Thursday, March 6, 2008

Higher Education

Higher education is a privilege, not necessarily an opportunity for everyone. I am very lucky to have the opportunity to pursue my education further, but a majority of the students at my high school did not have the opportunity to finish high school, much less think about college. I wish that were not the case. I disagree with Du Bois - I don't really believe that there is a talented tenth that deserves higher education. I think that the opportunity to further one's education to one's satisfaction should be granted to all people, regardless of whether or not they fit into the "talented tenth".

Higher education and education in general have a lot of different meanings - it could mean trade school, it could mean training for a job, it could mean completing high school, it could mean completing a master's degree, it could mean taking a community college class, it could mean anything. I think that any of these opportunities can further one's "education". A lot of the learning that we undergo is not learned in a math textbook or a classic work. Granted, this kind of education is vital and important and provides extra insight into the world around us. However, if I've learned anything from Core - it would be the mysterious ways of identity and how it is shaped by experiences and those around us. Perhaps these are the most important factors in developing our minds and feelings.

3 comments:

Alex said...

I nominate Carolyn's post for POW because she mentions many of the same points I did in my blog about higher edu. I agree with her argument and fresh perspective on the topic. Awesome!

Peyton said...

I nominate this post for POW. I like how Carolyn specifically defines education as somthing that doesn't have to be learned in the classroom. I also like how she related the definition of education to what she has learned from Core.

isa said...

I nominate this post also because i agree with the fact that all learning is not only information based, it also depends on experience. This is one of the basic things we learn in core and I think its great that she noticed this connection.