The Role of Education — Broadening the Mind or Working Life?

Education comes in many forms, reflecting (but not limited to) instruction, practice and training. Through culture, society and history, education is the observation of life; changing over generations and learning through value and purpose. Education can go beyond working life, yet when broadening the mind through working life and education, one can explore further opportunities.

The role of education should rely on both working life and broadening the mind in order to prepare students to seek more than the basics of education (such as math, reading, and writing). Every human is different and unique: learning, believing, and living differently. There are many people in the world who have been limited when it comes to education. They grow up to know nothing other than working life within their own society and culture, while others are forced into education, starting school around age 5 and ending around the age of 18. Due to the fact that education has many forms, working life can be considered as one form of education outside of a school setting. In order to provide and survive, many people around the world rely heavily on working life whilst learning, expanding, and teaching those around them as they broaden their minds through values such as teamwork, communication, respect, and creativity. During the Great Depression and the Great Recession in the United States, many families and individuals were halted at the thought of education because food, shelter and money were scarce, and in order to provide for themselves and their families, people sought out work. (ushistory.org, 2017) Society and culture during these times helped to build character, strength and hope as many people had to rely on each other. Throughout different countries and societies during the 1800’s, many children did not attend school, and many teachers were untrained. (myplace.edu) Education for females was not much of a concern as it was for males and females were “looked down upon for wanting to attend school”. Also, the role of females was to learn through a home environment, training to be a homemaker. (evolution of women’s’ citizenship.weebley.com) Through such historical downfalls, students can explore the similarities and differences of other generations, comparing the values and principles by learning how to survive and experience the education of working life in the world they live.

The role of education for students within a school setting has changed over generations just as working life has. The role of education should express the values of broadening the mind for students through school learning and for the future of working life. Technology has evolved, creating a new generation of students who take advantage of what other generations never had, and this seems to have created a wall between teaching and learning. As technology has peeked over time, advancing in many areas of working life and school related education, it too has its limits as many students have been given an opportunity, yet halted by technology. By expanding beyond technology, students can broaden their minds to help in preparation for working life, to see beneath the surface of what the 21st century has come to – a valueless lifestyle of gadgets. In the words of Albert Einstein: “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots”. (Harry, Mount, 2015) The thought of technology does not discriminate the advancement of online schooling, or home schooling, yet both types of education lack specific tools of communication that students need to enhance, and expand their minds through a social setting and verbal communication. Students are very much involved with technology as it has become a regular routine to learn, while actual teaching and learning from a human is limited whether it be online or through a school setting. Students lack the experience of learning through other human beings as they come face to face with a computer teacher, which then does not broaden the mind beyond basic math, reading, and writing skills, rather it holds back the expansion of communicating, working as a team, and being creative, which are all tools that are essential in the world of working life.

Education is life, and life is work, which both play a major part of survival for the future of students. The role of education should rely on both working life and broadening the mind as students can explore their own values, beliefs and dreams for their future, rather than focusing on one main element of education. Education goes beyond a school setting and in order to contribute to society, a community, a job place setting and a family setting, students will go beyond what past generations were unable to experience, building an advanced future from both working life and education for all sexes and all races.

References:

Mount, Harry. (2015) Was Albert Einstein, right? Physicist once said he feared that technology would surpass human interaction. Daily Mail.com. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2929268/Was-Einstein-right-Physicist-said-feared-technology-surpass-human-interaction-photos-time-not-far-off.html

US history.org (2017) The Great Depression. US History Online Textbook. Retrieved from http://www.ushistory.org/us/48.asp

My Place for Teachers. (2017) Education in the 1850’s. Retrieved from http://www.myplace.edu.au/decades_timeline/1850/decade_landing_15_1.html?tabRank=3&subTabRank=2