If one considers all of the problems facing the environment and society in general, he or she knows that qualified, educated individuals are likely to be the ones who will find effective solutions. It is highly unlikely that the Baby Boomer Generation or Generation X will have resolved the issues of climate change, the economy, and international relations within the next twenty years. It is more likely that it will take humankind several generations to repair the damage done by the greediness of some big corporations and by the production of goods that are unfriendly to the environment. Furthermore, prevention will be necessary to ensure that disasters do not occur and that larger nations get along. For all of these reasons, young people deserve to receive free, quality education that meets both their personal needs and those of society. Their education would not only meet the needs of business, but it might meet a greater need to save the planet. Without such quality education at schools (both online and brick-and-mortar schools), future generations will have to suffer due to the unintentional--albeit careless--mistakes of their forefathers.
Young people need education in order to ensure that the infrastructure of their country is in excellent condition. Without it, they will be unprepared to maintain bridges, highways, and public property. For example, on the 14th of August 2018, the Morandi Bridge abruptly fell in Genova, Italy, just one day before the Italian summer vacation known as "Ferragosto". One cannot help but suspect that such a disaster could have been prevented if there had been knowledgeable experts to control the quality of the bridge. Therefore, well-educated individuals are needed to pick up the pieces of the bridge and to ensure that future structures will be safe and secure.
In the second place, many world citizens have forgotten that a few generations ago people died from contagious diseases. All one has to do is to look at genealogy records to discover that it was common to lose parents, children, and family members to diseases like the Spanish Flu in 1918 and Smallpox, which was eradicated by 1980. People have neglected to study the history of immunization. Educated scientists need to be cultivated so as to investigate the effectiveness of the various vaccines while developing superior cures that can be used in the future. More importantly, young experts will be armed to fight any diseases that might appear in the future.
In the meantime, most people have given some thought to global warming. Those who believe in its existence fear for the future of their children and grandchildren. Without having received a satisfactory science education, people of all ages feel like their hands are tied. Many do not know how little changes can improve the climate. Moreover, they would like to convince people who are in powerful positions to change production techniques to protect the earth. In the event change does not come about, young people desire to enhance their communication skills in order to bring about a radical shift. Unfortunately, many potential defenders of nature cannot even afford to pay for university degrees that would enable them to argue a convincing case in a court of law.
Notably, many occupations have disappeared as they have been taken over by robots, artificial intelligence, and other digital tools. This means that great minds are in demand to determine how the future economy will be structured in order to provide food, shelter, and comfort to those people who work fewer hours or who cannot find a position. Experts will be needed to help organize schedules that involve individuals in pleasurable, humanitarian causes as well as artistic and leisure activities. Perhaps lifelong learning will take on greater importance and people will become more altruistic.
Last but not least, there remains much to be done in space and in the ocean. Naturally, young people need opportunities to study fields such as oceanology, astronomy, and biology without having to become overburdened with debt. Sea life remains to be saved and protected from water pollution while space junk needs to be overseen carefully. Natural resources need to be protected while various species of animals must be cared for, even reintroduced into the environment.
Many people argue that students will not appreciate education if they do not have to pay a lot of money for it. Such individuals insist that students will waste precious resources. Fortunately, some universities and even nations like Germany have demonstrated that free education or very inexpensive education can and does produce effective results. Germany (2018) offers to educate anyone who is accepted in their universities, but it should not be necessary for everyone to move to Germany to receive this benefit when many need and want to continue working in their home countries while studying. Nonetheless, people tend to earn considerably less money today than they did back in the 1960s if one takes inflation in to account; therefore, families with two working parents cannot typically afford to pay for their children's college degrees, even when they would like to do so.
The unexplored, unread future remains a mystery to be revealed. Thus, it is possible that hard-working young people, well-equipped with quality education, will be the problem-solvers and geniuses of the future. Such great minds need not be wasted when young adults do sincerely wish to contribute to the greater good. They will turn the keys to the not-so-distant future once provided with the education they deserve, regardless of their religion, social status, creed, color, gender, or nationality. Students might communicate internationally in English given that they receive the necessary tools and ability to communicate their ideas. Moreover, students could enhance the universe with the creation of sleek electric cars that are eco-friendly, with the invention of useful tools, with the understanding that universal compassion defeats war, and with the possession of new scholarly insight. So much remains to be discovered by a well-educated society of young people who communicate freely and openly--optimistically desirous of learning. Making learning free for all benefits everyone no matter how young or old since it will generate new solutions to problems that haven't been solved in the past.
