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Alex Brizuela

ACE 1A

Professor Ogden

May, 2018

It would be convenient to have a blueprint or a list of steps to becoming educated. But

that can never exist because there are no exact steps, how does someone know when they have

reached that point in life to consider themselves educated to begin with? I still have not figured

this out myself, but through my research I found “smart people” talking about what education

means in their terms. In my terms, if you have a diploma, you’re educated. However it is what I

used to believe only because that is how my family defined education. It wasn’t until I got to

college when I realized that an education is more than just obtaining a diploma, and sometimes

not about that at all.

As former MIT professor Noam Chomsky explains it, having an education is being able

to “inquire and create using the resources available to you.” He believes that an education should

not be determined by a label given to you, but the hunger a person has to learn more and be able

to live a decent life using what they have picked up over the years. By “creating”, we are

building a path for our lives. Education gives us the ability to thrive on our own. However

Chomsky did not include a degree in his definition of education. Nor did he say that school is

useless, but it is not a factor in the meaning of education in his terms. I agree with his opinion

because I have personally met people without a proper high end education, and still be as

educated as someone without the prestigious degree.

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I believe Chomsky’s definition of education fits perfectly with my way of thinking, for

me, that’s the best definition there is. However the definition varies, and to others education does

mean having a degree. And some people fall right in the middle of these opinions. Jeremi Suri of

the Daily Texan explains his views of the important impact attending a university has on

becoming educated. He states that although being educated does not necessarily mean being

smart, or not smart at all, it is about having a “richer and more complex understanding of your

surroundings.” A person can be educated, but there is always a line between a college graduate

and someone without a degree. Suri’s argument is logical but preference plays a part as well.

This is shown with his devotion and passion for school, which he states. He believes that there is

no other way to achieve a good education, school “tears down walls” for pupils, and solves

problems that cannot be faced if not properly educated.

As for Chomsky and Suri, their view on an educated person is someone who can think

critically and guide themselves with the ambition to learn more, however that might be. Not

everyone comes to this conclusion. What if school is not the pathway? Ed 100 is a Website built

to educate parents on the importance of education for their children, as well as the high social

cost of educational failure. One of theEd100 lessons focuses on HOW important a child’s

education is for parents, how parents view education and how they think it will benefit their

child. But according the lesson, a portion of American parents see little to no benefit at all. In

fact, the lesson states “who wants the kids just hanging around, getting into trouble? Better at

school than at home, right?” Parents see school as a norm of society, therefore it has become

compulsory for children. Allegedly leading to a lack of effort from pupils.

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Many citizens would agree that the United States school system is not efficient. It is often

argued that school can actually hold a student back from reaching their maximum thinking

potential. Author Daniel Koretz exposes the flaws of the U.S school system in his book “The

Testing Charade.” In chapter 13: Doing Better, he talks about the habit of giving students

standardized tests every year, and how it can lead to a faulty education. He claims that these

tests act as a form of ridicule for students. Children who score low on these tests are moved to

below average level classes, and they are told they’re remedial. I had this same experience,

although I scored decent on these exams, seeing the joy from others that scored high, and the

despair of those that scored low made me realize that we were all just labeled. And having the

label of FBB (Far Below Basic) had a harsh effect on students emotions.

Again, there is no exact set of steps to becoming educated. According to my research, the

goal of education is similar between each source, the goal of being able to be more aware and to

acquire what your resources have given you, to create a life out of it.