Is Education Important?
As seniors, we understand the importance of education. However, imparting that knowledge to the younger generation is like taking a horse to water and trying to make him drink. It will not happen unless he wants water.
Today was my better half’s 4th day of his class for Investments. You know, buy and sell stocks; why you should or should not purchase a bond; the basics of options.
Everyone needs to be educated about investing basics, even if you do not personally invest. Knowledge about our financial system is but one part of a well-rounded education.
The Class
His Investment class started with over 35 students. Now there are merely 13 students. Or at least only 13 have signed up for the required wall street survivor game to teach you how to buy and sell stocks and write options. The class league to date rates him at number 3 in the class. His disappointment is palpable. We will see how it all shakes out at the end.
With over half the class dropping out, my assumption is that they did not want to work or thought it would just be too hard. We all know that anything that is not difficult may not be worth doing.
After all, if it was easy then everyone would be doing it.
What is wrong with these students? I believe they are only in school for the grade. Yes, they will get jobs but will they keep them? In my estimation, they will only be placeholders waiting for a real worker and thinker to take his or her spot. Have you ever read “A Message to Garcia?” It is worth the few minutes to read the essay written in 1899. It still holds true today.
Where Is The Importance of Education?
Foolish me, I thought the master’s students were there for the knowledge as well as for the grade. They will be part of the segment of our population who lament that they are not part of the truly educated in this country but refuse to educate themselves. After all, the educated segment of the population is more likely to succeed in their aspirations than those who refuse to learn.
Due to the power of the students reflected by the power of their complaining and the power of their semester evaluations, they exert a tremendous impact. Students can and do directly affect the instructor’s next raise or even if they can continue to teach. The educators are not running the school, the students are.
This only makes a difference because both the school and the parents allow it. What a way to run an enterprise.
Five-Year-Old Students
Let’s face it, a five-year-old is too young to know what is in his or her best interest. Those of us with some years of experience can better determine that answer.
We had to learn math whether we wanted to or not. And it has held us in good stead for these many years. It was a good thing our teachers insisted we learn the material no matter what. I do not remember anyone asking me if I wanted to learn English grammar, or math, or science. And now I am glad I did indeed learn those subjects.
Long after my daughter was out of school, a friend of hers told her, “I sure wish I had listened to your Mom when she corrected my English grammar when we were in high school.” I remember her well. I was constantly correcting her grammar. Her reply was, “My Dad don’t care, so why should I!”
Her family did not understand the importance of education so there was no way she would listen to me. But now that she is older and has her own children, she understands the value of good grammar.
That can be said about all education. She wished she had listened. And these students will be the same. They will wish they had listened when the opportunity was in front of them.
That is the way all children feel about their education when they finally grow up. They do not understand the importance of education when they are in school but later regret not being “educated”.
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