Education's True Value by Sheila

Education's True Value by Sheila - April 2015 Scholarship Essay

Since humankind began, education has fulfilled three basic functions in society. The first is survival, the second, skills, and the third, thought. Consequently, this is what separates a basic education from a good and a great one.

An education, in its most basic sense, is the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next within a society for the continued survival and success of that society. It is providing a framework of information from which others can build and improve upon, and the way in which life skills are taught. Historically this was informal and involved a group or tribe’s adults teaching it’s children the ways and culture of the group, along with survival skills.

Yet as humankind progressed from concerns of survival to a desire for knowledge of the world, education also evolved. We no longer live in groups or tribes, and many of us do not learn the life skills of our ancestors such as hunting, making clothing, and growing crops. Instead we attend institutions to learn a new set of skills; those that teach us about the world in which we live. Here we learn language, math, history, and science. We study the mechanics of the universe and, hopefully, how to function within it. We often learn a specific set of skills necessary to help us in our chosen profession, whether law, medicine, public service, economics, mental health, politics, or a host of other avenues now available. This is the benefit of a good education.

Yet there are those who go beyond even these basics. Those individuals are the ones we consider the great thinkers, the ones who ask “why?” and, sometimes more importantly, “why not?” They create light, sound, books, build empires, and unfortunately on occasion, tear down societies. Yet they are all brilliant individuals because of not only their genetic makeup but also because education fulfilled it’s ultimate purpose: teaching people how to think.

Learning to think for oneself is the greatest benefit of an education, and what separates a good education from a great one. Not all of us can be an Einstein or a Tesla, but we can all learn to think independently, to challenge the status quo, and create a better world. We must be the questioners, the improvers, the inventors, accepting what is but asking if there could be something better.

It has been said for centuries that knowledge is power, and there is no denying that concept. But our true power, and ability to succeed, depends on how we apply that knowledge to the world. Will we accept only what has been done before, or think of creative new ways in which to live in our world? A great education can help make the difference.