What Does Education Mean to Me? by Rylee

What Does Education Mean to Me? by Rylee - October 2022 Scholarship Essay

What Does Education Mean to Me?
Education is our foundation. Our first stepping stone into life are those first steps we take away from our parents into a kindergarten classroom. We’ve been trained, raised to understand that education is our path into the world. We’re taught that as long as we keep our grades up and learn the material they are teaching to us, we’ll be fine. But education is much more than memorizing words and formulas for exams, it is more than the twelve years we spend with our young peers learning things we think we’ll never use again. Education is what will become our lives, our freedom, and our futures.
Every student asks the question “Why do I need to know this?” at some point in high school or elementary. It seems like we’ve been learning things that we’ll “never have to know in the real world”. But that’s not the point of education, that’s not the reason we’re learning algebraic equations and how to MLA format. We learn to grow our minds, to expand our knowledge of the world and to work out how we think. We are being educated from a young age so that when we reach adulthood we understand how to think and how to act. But this is not what education means to me.
To me, education is empowerment. I understand that my education is what prepares me for the rest of my life. Every single thing I have ever learned has been stored in my mind, ready to be used again. Even the things that don’t seem as important to me at the time always come back for some future use. When I am educated on a topic I am confident in myself, I trust my abilities and I feel empowered to make decisions based on my knowledge. Being educated on different aspects of life is one of the most important things you can do. It is incredibly important to understand what is happening around you and in the world. Being educated, no matter in what way, gives you the ability to weigh in on discussions and have solid footing on ideas and opinions.
Our mind is one of our most valuable tools in this world. If we do not keep our mind strong and sharp, there are possibilities for mistakes. To be educated in any topic gives us the knowledge to understand what facts are given to us. There are going to be many times in life where I will not understand what is going on or will not be able to make a smart decision. But once I have been educated on my choices I will be able to come to a much better conclusion. Knowledge, wisdom and education all go hand in hand and all have equal weight on each other.
To be educated you must possess knowledge and wisdom on a topic. You can be taught knowledge at school, which is the process of learning. Wisdom comes in a different form. Wisdom must be experienced through life. Once you possess knowledge from learning and wisdom from life, you can then label yourself as educated. This is what education means to me. Education is our foundation and from it we can grow to be strong and knowledgeable. Education is one of the most important aspects of our entire life and we must continue to value it.