I Want to Take a Year Off ! by ashley

I Want to Take a Year Off ! by ashley - April 2015 Scholarship Essay

Sometimes your brain needs a vacation. How much information can be pounded into our heads at one time? I'm telling my parents, TODAY, that I will be taking a year off of school and I'll call it, 'My vaca from educa'. Well, that's kind of clever, 'vaca from ed-u-kay' !

"Mom, Dad, I won't be going to college until next semester, I need a break"! Wow, that was easy, but they're awfully quiet. They must be thinking about it, or they're counting to ten. Come on, say something, I have every reason why it's a good idea ready to throw at them.

"OK" they said? That's it? "OK", no argument as to why I should start college right away? They are suppose to start by telling me that a chance to get a college education should not be wasted, or delayed. They are suppose to tell me that receiving an education is the most important right we have, and that I WILL, absolutely, be going to school and not wasting my time with this "vaca" I dreamed up! What kind of parents let their child decide to "take a break" from education?

The whole purpose of school and an education is to allow a person to grow and find what matters to them. An education opens us up to new ideas and concepts of learning. Elementary school taught us the most important lessons of all, how to read, write, solve math problems, and explore science. Whoever said, "All we need to know was learned in Kindergarten", is partly correct. It was in Kindergarten where we learned that the world is an enormous classroom, filled with many questions, facts, challenges, and most importantly, opportunities. Education provides opportunities to learn information on topics or subjects we may never get a chance to hear about. We may develop a deep interest in subjects that will guide our future and possible careers. Education does not just encompass what we learn from our textbooks, it includes our personal feelings, our choices and how we develop from what we've learned.

Education is a never ending part of life, and everyday we are faced with situations where education is necessary. Going to the store, reading the news, writing emails, or essays, are all possible because of education. Education guides us, empowers us, and develops our future.

So, I suppose my parents are right, even when they don't say anything!?! They've convinced me that the purpose of an education is to continue to learn and develop as a person. Putting that on hold would be like hibernating and hiding from the world, and that would not be an educated decision!

Ashley Maus