#YourChoice by Mackenzie

#YourChoice by Mackenzie - April 2018 Scholarship Essay

The Business Dictionary defines education as “The wealth of knowledge acquired by an individual after studying particular subject matters or experiencing life lessons that provide an understanding of something.” While there are many different definitions of the word, I am fond of this one because I believe that it gives a better understanding of what an education is. If you reread the definition then you will notice that it begins by stating that an education is a “wealth of knowledge.” Knowledge consist of quite literally any and every piece of information that an individual obtains throughout his or her lifetime. Meaning regardless of where it was learned, how it was learned, or what it was that they learned it is all compiled together to form the individuals’ education. Education can’t be learned in one place or in one way for there is more than one way to get it. In fact there are two ways to receive an education and the definition clearly states it: through studying and experiencing. In order to understand what education truly means and what education actually is, you have to understand both aspects.
The aspect of “studying” is what society considers the most common form of education. This consist of things that the individual learns through researching, reading, and reviewing. Most would say that it is usually done in a school setting, although it can and should be done anywhere. While in a school setting it is the professors’ job to teach the material, it is the students’ job to study and learn it. This is what most people don’t understand. The vast majority of the population thinks that if an individual attends high school or college, then they are receiving an education. This could not be further from the truth. While it is the professors’ job to open the book, it is the students’ job to read it. This is the very reason why two students can go to the same school and take the same classes but leave with two very different capacities of knowledge. On the other hand, many also think that if an individual does not go to school then they will forever lack an education. What people fail to realize is that school is not education. School, as defined in the Oxford dictionary, is “an institution for educating children.” School is a place- a place that an individual can go to receive an education but most definitely not the only place to obtain it. You can obtain an education anywhere. If you recall, nowhere in the definition of “education” does it state that it must be gained within a school setting. It can be gained anywhere and at any time. All one must do is study a particular subject. This can be done in a multitude of ways; such as googling it, reading about it, listening about it, or watching about it. That is the beauty of an education, there are no rules about how to get it.
In fact, education is normally acquired in unexpected ways and throughout an individuals’ day. This part of education is gained through the aspect of “experiencing.” As mentioned before, education is knowledge. Knowledge is information and information is infinite. The phrase “you learn something new every day” is actually quite true. An individual begins obtaining information the day they are born and it continues until the day that they die. They learn how to eat, how to communicate, how to tie a shoe, how to drive a car, and the list is never ending. Every time you do something you are bound to learn something new. Consider this. A child goes outside with his friends and begins to kick around a ball. Another friend joins in and says “Can I play soccer too?” The friends play but the child starts sweating and is running out of breath, therefore he goes inside to get a drink. He sits down and after a while he feels better so he goes back outside and continues to play. The same cycle repeats. This child just learned that physical activity can make you tired and hot. In addition, he heard his friend refer to the activity as soccer so he now knows that soccer must involve kicking a ball. Also, he learned that drinking water helps with dehydration and that resting makes you feel better. Regardless if the child realized he was learning or not, he was. Education is inevitable. You cannot possibly go throughout a day and not learn anything. Therefore the question should never be “Did you receive an education?” but instead “How much of an education did you receive?” There are many things in this life that an individual cannot control, but the amount of knowledge that you leave this world with is completely #YourChoice.
Education is life changing and limitless. Though most importantly, education is knowledge and knowledge is a choice. As I have already stated, it is certain that you will learn but overall it is your choice on how much you learn. Kofi Annan once said that “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating.” and “Education is the premise of progress.” Therefore, you can go through life and just make do with the bare minimum or you can strive to soak in as much as possible and continue to grow. It’s #YourChoice.