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Friday, September 27, 2002

I believe that an education is important for everyone. One thing I agreed with Echion, is the fact that what you learn remains with you until you die. An education is not something tangible, that can be taken away from you like possessions. Yet it appears that Echion's wants his child to be educated in order to have financial stability, and for his child to disregard other pursuits that are less profitable. I will advise my child to pursue what interests them most while opening themselves up to experiencing other areas of learning. I would rather my child have a career in something that they love and have a genuine interest in rather than one that just provides for them financially. As I mentioned before, money can be lost, and if all their job does is provide for them financially, if they lose their money, they are left with nothing meaningful. I think knowledge is wonderful, and I would like my child to learn as much as they can about the world around them. If a liberal arts education at a univerisity helps them achieve this, then I would be pleased. If they find some other way to achieve this outside a classroom, and are still doing something fulfilling, then that's good with me too.
-- posted by Kent Williams at 3:19 PM
I would remind my child that a well-rounded education encompasses a great deal more than books and classes. While those are of obvious importance, the forced independence of college and the inevitable hardships that come with it only make you stronger. Conquering struggles and learning consequences for your choices are infinitely more valuable than getting an A on a paper. Contributing to your community in whatever way fulfills you most, discovering leadership potential within yourself you never knew existed, and finding new self-confidence through fellowship with like-minded individuals (as well as those who bring a totally different perspective) are experiences college education should bring. Personal growth will take your further in life than anything else.
-- posted by Sharon Wilson-Brown at 8:43 AM
Not many people would agrue that education is bad for someone. There are the obvious benefits of being able to get a higher paying job, etc and most people will try to get their child to get the highest level of education that they can. The benefits of a liberal arts education, as it has been told to me, is that you pull from every aspect and don't just get a narrowed view of one topic. Where you may have just wanted to take all sciences, being forced to take an english or psyhcology class may open a whole new door for something you are interested in that you never thought of before and may not have sought on your own. Plus, you get more knowledge to talk to people you may meet in that field and become a more "well-rounded individual".
-- posted by Kamini Verma at 1:06 AM
I don't believe there is a "bad" education. I think education is what you make of it and how hard you apply yourself. Of course, any class or teacher that pushes a student to try his hardest will bring about a more positive learning experience in the long run. Yet I still feel that even if no one is pushing a student to try their best, a student can push their own self to go fartehr and do more with the learning process. This is probably all of the advice that I would give my child...life is what you make of it, and that includes your education.
-- posted by Staci Benson at 12:42 AM

Thursday, September 26, 2002

I'm not really sure what Echion's take on education is. But I know that I would encourage my child to partake of as much education as he/she could, because it's extremely important. Getting an education opens your mind to innumerable possibilities, and it teaches you how to think for yourself and make your own decisions. Education is worth more than (almost) anything.
-- posted by Debra LaViolette at 10:10 PM
I have to admit, there was nothing impressive about the concept of a liberal arts education - in fact, I really didn't understand what that meant when I applied to SU. The important factors to me were the consistantly small class sizes, the focus on undergraduate education, and the lack of a football team (meaning no dumbing down of academic standards in order to field an eligible football team). Going into the sciences, a subject that is more what you can do than who you know (until you start competing among the elite), these factors were of primary importance. I must admit that my inundation with SU's liberal arts philosophy has opened my eyes to other things, and for that I am thankful.
-- posted by Michael Brinkman at 9:45 PM