Laura Gail Sweeney is an English teacher and an English-language coach who communicates with people across the globe by means of Skype and other similar platforms. She has a wide variety of interests, one of which happens to be Hollywood English.
By Laura Gail Sweeney
Showing posts with label Economics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Economics. Show all posts
The Danger of Losing Hope for Public Education
Currently, equitable education is not provided on a worldwide scale. Furthermore, the socioeconomic achievement gap is becoming wider apart than ever, leaving many bright minds undiscovered. This inequity in education is unacceptable, as it infringes not only on individual rights but also on society's morality and progression as a whole.
I find the issue of education especially personal, as public education was how I overcame my adversities, I grew up in a financially insecure, immigrant family in which I had many household responsibilities. I translated constantly for my parents, and I was expected to pay for my own financial expenses. However, as soon as I poured my energy into school work, I learned that knowledge was an equal playing field. It didn't matter who I was but only what I knew.
My free twelve years of schooling has allowed me to become a leader, serve others, and find my voice. I keep this constantly in mind, understanding I am beyond lucky to have had a public education. Without this education, I wouldn't be a Northwestern student. I would be a high school dropout, driving for Uber or working at a fast food restaurant like my parents who could not get a privilege to receive public education.
Because education is so important, students of all backgrounds should be able to attend school. Specifically, more focus should be on underprivileged school districts. Furthermore, it is essential to reinstate authority back to the teachers and students. This is to ensure that administrators spearhead education policy instead of uninformed government leaders. What is best for our students should no longer be overshadowed by politics. By listening to the people our legislation most affects, we can make better law.
According to The Atlantic, educators have criticized Trump administration's budget proposal detailing over $9 billion in education cuts, including slashes to funds for after-school programs that serve mostly low-income students. Moreover, these cuts came along with increased funding for school-privatization efforts such as school vouchers. United States Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos has repeatedly gestured her support for school choice and privatization, as well as her disdain for public schools, describing them as a "dead end".
Such cynicism suggests there is no hope for public education. However, this mindset is demonstrably false and even dangerous. Current discussion repeatedly ignores public schools' victories by trivializing their civic role. Our public-education system is about much more than personal achievement; it is about preparing people to work together to advance not just themselves but the whole society. Unfortunately, the current debate's focus on individual rights and choices has distracted many politicians and policy makers from a key stakeholder: our nation as a whole.
The Founding Fathers understood that a healthy democracy required education. Thomas Jefferson, among other historical titans, believed that a functioning democracy required an educated citizenry. Importantly, he viewed education as a public good to be included in the "Articles of public care," despite his personal preference for the private sector in most matters. John Adams, another advocate of public schooling, urged, "There should not be a district of one mile square, without a school in it, not founded by a charitable individual, but maintained at the expense of the people themselves."
In the centuries since, the courts have consistently affirmed the momentous status of public schools as a cornerstone of the American democratic project. In its vigorous defense of students' civil liberties, the Supreme Court has always held public schools to an particularly high standard precisely because they play a unique role in fostering citizens.
This role is not limited to civics instruction; public schools also provide students with crucial exposure to people of different backgrounds and perspectives. Americans have a closer relationship with the public-school system than with any other shared institution. But in the past few decades, we have allowed school system to grow more segregated, both racially and socioeconomically through privatization of such institutions.
Diane Ravich, an esteemed educational policy analyst, writes that "one of the greatest glories of the public school was its success in Americanizing immigrants." At their best, public schools did even more than that, integrating both immigrants and American-born students from a range of backgrounds into one citizenry. As an immigrant who moved to U.S without any prior exposure to its language or culture I can certainly affirm that my public education was a major factor that helped me to become a part of this society.
During times when our media preferences, political affiliations, and cultural tastes seem more disparate than ever, abandoning this amalgamating factor is a real threat to our future. And yet we seem to be headed in just that direction. The story of American public education has generally been one of continuing progress, as girls, children of color, and children with disabilities (among others) have redeemed their constitutional right to push through the schoolhouse gate.
Particularly, the courage that Ruby Nell Bridges displayed as the first black child to attend a white school continues to inspire people. During the process of racial desegregation in the 1960s, this six year-old activist became the first African-American student to integrate a white Southern elementary school, escorted to class by U.S. marshals due to violent mobs. It is noteworthy that the white school Ruby attended for her continued Civil Rights action was a public school. Out of all the school choices she had - charter school, magnet school, private school, or even homeschool - she chose a public school as a battleground to grant equitable education to everyone. This further emphasizes that public schools do not only foster youth to become responsible citizens or forge a common culture from a nation of immigrants; they also play a significant role at reducing inequalities in American society.
