The Importance of Education

Effective learning involves creating and solving our own errors. Go ahead; over-step, stretch, get too enthusiastic. When you make those mistakes common to all high achievers, use them to learn. Then enthusiastically attack again.

Pry open your mind, don't let your education rust it shut. Learn to think, not to follow. Combine your learning with action, letting unavoidable errors impel you to seek greater understanding.

If you are a student, ignore the repetitious bombast, seek out convincing counter arguments. Then make up your own mind. Open your eyes and observe even as your ears are assaulted.

"If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe n it at all." - Noam Chomsky-

Shouldn't education be forced to discern and approach individual needs? The bureaucratic answer is consistent - "we need more teachers, and smaller class sizes." If each student is taught the same curriculum, regardless of their skills, desires, temperament, and abilities; class size is immaterial (except as it grows the power and wealth of protected education industries and unions).

In commerce the day of one size fits many is just about over, replaced by self tailored solutions. In education everyone must fit in our size is still the rule. It is your life you are developing. Your life, and the lives of your children, will prosper to the degree you can openly structure self-directed learning and keep it pleasurable. This is the educational importance of the Internet - you can discover and test thousands of ways to learn, and find what suits you best.

There must be more to education than monopolizing ears with boring litanies so students cease to engage their brains. In your life let reason and passion, not memorization and repetition, be your guide.

Once your eyes are open - concentrate on the positive, there are too many negatives on which to waste your time.

"Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind" - Plato
Use formal schools where they are the best source of knowledge. Be very open to other avenues of information, discovery of actionable wisdom should be your primary motivation. Read good books!