Education Cannot Be Found in a Book :: Personal Narrative Writing

While baby-sitting my younger cousin, I noticed that she was frantically searching through a stack of books. When I questioned what she was looking for she responded frankly, "An education." I had to laugh at such a childish remark. Many individuals believe that education is simply obtained by reading books, listening to lectures or sitting in classrooms. However, education is not received by being an active listener, or an excellent reader. College does not guarantee a higher education; rather, it provides the atmosphere and tools that are required to develop into an educated, and scholarly individual. Education therefore is achieved by progressing through the different stages of knowledge, and acquiring the skills required to be an active observer and participant in the real world. Education is too often emphasized by the regurgitation of facts, which diminishes the use of critical thinking. There are too many dualistic students in society today who think topologically. That is, they believe that there are only two different answers to every question, the right one, and the wrong one. This type of thinking not only limits the quality of education that the student receives, but it also exploits the teacher's indolence and insufficient ability to bestow a higher education upon their students. Although I was ranked number four in my graduating class of 371 students, I do not feel like I have received a higher education than the student who was ranked number 371. Why? Simply because high school is equivalent of a board game, one repeats what the teacher said, one's thinking is emulative of the teachers, and one turns in the "busy work" on time. Hence, high school has educated an individual on how to be resistant to critical thinking. On the other hand, college professors attempt to make students think critically about issues, which concern their lives, and the lives of others. A good college education is not bestowed to the students by their professors; rather, the students furnish their own quality of education. A student can choose to remain resistant to critical thinking, or the student can maneuver into the next stage of education, which is thinking with multiple perspectives. In this multiple stage, the student begins to regard issues with diverse perspectives and to consider multiple answers to questions (Mitchell, 2000).