What Does It Mean You Be Well Educated?

Education at its best is a process of teaching people to explore ideas about themselves and the world in which they live, to ask questions about the experience called “living” and to embrace ambiguity, to notice the unusual without fear and to look upon the ordinary with new eyes.

Aristotle said, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” What does it really mean to be educated? Many people thought that they knew what education meant, even I felt confident in myself to define education. However, the ideas discussed in class really made me question my definition of education. My definition has changed within the past few weeks as I discovered more about education. I am here to present my definition of education; with the lack of resources, one can still become educated by learning the unknown and putting your knowledge to good use.

Choices can make or break us depending on what we do. That is what Jon Spayde attempts to convey to his audience in his 1998 Unte Reader article, “What Does it Mean to Be Educated?” He goes through many examples and arguments that could possible answer this “surprisingly tricky and two-sided question” (Spayde paragraph 1). Although the actual arguments he poses throughout his article, he uses the rhetorical devices – ethos, pathos and logos, to get his readers to accept his purpose.

What does it mean to be well-educated? Is a well-educated person someone who went to a good school? Does it apply to someone who got straight A’s is school and did well on standardized tests? Does it mean that they are smart or just good at memorizing their material and requirements for tests? If they are good at passing test by memorizing all the material but then forget it as soon as the test is done then what good was taking a test in the first place? Is a well-educated person the same thing as a smart person? If a person went to an adequate school and receives a good education then it would be concluded that they are well-educated but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are smart. It might just mean

In all forms, education should simply be the art of the utilization of knowledge and the vehicle to impart a sense of the power of ideas to a future generation.

Malcolm X once said “education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today”. From adolescence to adulthood almost every person is put through schooling. As one gets older in age, the education they obtain becomes more rigorous in order to stretch their minds far beyond two plus two or what color the sky is. The strategies of critically thinking and being able to analyze/decipher information in front is them is reinforced routinely in the educational system. With this being said, the purpose of education is to aid in enhancing one’s qualification, socialisation, and subjectification skills within the society regardless of how or where one’s education was obtained.

Education is the gradual process of meaning making and acquiring “knowledge.” One views the world through his or her own set of lenses or filters, from his or her own perspective, and the mind of the learner attempts to connect new information to existing schema to make new connections. These constructions and connections in the brain become "knowledge." Therefore, knowledge when people begin to understand facts or information through experience and/or learning. We begin to realize, through knowledge, details that we learn in isolation are actually interconnected. Education can be intentional or unintentional and can occur everywhere and at any time. Education is greatly influenced by affective factors and social context. It has both internal and external value, both to a person and to all of society.

Quality in education is one of the most discussed issues around the globe among educational community. There is an emerging consensus that quality in education depends on the enabling inputs, educational processes, teachers’ abilities, and learners’ characteristics and the specific context.

Education is the very foundation in which we as individuals grow, and formulate the knowledge we gain through life into meaningful ways of adapting to the world.

To opinionate or to be opinionated as defined by Webster means to have an unduly adhering to one's own opinion or to preconceived notions. In “laymen’s terms“ basically it is to strongly stick to one’s own point of view. If education is so vast than how can someone be “well” at it? ~Kohn reveals that his wife who is a physician is hesitant at times reciting multiplication. This does not mean she is uneducated when indeed she may be responsible for saving someone’s life. Yet because she cannot teach a math class or write the President’s inauguration speech it portrays as if she is not “erudite” Contrarily speaking does the fact that she is a Physician depicts as her being smarter than someone who works performs “blue collar” work? Does

Education can bring these individual talents to the surface. Having these talents developed by the way of the educational system, a person is more likely to become a productive member of society. Without these gifts and talents of individuals, answers in the medical, environmental, and social fields could remain mute and unexplored. Education has the responsibilities to bring out the best in each individual. The needs of society are continually changing. Therefore, education must also continue to change in order to productive responsible members of society.

Acquiring education is one of the most critical aspects of a person’s life. It should be seen as vital as the air we breathe. The key to a healthy mind and a successful person is learning. “Without education, you’re not going anywhere in this world” is a famous quote by Malcolm X. His quote reiterates that the competitive world makes it essential for us to have a proper education since it will serve as our weapon to conquer the world. Education will help a person grow as an individual because a highly knowledgeable person will have a better grip on handling any problem that comes his or her way. Literacy is the foundation of what we are as individuals. Every decision we make, as well as our thought process, is the basis of what we know.

An educated person is one who’s education surpasses the national average in their respected country. An educated person has the ability and drive to succeed no matter what social and economic background one has. Knowing the reason why being highly educated matters in life, and having a passion to learn. Similarly, to understand what is learned during the process of being educated, take the time to truly comprehend the facts, and the reasons behind the facts. Otherwise they might be forgotten and if so, are you still an educated person? Consider the following methods: the banking concept- where facts are repeated to you and from that are memorized so you can repeat them back, and the problem-posing concept- where ideas are introduced and everyone learns from each other (Freire 144, 147).

To be educated: commonly defined as being smarter than your peers. Although most people would say the more educated you are, the better you are, it is often used as a tool to make fun of and discourage those who took the time to seek intelligence. For centuries this has been the case. From biblical times, to mid-evil times, to even modern times, it has been constantly argued what it means to be educated. Some believe that claiming education means hold certification. Others think that it means being able to communicate what you know or how you think. Ultimately, the author of this column, appearing in The Magnolia Potpourri on October 29th 2014, believes that sound judgment, mercy, and humility to be the marks of education.

Now to talk about education. The education that one needs is very important and what is the use of it if the student will not question