In conclusion, in this era of growing fragmentation, we urgently need a renewed commitment to the idea that public education is a worthy investment, one that pays dividends not only to individual families but to our society as a whole.
By Esther S Park
I find the issue of education especially personal, as public education was how I overcame my adversities, I grew up in a financially insecure, immigrant family in which I had many household responsibilities. I translated constantly for my parents, and I was expected to pay for my own financial expenses. However, as soon as I poured my energy into school work, I learned that knowledge was an equal playing field. It didn't matter who I was but only what I knew.
My free twelve years of schooling has allowed me to become a leader, serve others, and find my voice. I keep this constantly in mind, understanding I am beyond lucky to have had a public education. Without this education, I wouldn't be a Northwestern student. I would be a high school dropout, driving for Uber or working at a fast food restaurant like my parents who could not get a privilege to receive public education.
Because education is so important, students of all backgrounds should be able to attend school. Specifically, more focus should be on underprivileged school districts. Furthermore, it is essential to reinstate authority back to the teachers and students. This is to ensure that administrators spearhead education policy instead of uninformed government leaders. What is best for our students should no longer be overshadowed by politics. By listening to the people our legislation most affects, we can make better law.
According to The Atlantic, educators have criticized Trump administration's budget proposal detailing over $9 billion in education cuts, including slashes to funds for after-school programs that serve mostly low-income students. Moreover, these cuts came along with increased funding for school-privatization efforts such as school vouchers. United States Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos has repeatedly gestured her support for school choice and privatization, as well as her disdain for public schools, describing them as a "dead end".
Such cynicism suggests there is no hope for public education. However, this mindset is demonstrably false and even dangerous. Current discussion repeatedly ignores public schools' victories by trivializing their civic role. Our public-education system is about much more than personal achievement; it is about preparing people to work together to advance not just themselves but the whole society. Unfortunately, the current debate's focus on individual rights and choices has distracted many politicians and policy makers from a key stakeholder: our nation as a whole.
The Founding Fathers understood that a healthy democracy required education. Thomas Jefferson, among other historical titans, believed that a functioning democracy required an educated citizenry. Importantly, he viewed education as a public good to be included in the "Articles of public care," despite his personal preference for the private sector in most matters. John Adams, another advocate of public schooling, urged, "There should not be a district of one mile square, without a school in it, not founded by a charitable individual, but maintained at the expense of the people themselves."
In the centuries since, the courts have consistently affirmed the momentous status of public schools as a cornerstone of the American democratic project. In its vigorous defense of students' civil liberties, the Supreme Court has always held public schools to an particularly high standard precisely because they play a unique role in fostering citizens.
This role is not limited to civics instruction; public schools also provide students with crucial exposure to people of different backgrounds and perspectives. Americans have a closer relationship with the public-school system than with any other shared institution. But in the past few decades, we have allowed school system to grow more segregated, both racially and socioeconomically through privatization of such institutions.
Diane Ravich, an esteemed educational policy analyst, writes that "one of the greatest glories of the public school was its success in Americanizing immigrants." At their best, public schools did even more than that, integrating both immigrants and American-born students from a range of backgrounds into one citizenry. As an immigrant who moved to U.S without any prior exposure to its language or culture I can certainly affirm that my public education was a major factor that helped me to become a part of this society.
During times when our media preferences, political affiliations, and cultural tastes seem more disparate than ever, abandoning this amalgamating factor is a real threat to our future. And yet we seem to be headed in just that direction. The story of American public education has generally been one of continuing progress, as girls, children of color, and children with disabilities (among others) have redeemed their constitutional right to push through the schoolhouse gate.
Particularly, the courage that Ruby Nell Bridges displayed as the first black child to attend a white school continues to inspire people. During the process of racial desegregation in the 1960s, this six year-old activist became the first African-American student to integrate a white Southern elementary school, escorted to class by U.S. marshals due to violent mobs. It is noteworthy that the white school Ruby attended for her continued Civil Rights action was a public school. Out of all the school choices she had - charter school, magnet school, private school, or even homeschool - she chose a public school as a battleground to grant equitable education to everyone. This further emphasizes that public schools do not only foster youth to become responsible citizens or forge a common culture from a nation of immigrants; they also play a significant role at reducing inequalities in American society.
In conclusion, in this era of growing fragmentation, we urgently need a renewed commitment to the idea that public education is a worthy investment, one that pays dividends not only to individual families but to our society as a whole.
By Esther S Park
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