Anna Miller

Ryan Hicks
Education 201
March 23rd, 2015
Meaningful Education
Today, education takes multiple meanings that channel not only the mathematical or
literary part of the mind. Early education opens the door to being able to recognize and begin to
elaborate on certain favorable subjects. Throughout the educational journey, students begin to
thrive in certain subjects, but also struggle with others. At times, proficiency exams that are faced
during high school are almost impossible to pass, all because of a subject which has either
become detestable or simply a lack of understanding. There could be an array of reasons for a
student to get lost throughout the system of education. A student might feel they could be getting
more done somewhere else, or they see no value in the information being fed into their brains.
Possibly, the classes assigned to the pupils limit opportunity. Efforts should be made to address
what is holding individual learning back, which is unfortunately a seemingly unending list. To
bring students a meaningful education, schools should consist of equal and fair distribution of
opportunity, direct involvement in ones education and a varying selection on important subjects
which are relatable to the student.
An issue which is not easily amended, is that every individual should be presented with a
fair and equal education as any other student in the United States. How that education is
presented to the student is whats problematic. Certain areas in the United States have different
cultures and look at what defines meaningful education in a variety of ways. Someone who lives
in an urban area, or on the coast have a different viewpoint than an individual who lives on rural
farmland. Also, the type of occupation they might acquire in the future depends on their

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circumstance growing up. Urban areas call for jobs in technology and business, or factory work.
Someone who lived on a farm might choose to continue that pathway, so learning how to work in
an urban workplace would not be applicable to that individual. This is what makes common
standards across the entire country hard to define. No area whether it be poverty stricken or rich
should exclude any source of valuable information that could enrich a persons life. Common
education like reading, mathematics and science should be offered to every student in a manner
which they can apply to his or her life in the future.
Unless a student is directly involved in their education, they may feel that there is no
choice in the direction they are headed, creating a negative connotation around learning in
general. Early on, learning should be basic information that everyone must know in order to get
on well with society and which they will apply in life every day. But later on, a student will
recognize where they thrive and where they struggle. Instead of forcing the student to drudge on
in a subject that will only lower their grade point average, why not let them thrive in a subject
they enjoy and decide if they want to choose a career applicable to that area. Once they know the
basic, necessary information there is no reason for them to continue learning the unnecessary. A
machinist isnt going to need the information on whether the Byzantium Empire existed before
or after the fall of Rome.
Besides the common curriculum, students should be offered an array of subjects to see if
they thrive better in different occupations that wouldnt have been considered before. Someone
might be strong in mathematics, but they may also have a knack for history. A class which offers
both mathematics and the history of the mathematicians could intrigue the student enough to
pursue becoming a part of the mathematic community where before they would have only
become an accountant. Also, there is a lessening of the arts in schools as a whole. Learning an

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instrument, or even taking a drama class could heighten confidence. Only learning common
subjects can get dull for many individuals, and the arts could be what they need to enhance
motivation.
Therefore, education can only be meaningful if they find it relatable to finding success in
their life. Unless they are given information at an equal opportunity as the peers around them and
from far away, a hindrance can be placed on quality of life. Not only that, the student should also
be directly involved in the choosing and direction his or her education is going. That way, they
are more likely to succeed in subjects which they feel they will use in the future. Of course, a
certain amount of core curriculum should be addressed in the overall scheme of things, but a
variety of courses including electives if offered will make the student feel that not all the learning
will be forgotten after graduation.