If I Were to Write a Book: Provoking and Encouraging Thinking by Aimee

If I Were to Write a Book: Provoking and Encouraging Thinking by Aimee - June 2014 Scholarship Essay

I have always wanted to write a book, but I want it to be meaningful and accomplish something. Education is a strong value of mine and I believe it is a key to improvement, so the book I write would be educational and geared to high school reading. The reason for this is I have always wanted to be a teacher because I know I have the ability to educate in meaningful ways, but I want to be able to help large portions of students. So, I thought I would write a book. My idea for this book stems from my desire to have people engage more in critical thinking so they are able to take in information with logical reasoning. I have a strong desire to head an education reform in the United States, and I have done a lot of research on education in the United States as well as other countries. In my research, I came across a definition that really grasped what it means to be educated. Steve Denning, a contributor to Forbes magazine, wrote an article called “What Does It Mean To Be Educated?” where he defines being educated as: a demonstrated ability to listen carefully, to think critically, to evaluate facts rigorously, to reason analytically, to imagine creatively, to articulate interesting questions, to explore alternative viewpoints, to maintain intellectual curiosity and to speak and write persuasively (Forbes, 2012).

Reading this statement, then looking at the American education system, I can see where we fail and I can see how we can improve. But, taking on an entire education reform is not in my cards just yet, I have steps I have to take first, and I would like one of those steps to be writing this book.

My idea for an educational, thought provoking book is simply this. I want it to be about the average group of close friends who are sitting around in their basement and talking as they hang out and entertain themselves. They talk about different topics (controversial or not) in areas such as childhood, education, over population, or gender roles. In between the characters giving their opinions on the subject, I will interject essays for each perspective the friends have on the subject. The focus of this book is the essays, but I want to keep the reader’s interest, so I have interjected a story line to keep the essays moving. The twist in the story line is that the apocalypse is going on outside and the three friends have no idea it is happening–sometimes basements really are nothing more than a hole in the ground that is soundproof. The thought of it also tickles me, having something so absurd going on in the background while reading thought provoking essays. These essays will not only be written to inspire critical thinking on the subject matter, but to demonstrate the different possibilities of approaching a topic with thought. There is always more than one light that shines; I want to help people discover how to find the other lights.

My goal with this book is to have it entered into the list of books educators bring into their classrooms. I want this to be a required reading in some form or another for students. I believe in this idea, I believe it can accomplish something and I would like to see it through. I hope that one day I will find this book in a high school class, as well as a college course. I hope to find this book in a thrift store someday with a wrinkled cover and doggy eared pages.

Sources:
Denning, S. (2011, July 31). What Does It Mean To Be Educated?. Forbes. Retrieved June 7, 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2011/07/31/what-does-it-mean-to-be-educated/