IN by Carlos

IN by Carlos - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

Education is perhaps the most important thing when it comes to being human. After all, our ability to cognitively think is what separates us from animals, and, given that I have a love for teaching, it comes as no surprise that I hold education in very high regard. Not so coincidently I also have a passion for learning because to me the body itself will break down eventually, however, the mind always has the capacity for growth.

Of course given my words of praise for educators and education itself it should come as no surprise that some of the greatest role models I have are educators themselves, and from a wide variety of subjects and disciplines. But, what if the roles were reversed? What if I were the educator and not the educated? What subject would I teach? My answer to this is economics. Perhaps this is a biased answer since this is my undergraduate major, but above all other areas of study I have a strong fondness for the field.

The reason I would teach this subject in this role reversal scenario is simple. Economics breeds conversation. They say if you want to become a lawyer you should major in economics because the language is very wordy, and given only a few different theories and schools of thought classes can almost seem like a courtroom. Economics is a fantastic area of study because it teaches you how to hypothesize an argument, how to support your argument, and of course how to communicate your argument.

But the beauty in economics isn’t the debate skills it teaches students. The beauty is in its abstract nature. There is no theory, law, or hypothesis in the field that is exempt from criticism or praise. Even theories made by Milton Friedman, Murray Rothbard, John Maynard Keynes, and many others are open for criticism or support long after their deaths. This is something that is very encouraging to young students since it puts them on the same playing field as economists who have made lasting contributions to the works of study.

Of course there are hundreds of reasons why economics is important to me, but these reasons among all others are the strongest contributing factors for why I would teach this subject if the roles were reversed.