Education of the Mind and Heart
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Education of the Mind and Heart
The value of having an education is prominent to having great learning skills but as well as having great life skills. The purpose of having schools is to teach children, teens and adults for that matter, how to have a better knowledge in certain fields of study. Learning about Math, History, and Science etc. may be boring, but these subjects will help students develop not only a better knowledge, but better motor skills.
I believe that if I did not choose to have an education, I would not be the person I am today. I learned many learning skills such as how to read, write, solve math problems, and develop a better knowledge. All the subjects I have taken have influenced my knowledge, even though certain subjects may be boring, it influenced me regardless. Not only did I learn skills that will give me a better knowledge, but I learned skills that made me a better person. I learned how to share, don’t let other people get to you, manners, and respect. I went to a private school my whole life until college. Private school used to get under my skin at some times with all the rules and regulations, but it paid off in the long run.  At my high school, we were not allowed to have phones out, don’t talk unless you’re spoken to, incomplete homework resulted in academic detention, and on edge of failure of a class resulted in an interview with the teacher, parent and student. These regulations seem tough and at the time, I resented these regulations. As I look back, I am thankful for the rules because in the real world if I did not do my work for a job or was not doing well I would be fired on the spot. A good education will help prepare for a good future for not only a career but in future relationships.
Sherman Alexie wrote, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” with the purpose of informing his readers of the challenges he faced as a young Indian boy that was not supposed to be educated by societies standards. Alexie used his own personal experiences as a young smart Indian to express his point of view. At the age of three, Alexie recalls how he taught himself how to read by analyzing a Superman comic book. Telling the story to himself by utilizing the pictures to create the story. He then went on to realize the purpose of a paragraph, saying “a paragraph is a fence that held words” (Alexie 16). Alexie then in turn looked at everything in that way. By utilizing this method he created, it enabled him to gain the knowledge of reading. His drive to propel forward encompassed his life, in high school he chose public schools instead of the reservation. He still faced the same ridicule but never let it interfere with his goal to prove to the world that Indians can be educated, too. Sherman Alexia’s experiences are similar to my experiences as a child. As a child I loved to read almost anything. I felt intelligent when I knew a word and its definition because of the reading I would do every night. Every night I would read a story with my mom. I believe that reading at a young age will give a child a better understanding of words and a better sense of speech. Reading is key to improve learning skills and speech because without the knowledge of reading it makes it difficult to understand people, signs, and have conversations.
Frank Bruni, a New York Times journalist, tries to make a point in his article “ How to Measure a College’s Values,” that it does not matter if a student goes to a private school, ivy league school, public