics does he or she possess? In my opinion an educated person possess these three charateristics: leadership, open-mindedness, and communication. Most people consider themselves educated yet do not possess these charateristics. Throughout school I was always encouraged to improve theses three skills because that 's what employers were looking for. You need these three skills to not just be employed, but to also have a social life and to go far in life. There are many reasons why these charateristics are very important.
This section addresses the matter of power in education. Since education is a larger context in which schools and classrooms are the microelements, understanding the way power residing in the education system can uncover the correlation between power on educational macro and micro scale, education, school and classrooms. To prevail the power of education, the starting points for this section discussion is the function or the capabilities of schools. A section following after looks at the bigger picture of the education structure wherein school, educational institutions and classrooms constituted. These reviews are subsequently followed by another section discussing about teachers’ position within the multi-dimensional entity as such of an education. Vietnamese context and teachers are also included in this section as a backdrop for the subsequent chapters.
Being educated is to be adaptable, willing to entertain new ideas, and pursue knowledge. Throughout the semester, my idea of an educated person has changed quite a lot, starting with the necessity of higher education, ending with a more substantial, personal motivation. I thought that the only way to be truly educated was to attend college, and get a degree, obtaining proof that you were a refined, cultured, person. However, I’ve come to believe that as long as you’ve come to understand that education is constantly evolving, that your level of knowledge about things can constantly be refined, then I believe that you are an educated person. Educated people know that there is always more to learn, and go find ways to introduce themselves to the new information, through either fantastic circumstances or by the sheer force of will.