The importance of education- Perspective

Learning 

In this class we learnt, and discussed how important an education is, and how people can use one to go to university, and then get a job. So basically the one reason to get an education is to later on, in life gain economic stability, and be able to do everything that you would like to do, and therefore have a good life style. Also it pushes you to think for yourself, and everyday allows you to brake another barrier of ignorance, learning new things and expanding your horizons. We discussed a lot on our opinions over education, and what the opinions of people worldwide, could be. 

In this class we looked at a extract from a poem over a boy that had no education and we analyzed it. We analyzed the extract of the poem, taking into consideration what we discussed, previously. 

The following is the extract of the poem we discussed...

Extracts from ‘Barefoot Boy’ by J.L. Mason from ‘Bahamian Anthology’. College of the Bahamas, Macmillan Caribbean, 1983.

Little barefoot boy, why no school today?
Is it a holiday that you wander in this way? 

Do you dream of bright toys, other little boys 

As you wander on your lonesome way,
You with your seven tender years
Little barefoot boy?

Ah! do you see a door unlatched
And think it only a prank, child’s play
When you enter and a handbag take away.     

No one saw or did not care to ask you why;

So you cracked conch and bread did buy.   

Your first try?

Did we not see your pleading eyes?
Did we pass you by somehow?
No matter–you sit silent in the courtroom now 

In your rags and tatters, head bowed,
Little, skinny, unloved, frightened
Barefoot boy.

These are the questions that we tried to answer (along with the answers that me and my group came up with):

Why do you think little barefoot boy is not at school?

I think little barefoot boy is not at school, because his parents, aren´t educated either and they didn´t care about him. Or that he wasn´t raised to even know what was an education, or that an education isn´t important and that your better off stealing and that anything else is just not worth it, and that it is a waste of time.

Do you think he would like to go to school?

I believe that on some level little barefoot boy wants to go to school, because deep inside of him, he believes that an education is the only way he can progress from robbing, and that one day, with the help of an education, he will be able to get a job and reach his dream, of living in a clean and happy house, with no need to steal or beg.

But it is hard to tell if little barefoot boy wants to go to school, because maybe in his circumstances, he doesn´t even know what a school is, maybe his parents raised him to ignore everything of the outside world and that the only thing he should try to improve on or think of, is begging and stealing. So the ignorance of his parents, might have changed his perspective of the world and education forever.  

What is this poem trying to say about education?

In my opinion this poem is trying to say and show how important an education is and how important it is to use the education given to you to brake the walls of ignorance that surround us, and become the best that we can become, instead of embracing the ignorance that we have, and becoming the worst that we can become.

This poem is trying to show that the path of ignorance, leads to one final destination, and that is to become blind in all the posible ways.

The poem is trying to say that an education is the path to success and happiness.

Is this poem talking about a personal, national or global problem?

I believe that the poem is talking about a global problem which is increasing. 
I think the poem is talking about a global problem because, people all over the world are illiterate, it doesn´t matter if you are in a first world nation or a third world nation, there are still people who are illiterate, because of economic issues in some cases, and in other cases because of the way they were raised and the way that they think, thinking that they don´t need an education, that they are better than an education, that an education is a waste of time. And it is because of this that people are illiterate, it is because of the way people think, that helping everyone to get an education is a problem.

The literacy rates on the world in a whole are rising, but in my opinion it is still low. And it is because we are talking about education, that this worries me because, if the problem of little barefoot boy is a global one, then that means there must be millions more like him, that are being tried for stealing or killing, but as a cover for being tried because they don´t have an  education.

Whose responsibility is it to make sure children go to school?


In my opinion it is the responsibility of the parents to make sure that children go to school, because it is the parents that raise the children, it is them that form their personality. It is the parents that show the children what is right and what is wrong. If the parents don´t show the children that an education is the way to make a good life, then who are the children going to learn from? What are they going to think of school? Who are the children going to follow an institute, that they learned was a waste of time, or their parents who raised them? Even if the government introduces a educational program for children who don´t have the chance to go to school, it will always be up to the children, to make the decision if they want to go to school or not, and that decision will be influenced by their parents, so all the responsibility lays in the hands of the parents.

What can be done if parents don’t send their children to school?


I think that if the parents don´t send their children to school, it is up to the government to invent a educational program that can be like a school but that the children would have to come voluntarily, and obviously this program would be free. Because if the parents don´t enroll their children in a school, the responsibility falls into the hands of the children and the government to do something about it. And a program like this would be a perfect way for the children to learn on their own, and for the government to have something concrete to show that there are many ways to increase literacy rates in a country, which would in turn, produce more development in the country, because there would be more people that would be working, and giving ideas, on how the country could develop.


Another thing that could be done, is that there would be punishments, that the law can enforce, for people who don´t send their children to school, and this way more parents would send their children to school, either by will or fear of the consequences.

