Education Essay

Education Essay

“...We think we learn from teachers, and we sometimes do.” states Loren Eiseley in “The Hidden Teacher.” It seems like education in today's world is so focused on preparing for grade school, then preparing for high school, then preparing for college, then getting a high paying job, all without living for the moment and even without making important decisions that affect your future. However, school is not our only form of education. Both personal experience and personal interest can also affect how a person learns.

Personal experience is what helped Mark Twain to learn the nuances of the river in “Two Ways of Seeing the River.” “The face of the water, in time, became a wonderful book – a book that was a dead language to the uneducated passenger, but which told its mind to me without reserve, delivering its most cherised secrets as clearly as if it uttered them with a voice.” (Twain 282) From being a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi, Twain learned the signs of the river, such as a floating log that shows the river is rising and dimples on the surface that indicate dangers beneath the surface. In "How I Discovered Words: A Homemade Education", Malcolm X teaches himself to read simply by copying the dictionary.

This personal interest in educating himself enabled Malcolm X to bring his education to a much higher level than he gained in a classroom. When asked what his alma mater was, he responded, "Books." He showed the dedication to further his knowledge in any way he could. Malcolm tells of his frustration with the "lights out" at the prison, and he would often stay up late in order to read more.

When examining these seperate methods of education, it is apparent that while education in a classroom is beneficial, education should not be confined to a vanilla experience for all pupils. Students should be able to learn and grow through personal interest and experience.