Reeling in Research

Reeling in Research

            For the writing assignment “Rules of Three” I proposed that we should rebel against contemporary-cultural values of education and instead promote a culture where education is respected and revered. Unfortunately, the modern perception of our education is a detrimental one. Many regard education as a means to an end and in so doing create sentiments of disdain and contempt. Education becomes a wall to overcome as opposed to a bridge leading to enlightenment. Recent rankings of the best educational systems in developed countries place the United States in 17^th place. I may appear counter-intuitive for one of the most powerful countries in the world to be unable to place into the top ten. Why is that? According to Tiffany from Passion Project, “What you take in in kinda like it shapes you, it molds you, like it defines you” and perhaps no truer sentiment could have been spoken. To phrase that somewhat more precisely, people are the sum total of their experiences, environments and genetic inheritance. Of the aforementioned only genetic inheritance is immutable. So how can experience and environment possibly influence education?  According to Emmeline Zhao of the Huffington Post, the recent ranking demonstrated that, “While funding is an important factor in strong education systems, cultures supportive of learning is even more critical” (Zhao). As previously stated our current notions depict our relationship with education as primarily antagonistic; education being an obstacle that lies in between the fulfillment of our professional and personal goals.  Even our parents promote paths that may require less school but can ultimately result in economic stability and independence. This parental attitude is understandable; financing higher education may seem not only like a daunting task but an insurmountable one. This in combination with numerous reports of unemployment, even amongst those individuals with a minimum of bachelor’s degree, can dissuade parents from encouraging their children from pursuing higher education. The ranking places Finland and South Korea in 1^st and 2^nd places respectively. Although the countries, “Differ greatly in methods of teaching and learning, they hold the top spots because of a shared social belief in the importance of education” (Zhao). Perhaps more necessary than transforming our educational system, is transforming our perceived notions of education.  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/27/best-education-in-the-wor_n_2199795.html