Investing in the Future

It seems that I've gone on a sort of introvert rant in my last few posts, so I'll change things up a bit here. The topic I want to address today is education, or rather, the quality of education. And though I only have a few points to make, I feel that they are of the utmost importance.

Being a teacher is really more than just a job, more than a career; although it is certainly those things as well. Being a formal educator, a member of the education system, is to serve a most vital role in society, one which deserves the utmost respect and admiration. When someone becomes a teacher, he or she takes it upon themselves to teach students not only the contents of various school subjects, but also to teach things that are not covered by the system. Teachers teach you how to be your best, and how to live life. Usually, these lessons are mostly attributed to parents and guardians, and they most definitely do teach such things as well, but the contributions of teachers should not be taken lightly, or for granted. When you think about how much time a student actually spends in school and therefore with teachers, it becomes evident that those educators have a rather important role in the lives of young learners.

The role of a teacher cannot be understated. To be a teacher is to make a solemn vow to society to better the learning and development of a young generation. In essence, teachers are tasked with the incredible mission of ensuring that each new generation succeeds; that we have a better tomorrow. Each and everyday that we send our children to school, we are effectively placing in the teachers' hands our hopes and aspirations for the future. As a high school teacher himself, my brother firmly believes that it is his duty and responsibility to educate students not just on math, biology, etc. but also on life.

Of course, we all know that not all teachers are as serious about their occupation as my dear brother, and the consequences can be dire. My dad has told me on several occasions that a poor education is worse than no education. Now what he means by poor education is not to be taken literally (i.e. underfunded schools and such). It is meant to refer to the quality of the education itself. Having less knowledge may be detrimental, but having wrong or false knowledge can potentially be disastrous. Again I do not merely mean the teaching of school subjects but of the conducts of life. Social etiquette and proper moral conduct is just as if not more important than the various disciplines of formal education. I'll not elaborate on proper etiquette and moral conduct here so as not to stir up any heated debates; I leave them to the reader's discretion. Bottom line is, the education system is an essential and invaluable thing for any society, and the hard-working, endearing teachers that form its basis should be well respected and never be taken for granted.