Education in Our lives Essay

What do you think education means to society? What does education mean? An education is commonly defined as a process of learning and obtaining knowledge. Many problems can occur that can prevent an education to people such as religion, culture, tradition, income and where you live or come from. Those can create different assumptions of someone’s educational background. The education for society can be different, due to the fact that various types of education plus learning methods and assumptions affect me and others in many different ways. An important key role in my life by far is education, because so far it has given me a different perspective of life. A well-known Greek Philosopher named Plato once said that the direction in which education starts a man will determine his future in life. He literally means the type of education we chose to follow or have leads to us becoming that. So far in my journey of life it has opened and shown my eyes to a lot to see in this world. Education has given me the chance to learn and discover new things around me; in addition it has taught me to believe about life. Education has made me who I am today, and will have a huge impact in my future to come, because it will determine how I will live. It has given me a picture or sense on what I can achieve and do in life. My education started at a very young age, just like most people start theirs. My first mentors and teachers were not from elementary school, but they were my own people that raised me from home. The education I received to this day has made me a better decision maker about life’s big questions. Nelson Mandela best said that education is the most powerful weapon which can be used to change the world. What Nelson Mandela is trying to mean is that education is the answer to move forward in life. I totally agree with Mandela on that. In some places, people don’t see education has being important or don’t care about obtaining a great educational knowledge. An example could be a high school graduate not wanting to extend his education to get a degree from college or a university, which can bring good things in his life. According to former Secretary of Education of the U.S William Bennett he states American 12th graders rank 19th out of 21 industrialized countries in mathematics achievement and 16th out of 21 nations in science. Our advanced physics students rank last. There are various types of  education and learning, and each affects me and other people differently. Location plays a big role in the type of education we are getting or will get. For example, a person living in a 3rd world country isn’t likely going to receive the same education as let’s say someone in the United States. Another example could be if a student goes to school at an urban city like New York and other student was to go at a small town with few people living there, their education plus learning would be different. The school teachers also affect many students differently. Many people don’t realize that all teachers do not teach or explain something the same way, they teach differently. Let’s say a student goes to their local school for about five years, then moves across the country and attends a school there, his educational learning would be affected. According to Jenifer Steele a researcher for Rand Education she mentions in an article titled â€Å"Teacher Matter: Understanding Teachers’ Impact on Student Achievement† that when it comes to student performance on reading and mathematical tests, a school teacher is estimated to have two to three times the impact of any other school resource. She also states that effective teachers are best identified by their performance, not by their background or experience. A student’s own will to learn, will also deeply affect his or hers education. If a student has the opportunity to go to school or even college, but doesn’t have the will to learn won’t have a good educational background. On the other hand, a student also has the opportunity to go to school/college, plus has the will to learn will have a better education than the student who does not. There are many factors of this, but a major one takes place in the classroom. Many students dislike school, and some may even drop out of it. Everyone’s educational background is different. Everyone has different assumptions that tell us or inform about our educational or learning experiences. Some assumptions tell us good about education some tell us bad things. For example, an assumption from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte about educational learning is that people at all different ages have the potential to learn, with some learning quicker than others. Age may or may not affect a person’s reaction of learning, and individuals vary in way they like to learn. This could be true, but at the same time it could have potentially to be false as well.  Another example, in the classroom the teacher facilitates learning by incorporating students’ experience, observation of others, and personal ideal and feelings. Exposure to many different behavior models and attitudes help students to make actions and ideas that will help in meeting their own educational goals. This is labeled an assumption because some believe in this way of teaching students, while some teachers do not. We all have different kinds of assumption about school education; my assumption of education is if students put more effort in addition focus more on academics, and less time on other things then they will succeed in getting an education. My assumptions about education and learning do in fact compare and contrast to what I am currently experiencing in college. An example of an assumption is that students do not need much guidance from the instructor, which was mentioned in the Seven Deadly Assumptions about Students article from Point Loma Nazarene University. My assumption that contrasts their assumption is that I truly believe in that some students may need lots help or assistance from the instructor. My assumption compares to what I’m experiencing in college, due to the fact that I get a lot of help from my instructors and tutors. A second assumption from the article is that students will put together the content that they are expected to learn, by themselves after class. I do not agree with this because some students may not know how to start applying it. When I need to learn something in class I make sure I am able to apply the material by myself after class. If for some reason I cannot apply the material alone I ask the instructors or tutors for help. A third one from the same article is that students should do their work during the class session. I totally agree with this one due to the fact that students learn better around their classmates. In college I do my own work during the class because I can ask the instructor or my fellow classmates’ questions about the work. In conclusion, an education is mostly defined as a process of learning and obtaining knowledge. As we know many problems can occur that can prevent an education to people such as culture, religion, tradition, income, and where you live or come from. Those problems can create different thoughts or assumptions of someone’s educational background. Each person’s education can be different, due to the fact that many types of education plus learning methods and assumptions affect me and others in many other different ways. Works Cited â€Å"Assumptions about Learning.† Center for Teaching & Learning. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Internet. . Bennett, William J. â€Å"20 Troubling Facts about American Education.† Empower America. Reprinted by permission of William J. Bennett and Empower America. Internet, http://catholiceducation.org/articles/education/ed0033.html Hamilton, Laura. â€Å"Teachers Matter: Understanding Teachers’ Impact on Student Achievement.† RAND Education. RAND Corporation. Internet. . â€Å"Seven Deadly Assumptions about Students.† Point Loma Nazarene University. PLNU Forward, Internet. 05 Oct. 2013. .