Educational Truths That Have Impacted Me by Haley

Educational Truths That Have Impacted Me by Haley - December 2014 Scholarship Essay

Home educated from kindergarten to twelfth grade, my education provided me with a foundation of valuable principles that allowed me to be a successful student when I entered college. As an art studio major, I have been able to apply these principles to my program of study, unlocking my potential as an artist. The most profound impact that my education has had on me would be that I was taught how to learn, that hard work equals success, and that no education is wasted.

External instruction is undeniably useful; however, because a teacher can never make a student learn something, the effort is useless unless the student takes personal responsibility for learning the material. Self-study habits bred from my education help me go beyond what I could have if relied solely on the presence and guidance of an external teacher. When a person knows how to examine, manipulate, and reason with information on his/her own, this person has become his/her own teacher. The ability to self-teach allows me to continue my education outside the classroom. Research, experimentation, contemplation, trial and error—all of these are tools that can be used to acquire more knowledge and skill. As an artist (as with any profession or area of study), the best way to learn is by doing, thus my own experiences are my most valuable instructors.

To learn material successfully takes work. As I studied through my courses, I recognized the time and research it took to do well. I learned to work through the frustration of dissatisfaction. The work one invests in an assignment or project, especially in art, directly correlates with the quality of the final product. I learned to appreciate the results of putting time and effort into my education, and am now prepared to work hard to do the best that I possibly can. Hard work is vital to success in school, as well as in life. In addition, the positive results of hard work can serve as incentive to continually be diligent and determined. The alternative is to remain underdeveloped, stagnant, and to never know what one could have achieved. I have learned that working hard to accomplish something will never be regretted.

The fact that no education is a waste is an encouraging thought that creates as many opportunities as there are subjects and fields of study. Something that I have learned is that there is always new perspective to be gained and that every experience can be applied to life. All that is learned or experienced can be profitable. Taking art as an example, one can observe that art draws from every academic subject. There is math in the planning and organizing of size, placement, etc. of an artwork. Philosophy, psychology, and history are found in subject matter. Art can be political, economical, and scientific. Art, in itself, is sociological. The associations and influences of art are endless. Therefore, any subject or topic that I learn/study can be applied to my intended area of focus, art. On the other hand, even if information is not immediately utilized, the learning of that information (even if it is deemed “unrelated” or “unnecessary”) is still beneficial in that (at the very least) it activates one’s mind, expanding one’s perspective--and this is no small feat.

Learning to learn, to work hard, and to appreciate all education has created the student I am today. The skills I have developed and the experience I have regarding study habits and the retention and utilization of information can be applied to my life in the forms of organization, prioritization, time management, preparation and planning. When hard work is combined with the ability to learn, it breeds success. Proverbs 14:23 states “in all labor there is profit”—and this profit can come in all shapes and sizes, such as academic achievements, commercial success, athletic victories, or simply mental and emotional growth. It should be the aim of each individual to better him or herself. Success is achieved by not settling for something less. The greatest athletes and artists work hard and strive for more because they know that they can always do better. I believe that always working to improve in some area is the only way to grow. To be healthy in mind or body takes work, improvement does not happen to someone; the individual must take responsibility to become better. One cannot learn something about him/herself and remain unaffected; all education can be used, and when an individual chooses to do something with the information learned, that is where real growth/improvement/success is born. The action of learning is growth in itself, and when one considers that all education is profitable, one has discovered limitless ingredients for success and self-betterment.