14 Valentines: Education
14valentines today discusses education, which (like yesterday) is a subject I feel very strongly about. The essay for the day can be found here.
I'm lucky enough to have been brought up with a desire for learning and a thirst for knowledge. My dad is a teacher - started in the comprehensive, moved onto teaching primary and completed an MEd degree while working. My mother worked in the education department of the local council before moving into social services and completing a humanities degree while she worked full time. My sister, two years younger than me, gained 4 A-levels and a 2:1 BA in ancient history. I also got 4 A-levels, a 2:1 BA in English and religion, studied for an MA in philosophy and am applying for an MA in the teaching and practice of creative writing this year.
Without trying to sound arrogant, I am intelligent. I know I am, and that has helped in my academic career (a good memory and the ability to act like I know what I'm talking about got my an A at A-level with no revision), but beyond that I've been encouraged by people who wanted me to succeed, who saw the abilities that I had and pushed me to achieve my dreams. Not everyone, particularly women, have been that lucky. So many women are forced to leave school to work, even when they have the ability to get a better education. My mother, despite her achievements, left school at 16 to go to work, when her two brothers went on to university. She's always regretted not going into education, and even though she realises that when she was growing up (in the south Wales valleys) it wasn't the done thing for women to get into academia, she still wishes that her family had supported and encouraged her the way that she supported and encouraged me.
Education, knowledge, learning, empowers us. It broadens our minds and teaches us new ways of looking at the world. It opens doors - both to better jobs and to understanding ourselves better. It is something that needs to be encouraged, particularly among women.
I'm lucky enough to have been brought up with a desire for learning and a thirst for knowledge. My dad is a teacher - started in the comprehensive, moved onto teaching primary and completed an MEd degree while working. My mother worked in the education department of the local council before moving into social services and completing a humanities degree while she worked full time. My sister, two years younger than me, gained 4 A-levels and a 2:1 BA in ancient history. I also got 4 A-levels, a 2:1 BA in English and religion, studied for an MA in philosophy and am applying for an MA in the teaching and practice of creative writing this year.
Without trying to sound arrogant, I am intelligent. I know I am, and that has helped in my academic career (a good memory and the ability to act like I know what I'm talking about got my an A at A-level with no revision), but beyond that I've been encouraged by people who wanted me to succeed, who saw the abilities that I had and pushed me to achieve my dreams. Not everyone, particularly women, have been that lucky. So many women are forced to leave school to work, even when they have the ability to get a better education. My mother, despite her achievements, left school at 16 to go to work, when her two brothers went on to university. She's always regretted not going into education, and even though she realises that when she was growing up (in the south Wales valleys) it wasn't the done thing for women to get into academia, she still wishes that her family had supported and encouraged her the way that she supported and encouraged me.
Education, knowledge, learning, empowers us. It broadens our minds and teaches us new ways of looking at the world. It opens doors - both to better jobs and to understanding ourselves better. It is something that needs to be encouraged, particularly among women.