“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”—Dr. Martin Luther King
As we debate the cost of a college education, we should likewise address the cost of being uneducated. (I believe what we are really discussing is the cost of a diploma, because education is not part of the discussion.) We must also discuss what exactly is an “education.” It is not, as many would have us believe, a college degree (or degrees). Having a Ph.D. does not make me educated, per se. It simply means that the revelation of my ignorance is more focused on a particular discipline. Not having a college diploma does not make one “uneducated.” (Some of the brightest people I know have little more than a high school degree, and many of the most ignorant—and close-minded—people I know have doctorates.)
Despite what we are being told, it is not the diploma that is necessary for success. Rather, it is the education that helps us succeed. It is like the classic joke: “What do you call a physician who had a C average in medical school?—‘Doctor’.” I don’t particularly wish to have that doctor providing me with medical advice. In addition, if my car breaks down, I prefer to take it to a trained and experienced mechanic rather than Googling “how-to.” That mechanic may not have a degree (in the academic sense), but they are far more educated in automotive function than I am.
Education goes beyond simply knowledge (and certainly beyond checking the boxes of university or state-determined high school requirements). It is, as Dr. King suggests, the ability to think intensely and critically. It is to include character with knowledge. The goal of education should be independence (therefore schools must be inclusive and why simply passing students along is not acceptable). Effective education develops a maturing society rather than a dependent society.
The growing costs of higher education are (apart from necessary technological increases) largely due the cost of an uneducation. Not educating in K-12 and trying to make up for our lack of preparedness by stacking on additional (often irrelevant) degrees is what is costing society.
Change comes from criticizing the status quo. “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire” (William Butler Yeats). Are we willing to allow out worldview to be disrupted by allowing it to be challenged?
As an educator and as one who hopes for a better world, I prefer the student who challenges what I am teaching over the one who can repeat what I have taught. As such, I hope our focus to turn from diplomas back to education.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!