Education is considered to be one of the crucial parts of human life and, at the same time, the primary task of people during their lifetime. People acquire new knowledge and experience every day from the early childhood to their eldest years when interacting with the other people and solving diverse life’s problems. Formal education that they receive when attending schools, colleges, or universities is perceived as the tribute to society and the ground for further professional life. However, people often do not recognize that this process is determinative for their identity formation. The first experience of getting knowledge related to the disclosure of individual natural abilities, development of skills required for information assimilation and its further appropriate use. Thus, knowledge that pupils or students miss during their early educational process immediately provokes the set of problems in another sphere of their life. Most likely, they will be called uneducated persons because of having the lack of ideas about numerous issues that obstruct their successful navigating throughout the diverse life situations. The paper seeks to analyze the essence of the concept of an educated person in common aspects and through the prism of individual vision of the issue.
Section A
Learning is a hard work that requires applying substantial and continuous efforts. Underestimating the meaning of an educational process, people often treat it superficially, promoting the development of negative habits in their personality. Laziness is one of the habits that are inherent to all people. Having once tried to do something hurriedly without going deep into the matter of the object, people continue to behave in the same way until the moment they recognize all the harm of such behavior. The moment of justice may occur in different ways such as reading an interesting book, having friendly conversation with a stranger, or listening to the words of a professor as it was with me. I was not an exception from the general amount of the lazy students, and I was not aware of this personal problem for a long time. I belonged to those lazy individuals who did not even check the class schedules. Obviously, not knowing the volume of the tasks I was supposed to complete I did not follow the course materials. Taking Edu-X class during which professor disclosed and emphasized the significance of human manners to think and act when learning became such turning points I have mentioned above. It made me think about my way of considering and thus, its reflection on my education. Thus, I have realized that I did not do my work as it was needed and did not take any responsibility that any student must follow. Moreover, I have understood that irresponsibility is the biggest problem not only for the education but also for my entire life. Edu-X class has indeed changed my life pattern and my study habits. I have recognized that the responsibility is the manifestation of the internal state of mind or the way of thinking if speaking in other words. It was the primary shift in my perspective that made me analyze the reasons for my irresponsibility. Thus, I have realized my lack of self-confidence that was related to the fear of making mistakes. I preferred allowing the situation to rule my life and being the passive observer of my path. That is why an active life position and positive thinking become the first crucial priorities after I become aware of their significance for implementing the changes in my life. Being at the center of social and college events and trying not to miss anything, avoiding superficiality, and looking into the root of the issues are my principal habits today. Moreover, considering that my major of journalism requires a wide range of knowledge and the ability to think critically, I have started to use the approach of deep analysis of all the questions that occur to be in my courses or daily life.
Section B
The world is rife with diverse things, events and phenomena, with which people are surrounded. Human life is inextricably linked to the ability to interact with this environment and with each other. The success of such important task depends on the knowledge of the essence of the things, nature of phenomena, precursors for events and their aftermaths, etc. Getting to know this information and gaining the skills on operating it means to learn. People could be compared to books. They are born as blank slates, and each new life discovery, opinion, skill, feeling become the lines on them. The more meaningful and versatile a book is, the more interesting it is. The same can be said about people and their significance in social life that is determined by their knowledge and skills gained in the process of education. Learning influences the process of personality formation, and it is the crucial precursor for people’s self-realization and success in all spheres of life. That is why it is so important to learn. Getting more knowledge and skills, people become freer and more independent because they always know how one should act in each certain situation, and they should not completely rely on one’s support but vice versa, everyone needs their advice. Moreover, they are not limited to their judgments and verbal expression of them. Thus, the story of Malcolm X who felt free even being in the prison because of books is bright confirmation that reading was one of the primary measures for learning that brings the internal freedom to the persons (Colombo, Cullen, & Lisle, 2013, p. 211). In this regards, I completely agree with him because literature is the way of communication between the consciousnesses of the writer and the reader. It is the exchange of the facts, ideas, reasoning that enrich the readers’ personality and open new horizons to them involving the imagination in the process of thinking. At the same time, reading is a ground for skillful writing and speaking that belong to essential human skills. Any knowledge should be actualized, and that is why reading alone cannot provide an individual with the objective perception of reality. Thus, formal education and teachers play a key role in the process of actualization. Students can perceive information from different perspectives, and it is important to correlate any experience with the latest events and tendencies. Bell Hooks (2014) calls such an approach “engaged pedagogy” that helps to destroy the historical stereotypes, broaden border of the conscious and that is “the practice of freedom” (p. 21). Andrew Delbanco’ judgment of the system of education is close to Bell Hooks’ position. He emphasizes that learning should provide students with the “requisite for reflective citizenship” (Delbanco, 2012, p. 3). I agree with them because the analysis grounded on active interaction and reflection is the basis for further development of the person as well as whole society. Learning determines the level of people’s happiness, although Wilson Timothy (2011) claims that genes and circumstances play the prevailing role in being happy. It is difficult to agree with him because the majority of the living moments are the results of persons’ decisions produced by the means of mind. Taking into account that human brain can “elaborate theories and explanations about what is happening in the world and why” on the ground of gained knowledge one can easily claim that learning plays the crucial role in individuals’ well-being (Wilson, 2011, p. 51).
Section C
My philosophy on learning is rather close to the story of student Dominic Grasseth (Lane Community College, Oregon) who enrolled in the college at the age of twenty-eight and who had a problem with his confidence (Downing, 2014, p. 68). I am older than most of my friends in my classes as the author of this story. I had significant difficulties with math and chemistry classes during my junior year in high school that promoted the formation of uncertainty, fear, and passiveness in my personality. I did not have confidence either like Dominic Grasset used to before he had opened the vital meaning of the way of thinking. Thus, in the past, being in classes, I tried to stay in the shade of other students and not to stand out from the general mass of peers. I had no ultimate goal or I was afraid to be aware of it because of my uncertainty in the ability to reach it. Today, I recognize that nobody and nothing could change my life without my complete individual responsibility for my each step as in the learning so in the private and professional life. Thus, in my future, I will strive to fix and develop my positive thinking and widely use an active approach to success in the college as well as in the chosen profession.
Section D
From the moment I recognized the need for changes and started using my active position in practice, I have become a result-oriented person. Today, all my aspirations are related to self-improvement and increase of the results of my education or work in the future. That is why I endeavor to achieve at least average 3.5 GPA for the next semester and want to fulfill my S&H, A&H, N&M credits by next year. After my graduating from the university, I am going to look for the work at any company that will be ready to hire me. I do not have any ambitions about the scale of this company or its famous position. The relevant professional practice that I can get here is my primary purpose because it can provide me with the skills for my further professional growth. I just want to work in the real world and be able to create decent living conditions for myself and my family, be a socially useful member of the community. After I experience the real world, I would like to start working in my father's company that supplies all the materials for buildings and apartments in South Korea. This semester promotes positive turn in my consciousness, which I suppose will change my entire life. For this semester, I decide to do my school works so that I can get a diploma. I could not do it successfully without the appropriate understanding of what it means to be an educated person and how it is important. Thus, my decision to continue studying will change the whole story of my life. I believe that this choice will help me greatly with my future and promote my further individual development and, thus, well-being. After considering the role of learning in human life on the base of my individual example one can see the importance of being educated. It does not mean that people should strive to get a maximum number of diplomas. A person may be present at the lecture in the school, university, college, but he or she never will hear the professor if they do not decide to listen. Thus, people should be thirsty for knowledge, skills, and progressive thinking that can provide them with a decent level of life, professional self-realization, and successful interpersonal communication. {t_essay_1}
