Education Moving Forward Despite Fears by Karina

Education Moving Forward Despite Fears by Karina - May 2020 Scholarship Essay

Education has evolved from where it was generations ago. Our civilizations have turned from education being available to only upper-class men to nearly everyone. I come from the United States where there are public schools available for grades preschool through high school. Secondary education is available by applying to any number of colleges or universities. Internships are still available as in the old days and trade schools provide specific training as well. However, education as we know it is changing and fluid. I think that education will be different due to technology and political views.
Technology has exploded into new heights as I have aged. The Internet is available at the tip of my fingertips through a computer or through my phone. Data plans have started becoming a thing of old as wi-fi becomes more accessible. In junior high we used to have to look through books for facts when writing a paper but now we can use the Web. People can share their life experiences or opinions through social media. We are truly in a technological age and that has changed how studying and writing papers occur.
I grew up in Arizona and like most, my thinking and views have expanded as I have gotten older. Being a college student has been awakening in political aspects to me. For example, I have seen people come to the college trying to get signatures to pass bills or to be able to speak on what they think is the right way to help the economy. My college appears to have more liberal students which shapes what kind of decisions are made for the students. This in turn shapes how education is shared too. From what I have seen, many educators will teach by sharing their views, sometimes very strongly. Working in a public school, I saw that we had to meet the government guidelines of what a student in a certain grade must be taught and learn. Naturally, views are shared when teaching whether in a public or private setting.
In December 2019, an epidemic started in Wuhan, China. Fast forward to May and we are in a worldwide pandemic due to a virus known as the Coronavirus, COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2. Due to this virus being spread through droplets, many places were shut down to protect us and slow the amount of infected people. Despite this setback, schools began to prepare to use technology by teaching in an online format. My siblings have had to adapt from being in class to using Zoom and Canvas. As we struggle to mend the economy, there is still widespread fear of this new strain of Coronavirus. With the fear that is ever rising and as we wait for a second wave to hit as we reopen, many conversations are occurring on what should be done as schools. There is a concern that having the same number of students on campus as there was will give rise to the virus to easily infect others. This concern relates to unknown pathogens as well. With the technological advances we have, I see schools going to completely online or creating hybrid classes to control the flow of students at a given time.
We are blessed to have knowledge and technology. Both have increased education to what it is today. As we continue to evolve, so will the ways we use these tools. This includes how education will be taught.