The Social Aspects of Education by Natalie

The Social Aspects of Education by Natalie - November 2020 Scholarship Essay

The great poet, Robert Frost once said, “Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.” Of all the things I have learned in school, I am most grateful for respect. The word for polite in Spanish is “educado” which sounds suspiciously like educated. Furthermore, according to Dictionary.com, polite comes from politus, which means “polished”. Could it be that the first people in the early 1400s to use polite believed that it was one in the same with education and refinement?
In school, children learn to share, work together, listen and respect others. These things are ever decreasing in the world we live in. Many people do not give respect because of their religion, sex, ethnicity, or values. They are not asked to agree, they are asked to respect – something I learned in school. When a teacher is talking, you do not interrupt them – you listen. When a child gets your favorite toy before you in playtime, you do not yell at them – you share. Children are taught how to grow up in school and part of growing up is gaining respect for the world around them.
By nature, I am a shy person who does not like working with others. I used to go to school and dread working with other students on projects or worksheets. My time at school has helped me come out of my shell and learn to work with others and value their opinions and characteristics. No matter how much I despised interacting with different people at school, it was ultimately worth it because now I have the skills to work with, respect and listen to others. Working with others, respecting others, and listening to others are skills that are benign for just about every job under the sun. This is something I think we do not often think of; but going to school not only helps our intellectual well-being, but it can also improve our social well-being if we let it.
Works Cited
"polite." Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/polite?s=t. Accessed 11 Nov. 2020.
"Thoughts on the Business of Life." Forbes Quotes, Forbes LLC, www.forbes.com/quotes/8043/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2020.