What Does Being Well-Educated Mean? 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 …show more content…
Consider this example, I go to a private school, and my friend goes to a public school and is one grade higher than I am. You would think that a private school student is better educated than a public school student. We both get the same grades, does this mean we are equally smart and does being smart mean being well-educated? As a grade lower than her I have learned more about essay writing in general than her. I’ve been taught how to write is MLA format and I’ve written a number of essays, outlines, and thesis statements, I’ve been doing this for years. My public school friend on the other hasn’t learned this until recently even though she is one grade higher than me. You’d think she would have learned this first, and does this make me more educated than her; perhaps in one area. On the other hand my friend has read many classic literatures for school and I have not, does this make her more educated than me; perhaps in one area. We both do well in school and on tests yet she is constantly correcting my spelling and I am constantly explaining what certain words mean to her. In short, it is understood that private school education is better than public school education yet this does not mean in any way that I am any smarter than my friend who goes to public …show more content…
Sitting in a classroom for a certain number of hours does not make one well-educated (Kohn). Throughout the school day of an average high school for example how much time do you actual spend learning? An average school day is around seven hours with about nine periods dividing up the day. If each period is around forty minutes with five minutes to get to your classes you spend almost an hour in between periods getting from one class to another throughout the course of a day. You have about forty minutes for lunch, a study hall or sometimes two and some kind of elective like gym or art. That’s not much time left for actually learning anything useful. When I was in middle school I remember my teachers wasting almost half of the period explaining in detail what we would be doing for the day instead of actually doing it. If the time you spent at school measures how well you’re educated than it’s not a very good measurement to go on. If the time you spent in school meant you are well-educated then you can easily agree that every student is well-educated and we know that’s not the
I can picture being in Thomas Jones place and listening to a student wondering what the speaker is saying, their interest is not listening to the speakers, but walking the stage and the end commencement. As Thomas Jones pointed out; why did we not discuss the educated person question prior to commencement? We do need to answer the question: “What is an educated person?” (Jones)
Knowledgeable, educated, and wise have become descriptive characteristics that have become seemingly interchangeable in today’s society. However, what does it mean to be educated, wise or knowledgeable? In the article “The Educated Student: Global Citizen or Global Consumer” by Benjamin Barber, he says “…young people were exposed more and more to tutors other than teachers in their classrooms or even those who were in their churches, their synagogues-and today their mosques as well.” (417). It is suggested that the places where these characteristics are obtained have changed with industrialization and capitalism. “The Student and the University (from the Closing of the American Mind)” by Allen Bloom directly postulates from the vantage
One’s intelligence cannot simply be measured based on his or her educational background. Intellect is spawned from within based on an individual’s experience and desire for additional knowledge. In the article, "Blue-Collar Brilliance", Mike rose contends the egocentric notion regarding what makes an individual intelligent; western civilization has drug on their fascistic opinions since earlier times. Everything including one 's intellectual capabilities has been measured by a hierarchy designed by the white man in order to oppress non-white civilization. Our intellectual capacity is bigger than a formal education; Intelligence that is acquired outside of the classroom is commensurate to those who have solemn educations.
What does it mean to be well educated? To be well educated it is a balance between academics and practical knowledge. Throughout this paper I will show that one does not necessarily need a college degree to be deemed as well educated. I will explore both aspects of academics and practical knowledge and how it affects individuals.
When comes to education in America, far to offer our society labels people as un- educated because the inability to pass standardized tests. In reality, we shouldn’t base a person's ability to determine if they're educated because that’s far from the truth. I believe that standardized test isn’t the only way to determine every student’s education knowledge. For example, high scores standardized test doesn’t signify that you are talented thinking or a student. The goal of education is more education, but the majority of people like this don’t get the opportunity like others. Just think they could have been people who made good grades and excelled in school, but didn’t get a full ride scholarship to a certain college. There are people who didn’t go to college, but are successful today. It doesn’t happen, for the majority of us, but we can’t just single out those people who have originated up with creativity, intelligence with ideas or investment with no college background.
I also believe that an education is very good to have but not all that society makes it out to be. I feel that a person should have a good education so that can open up his mind and give him something to persuade in his future. If a person is educated that can really have an advantage in the “real world” today. Society looks very highly on a person with a good education, but this is where I disagree with society. Since society looks so highly on education, the people that may have a natural talent or trait may never get a chance to peruse a good career. The job market will always look at the person that has a schooling background and never at that other person that does not have a good education. Even if that person with the education may not be the best person to hire for the benefit of the company but the company will still hire him because of his education background.
