Education For Real Life
Why do we study math in school? What is the sense behind a piece of paper with your name, saying that you graduated a BA or BS of this and that, when a graduate of banking later works as a hotel manager? This leads me to the main question, what is the purpose of education? Many of us, at one point in our lives, have asked questions similar to these. A good answer would be that education is not just centered on the academic viewpoint that many perceive, but it is also directly related and linked with discipline and values.
So, what is the cube root of 1331 multiplied by the mass of the sun for? Solving for this is not just for that “B-” written on a paper for your parents to be mildly amused, but not yet mad. It’s bigger than that. In relation to this, let’s talk about math and it’s purpose. Let’s say you solved for the amount of watermelons Matthew bought. Have you ever asked why? Does Matthew have a reason for buying 17 watermelons in the middle of the day? Probably not, but that’s not my point. Math isn’t just calculating this, solving for that. It’s also about reducing a complicated problem into something bite-sized and easy to understand. Therefore, we develop the skill of problem reduction.
Secondly, education gives you discipline. It’s the season finale of your favorite TV series, but you have a scary prof., and you don’t want to come to class without completing your required readings, so what’s a guy to do? Any balanced student would know his priorities, therefore learning not just about what the color of the curtains symbolize and what the author was feeling, but also learning how to prioritize things that matter. In addition, you learn how to resist certain urges such as that Game of Thrones episode or a new season of Suits, in exchange for being a responsible student.
Education is indeed something that lasts forever, not just because of the diploma, but also because of the discipline