What reasons are there for parents not sending their children to school?


I believe that parents don´t send their children to school, because they, themselves have not gone to school and received an education, and they might think that since they haven´t gone to school, why should their children. Or maybe their parents had gone to school, and they did get an education, but they got into drugs later on or they might of not took advantage of the education given to them, and were to blind to see it was their fault that  they couldn´t succeed, in anything, and thought that it was a whole waste of time, so they didn´t send their children to have an education. Or, maybe the parents think that they don´t have the resources to follow their child´s education, and that it wouldn´t be fair, if their child could just start his education,but not finish it, or not do it successfully, because of the lack of resources that they had. 

Do you think that little barefoot boy would avoid crime if he went to school?


Yes, in my opinion, an education would have taught little barefoot boy that, there would be better ways to gain money than to steal or murder, and that with an education he would be able to do so many other things and get paid for them, like being an engineer, or a journalist, or a teacher, etc. Also if he would have received an education he could of gotten a job later on and have been economically stable, and could have amounted to much more, than being put in jail. Also, this way he could have raised his lifestyle, and lived in an  reality, where there would be no need for him to commit a crime to gain money.


Opinions


In our discussion in class, various opinions over the importance of education were raised. Finally we finished by seeing that the importance of education to an individual, all depends on the circumstances of the individual in question.


One opinion was that a person that is from a family who is quite wealthy, will see education as something that is worthless, and unnecessary, because they might think that their parents will always give them money, and to have a job is a waste of time since they will already have money, and keep getting money from their parents even, after their parents are dead, because they will inherit all their parents riches. There is only one problem with this type of thinking. When this person´s parents die, he or she will spend his or her money recklessly, and when it is all spent, he or she will have nothing, and no way to get a job or economic stability, because he or she didn´t take advantage of the  education given to them, because they thought they didn´t need one. And then they will have a problem that will be beyond their understanding.

Another opinion was that poor people will value an education immensely, because they know, what can be achieved with an education, they see an education as the only way to get out of poverty, and this is very important for them. They know what it is like, to go through life being ignorant, and they know how much better their life could be if they could be educated, if they could slowly gain knowledge, they could use it to try to gain economic stability, and this way raise their lifestyle. Poor people think that an education is important, because they know the power that it holds.

One opinion that really surprised me was, one that said that people who see that they are not progressing well in an education, and know that an education is important, don´t put all their best to achieve a good education, they will be satisfied with an OK education, that will take them to an OK job, like working for Mcdonalds. And for them this would be a good place to end up in. 


Although this opinion surprised me, I understand that people would feel good, working at a Mcdonalds, because it would always be better than not working, and at least it is a way to gain economic stability.


In my opinion, I think and education is supremely important, because it is something, that will always help me, and that will one day, allow me to go to an important university where,  another part of of my education will take place, giving me the chance to apply for a good job, with a good income, and an option for a promotion in the job field, and with this I could gain economic stability, along with economic freedom from my parents, and knowledge that would take me out of various fields fo ignorance.


Discussion


The discussion made me feel that, in some moments, specially at the end of the day, I do not take advantage of the classes given to me, and that I never actually thought of myself as lucky. I think that up till a couple of years ago, I thought of education of being a routine and sort of a burden. But now I see that the advantage of having an education, isn´t a burden, but a gift. A gift that will never fade, as long as I have a memory. 


The discussion made me see that, thanks to the things that I am learning about today, I will be able to have a bright future ahead of me.


I was very surprised by one reaction in particular, one that stated that people who have the opportunity to have an education, don´t try and do their best, to become the best that they can with an education, but that their objective is just to pass, and get any job that can get them economic stability, even if it is a job at Burger King.  


This opinion surprised me, because I suposed that everyone that was given the opportunity to have an education, would try their best in being the best that they could be with an education. Even if they don´t get good results, I always supposed that people tried their best anyway.


Things I didn´t know


I didn´t know that some children in some countries, especially very poor countries, try to sneak into any school or class, just to absorb the most amount of education that they can,  because they know that with that little grain of education, they will be able to improve their lifestyle even if it is very slightly. They know how valuable and powerful an education is. For these poor children that don´t receive any kind of education, sneaking into a class, is a form for them to learn something and use it to improve their life.


When I heard this, I thought that this was very shocking ,at first but then I started to think about these kind of situations, and I realized that this is not shocking but, in some way it is a natural response, of a person to try and improve his or herself.


The Class

I enjoyed the class a lot, because it had diversity to it, we talked about the problem for a while, then we discussed the various opinions that could arise from this problem, and then we read a poem about education, and then analysed and discussed it. 