Having education doesn 't automatically make you intelligent, nor does it measure your competency. However, in today 's society, having a degree is very important for getting a good job and making money, but it does not mean that earning a degree makes you knowledgeable. In the article Importance of Education states, “Education plays a vital role in your success in the personal growth. The more you have knowledge the more you grow” (Importance of Education). If schools are supposed to help are personal growth through school. Then why do so many student lose interest in finding who they want to become or question why they are here in the first place. In the documentary movie War on Kids, Morgan Emrich a public school teacher states, “they’re taught to hate reading by being forced to read stuff that they don 't want to. It 's really rare for a kid in school to be able to choose a book that they want to read and read it” (War on Kids). As students we get force to learn what is require in order to go from one grade to another. We also get tested to see the school academic level or need to pass a standardized test in order to graduate.
An educated person is supposed to face the challenges of life bravely and successfully. No person can be called properly educated if he or she fails in making a good contribution to the society and country. Education means that students are able to stand on there own feet with the hard work they have achieved
In the article by A. Kohn What does it mean to be well educated? (2003). Kohn begins with talking about his incredibly intelligent wife who is a physician, but when is comes to grammar and punctuation she fails miserably. He asked the question “What does it mean to be well educated?” (Kohn, 2003) Is it to be able to take a test well? Or be able to show what you know in a hands on way that makes you well educated. He then digresses into the Common Core State Standards that have been adopted by almost every state, and he asks if this is the right approach to judge being well educated. In the conclusion, of his article he states that learning needs to be desired by the individual and the means to do so. In my
The fact is, that there is so much more than just one type of intelligence. While school make you more academically intelligent, it can teach you physics, algebra, calculus, etc… It is diminishing the students creative intelligence. It is teaching them to think a certain way, to go down a certain path in life, go to high school, get a degree, find a stable job, and if you don't do that, you won't be successful. And if that is true, how would for example Donald J Trump be president of the United States of America today? How did he a businessman with no political experience, become president?
Nevertheless, something is imbibed. Education in a good school does seem to show in the kind of person you become and whether anything is remembered or not the molding influence is indelible. Secondly good education when put to use is much handier when compared to a lower grade of education. Kohn’s question of consensus set me rapidly agreeing with him. Levels of education do vary between countries, states, and even the past and present. What is well-educated in one country may not be up to standard in another (2003, par. 9). Today a person with a doctorate in India is well-respected and highly valued in his/her country but when the same person wishes to teach in America or Britain he/she must acquire a teaching certification as most of the time local credentials are not accepted.
People who are educated are likely to seek health care in order to have good health. According to Ross and Wu, people who are educated are less likely to smoke and drink, more likely to be physically active, and get regular health check-ups (1995, p. 719). The article claims education is measured by surveying students and determining which grade level they are in. Education can also be measured by the highest degree or diploma obtained for those who have left school (Garcia & McCarthy, p. 42). Measuring education using this method provides researchers with information regarding how many years of schooling people have received. This measurement is also seen in the study of Schneider. According to Schneider, the highest level of education successfully completed is either indicated by the highest educational qualification achieved or by the number of years of education or schooling completed (2011, p. 2). The information is obtained from surveys completed by respondents. This measure however, does
At present, education is very important in everyday life because education has a good future. The education has developed very rapidly in modern times, most of the people are
Many times people associate the term “Educated” with having one or more college degrees however, that doesn’t necessarily define if that person is well- rounded or, completely aware of an everyday situation. Someone who is educated tends to understand what the subject is talking about more than others. Educated people have many traits to help them get an understanding of any situation, because they either have traveled, read about it,or s open minded about what others think and can channel the information from other to what is being discussed. Traveling can give someone a broad view of the, country, state, or any city. If someone were to ask about any of the three (Country, city, State) they person who has traveled would be able to tell them
The term ‘education’ can mean many things. An education is the collective knowledge a person has, but what does an education mean? Although an education can be paid for, no one can physically give you an education, so it is not a gift. There are societal situations where an education is a necessity, but not many globally. Education is a tool to be utilized differently in every part of the world. Knowledge is power, but some knowledge is more powerful depending on your region. If you are part a primitive tribe in New Guinea, a person that is considered to be educated may be illiterate. Whereas in America, an illiterate person would have trouble functioning at all in society. Education is a tool that is to be