Education as the Improvement Tool for the World

Educating the World
by Neal R. Karski

Note: I will attempt to write this post with less formality; I will let my thoughts dictate its structure rather than risking the opposite. I hope you, the reader, will find this post somewhat educational and worth pondering.

Thus…

Here are a few a definitions of education I found very informative and unique:

“The activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill.”

“The gradual process of acquiring knowledge; ‘education is a preparation for life.’”

“Education in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual.”

“Man's going forward from cocksure ignorance to thoughtful uncertainty.”

“A succession of eye-openers each involving the repudiation of some previously held belief.”

Continuing on…

I’ve always believed education to be a virtue that leads to knowledge. This, intact, allows a man or a woman to foster his or her inner growth and utilize the potential buried in the infinite grave of thoughts.

For centuries, from the times of Greeks and Ancient Romans to Renaissance, Enlightenment, and Age of Reason, and further on to the Industrial, Scientific and Technological Revolutions, education has been at the core of progress that allowed us to reach unimaginable horizons.

Schools of thought created perspectives, formed ideas and concepts, and structured educational curriculums to fit the mental needs of people: to feed the hunger and quench the thirst for information… more, more, more… And the people who starved for information and coveted knowledge of others succeeded and caused break thoughts that brought us all of the elements of our daily lives…

But times have changed, and so have people living in our world…

Today, billions of people are struggling to survive each day; many of them do not have clean water or sufficient nutrition. Due to the economic turmoil and increasing population, the conditions have only gotten worse. The wealth and income gap have become immense; the United States, United Kingdom, France, Japan and Germany receive 45% of the world’s purchasing power parity income. In most of the nations, especially the underdeveloped and Third World candidates, education is out of reach, unaffordable or considered a luxury.

This, in turn, creates a separation between those educated and uneducated, and the skilled and unskilled workers, whose number is quite uneven due to the diminishing employment demand.

But it appears that in the United States, millions who receive free education until college and large financial aid sums take it for granted.

As Max L. Forman put it:

“Education seems to be in America the only commodity of which the customer tries to get as little he can for his money.”

Our nation’s economic downturn partly reflects on the statistics: “Almost 20% of High School students in the age range of 16-24 in the year of 2007 dropped out,” “Approximately only 16 million students of a similar age range were enrolled in college last year,” “In 2008, it was expected that about 2 million college students will drop out in the first two years of their secondary education career”.

Commentary on these issues according to Juliette Geller from College News:

“With these statistics in mind, Public Agenda’s research showed that, in addition to job and children commitments, students are dropping out because of higher tuition costs, a lack of study skills needed to help them succeed, not enough resources available to students, and, most damning of all, poor teachers.”

With that in mind, we can start analyzing the trends between the commitment to education and its quality in relation to the current situation of the free world.

Now, let’s look at the international spectrum…

According to InfoPlease.com, “In 2006, 2.6 billion people, or 40% of the world’s population, lived on less than $2 a day, with 1 billion of them surviving on the margins of subsistence with less than $1 a day.”

Now, I would sound completely ignorant to say that if the educational systems existed and fully functioned in those regions, the quality of living would improve solely on such change.

But, let’s go back to the core of education…

At this day and age, the world has become much flatter than 100 years ago and the economies of the world are all linked within an exchange framework. If one benefits, the other one loses. The global perspective is becoming more and more significant. International relations are dictating decisions of many governments and economic giants, and consequently these decisions affect the nation as a whole.

Educational platforms should begin to place more emphasis on the reality of the world. Many curriculums in the United States, in Europe and in Asia, plainly disregard the harsh truths about the adult realm and the current events in foreign nations. The core of these curriculums has become strongly individualistic; with tints of globalization occurring here or there. I don’t think that a plethora of those who attend schools of all levels realize what is beyond them and how their pursuit of knowledge could really help to improve their surroundings, on a local and international level. Education is a right, yet instead it has become “a must,” rather than “a privilege”. Education is a necessity and it should be desired. Education is a tool that brings discoveries, abilities, crafts, skills, advancements and progress. It also brings an economy to life and growth.