The class was great, because it wasn´t like any other class, where you usually just take notes and write an essay. It was different, and it was because it was different that I enjoyed it so much. Also I enjoyed it a lot, because of its discussions, a discussion in my opinion is the best way to learn, its exciting and it automatically makes you want to participate and present your opinion, and you learn a great deal about the topic you are talking about, without even noticing.


A couple of days ago, I presented a presentation to my class about education, after I had finished, I received feedback, of my presentation both good and helpful. I felt proud when I received the good feedback, but I felt even better when I received the helpful feedback, because this feedback, will help me in my next presentation, helping me to improve and this way present an even better presentation next time.

Internet Safety- Perspective

Learning 

       

                                                                               

In this Global Perspective class we were discussing and putting opinions forward on "Internet Safety".  

We learned three simple but important things, "Zip it", "Block it", "Flag it". 

To "Zip it": Keep your personal stuff private and think about what you say and do online.

To "Block it": Block people who send nasty messages and don´t open unknown links and attachments.

To "Flag it": Flag up with someone you trust if anything upsets you or if someone asks to meet you offline.

Although these were the three things were the most important in my opinion, and the most simple, there were other things that also were important such as the following.

• Never offer any personal information

E.j your last name, names of friends or relatives, instant messaging names, home address, email address, etc.

• Never post provocative images

E.j of yourself, of others, get permission to put your photos, and look at the background as well, and make sure the images you post don´t contain any personal information.

• Assume what you publish on the web is permanent

• Use blogging provider sites with clearly stated terms of use

Make sure the site that you will be using can protect your blog, with more than a password.

                                                                          

Opinions


"I never give out information, first I always plan out all my fake information, and then double check it, you can never be too safe."


"Don´t worry nothing is going to happen, why are you so paranoid?! Just put your real name, and information, nothing will happen, I do it all the time"


"I put fake information on the internet, but I don´t worry about it all the time, I also put real information"


These were the opinions of many of the people in my class, and this is the common case with a large range of people.


Some think...


That all this internet safety concern, is just people being paranoid, that their concerns are a whole waste of time, and I have heard that some people think that the whole internet safety issue is just a rumor blown out of control, and that the internet is totally safe.


Some think...

That the internet is a network that spins out of control, and its just caos, with facts that people need. These people think that to be absolutely safe in the internet, is to have to think in fake information, to go over it many times, to make sure that their whole presence in the internet is just a lie or mystery that no one will ever unravel. 














And others think...


That the internet is safe, in some matters, and there is no reason to go crazy just thinking of a fake I.D just to have an email account. But also that the internet does have its quirks, as does everything, and that its always good to come up with some fake information, in some silly things like an online videogame, or even in some blogs, just incase of anything.














Personally, my opinion is that there is no need to be overcautious when it comes to the internet, there is no need to drive yourself to insecurity or insanity, over what information to put in the internet.


But I also think that you shouldn´t just give every detail of yourself to the internet, thinking that nothing will happen, because that is just to be reckless, and not think at all in safety and thoughts like that lead, to dangerous paths.


So I don´t go navigating through the internet recklessly, I put some fake information, just incase, but I don´t go crazy in doing so, I go through the internet, being moderate, both on how I put fake and real information.


Discussion


In our discusion in class, the various points and opinions made me think, that maybe I wasn´t actually be very careful in some aspects, or that I was being too careful in others, but by the end of the discussion I believed that I was in the middle of both worlds, because not only did I think to myself, well I do a little of both, I think that when I enter the internet, I don´t start worrying if I´ll be in danger, or go crazy telling every person in the internet about myself, so I think that although both sides of the argument had excellent reasons and opinions I believe that in everything one must be moderate, and this way you can live safely and calmly.

I feel that the discussion reassured me that I do the right thing, when I go through the internet.


I was not surprised by any of my friends reactions, because all of them are different from me, as well as each other, so a wide range of expressions and responses, just seemed right from a group that is like the one I have, because all of us have experienced different cultures and all of us have had different expriences so why shouldn´t are opinions be different.




What I didn´t know before?


This class really taught me some things that I didn´t know before, for example I had no idea that some blogging sites had various ways to protect your information. Before I always just assumed that a password would be sufficient, and just to ignore rude commentaries, and just try to improve your blog in any way possible.


And that if you deleted a blog or post that it would be gone forever, and that would be that end of it. But now I see that not only can people have printed it, but they might have also just remembered some parts, so the things you put in the internet, really never go away.




Personal opinion of the class


I enjoyed the class very much, I think we had a good lively discussion, and it was good to have everyone joined in, and give a perspective on the topic. The class showed me a different way of putting my opinion forward on a subject, to everyone.




I think there could be just one improvement on the class, and that is to discuss about current situations of the world in our debates. For example the resolution of the Libia conflict, I believe it could interesting ideas forward.


The class was really great and I look forward for the next one.