Imagine a simple investment on a global scale: implementing educational systems throughout nations to create schools for the underprivileged and uneducated, for the youth and for adults. Isn’t that what allowed the nations such as the United States to grow [rich] and to develop rapidly? With rising levels of literacy, global awareness and skills acquired through specific studies, many people in the world could contribute to the productivity of their nations, thus contributing to the health of the global markets. Poverty, as unfortunate and cruel as it is, teaches people essence, simplicity and appreciation. In the United States, we’re blessed with many resources that others are not. I believe that education could be one of the most life changing tools to bring millions and millions out of poverty, so that domestically and internationally we could see a populous rise in the enlightened knowledge of human beings and their ability to use their resources efficiently.

God Bless.

Education – vehicle for becoming extra-ordinary, or algorithm for remaining ordinary?

by George A. Miu

When we were children, my cousin and I would often bemoan the demanding nature of our studies and all of the difficulties they entailed. One day, he came along with an analogy that has defined my view of the educational system of all countries. He said:

“School is a great big mess that lies in the path of life. If you don’t see it through to the end of your education, that’s where you get stuck. Forever.”

Despite the fact that I have matured in the meantime, and my deliberations on life are more sophisticated to a not-insubstantial degree, I still see resemblance galore between the educational system of the United States and my cousin’s unknowingly wise depiction.

I am increasingly cognizant, first and foremost, of the paradoxical goals that schools focus on, unnecessarily in my opinion. They strive to create outstanding individuals, who exhibit all of the special characteristics that we desire in beacons of leadership, and yet attempt to instill a sense of community, and existing as a small part of a much greater whole. Initially, this might not seem like a contradiction. But the truth of the matter is that people who are taught to excel in life are not content with the notion that they are a mere mechanical inferiority, in relation to the complicated robotics of society as a whole. Instead, they fantasize about orchestrating magnificent plans into place and directing throngs of people to synthesize a society superior to that in which they were born. In order to do this, therefore, they must be critical of the existing social norms – a discipline not generally studied in school until a fairly advanced stage.

Schools, on the other hand, teach us to be meek, to be responsible and to play it safe, so to speak. They are highly conducive to forming the backbone of society (hard workers, decent people etc.) but are lacking the know-how to properly endow the excessively gifted. This attribute, combined with the cruel tendencies of group-think exhibited by children and teenagers, causes a certain stratification to occur in our public schools. The intelligent are ostracized and shunned in favor of the good-looking and popular kids. High schools fawn over the “Prom Queen” and yet are oblivious to the captain of the math team, for the most part. The quarterback gets all the girls, and his after-school tutor is anonymous. The cheerleaders are admired, and the “nerdy chicks” put up with demeaning behavior.

Of course, there are exceptions to these scenarios, but I find it absurd that the greatest sense of entitlement does not belong to those who have the greatest natural assets in the classroom, and are thus the most likely to benefit society.

My recommendation is that the United States Department of Education (which bears the magnificent acronym of E.D. seeing as DoE was taken by the Dept. of Energy) increase the resources that are apportioned to “accelerated programs” in schools all over the country. This is of paramount importance, because it is the leaders of the next generation that are liable to find solutions to problems such as the federal deficit and other problems that burden our economy, healthcare system and political parties. If we can somehow tailor the progress to the individual gifted student in such a way so as to advance them at the highest possible pace without causing academic burn-out, then I am of the belief that we can produce drastically more complete and conscientious human beings that will spearhead endeavors that will change the nature of the world in every imaginable field. However, it would be unwise to treat every gifted student as one would a prodigy, due to the sense of social misplacement that comes with this treacherous territory. We must find a balance between academia and real world savvy in order to produce the aforementioned “complete” human being.

Additionally, the schema where sports stars are idolized and geniuses are relative unknowns must be abolished. For example, imagine if every person who can rattle off the names of the last 5 NFL MVPs could recall every recipient of the Nobel Prize over the last year, and be familiar with their body of work. Certainly, both categories have their merits. But in a hundred years’ time, the NFL MVP will be dead, and the Nobel Prize winners will be (just as dead, yet) influential in their fields, and advancing human knowledge. Which is more important, then?

As things stand, though, students are reluctant to push themselves beyond that which is deemed to be strictly necessary, and thus hold themselves back. The way to make sure that no child gets left behind is NOT the “No Child Left Behind Act”, but rather the lengthy process of bringing the reputation of excellence back to our public schools, from the ground up. Pay educators better. Attract more quality teachers and reward them appropriately. Then, with the extra manpower and re-directed resources, focus on the individual and not the classroom. Great minds can serve no greater purpose than to educate the next generation. We should mobilize them and use their talents appropriately. The United States of America is counting on us, the people, to help.