Reflection # 18

Angela Gregoire
Reflection # 18

Is it true in America, that education has always been viewed as a vehicle for improving the society at large? Well many historians keep telling us that schools influence and affect the society we live in and education has a tremendous impact on society. How can information and knowledge be received and circulated all over the world? It is through education of course. Plato taught us many years ago that an uneducated individual is shut in darkness while an educated person is ready to experience the outside world and make an impact to society. In the United States today a lot of emphasis is placed on education because society dictates that the more educated someone is the better off the individual is. One of the most important roles of education is to produce an educated society. Education opens the way for opportunities for individuals to excel, get better jobs, and to succeed in life.
The importance of education for enhancing society cannot be overemphasized. It is through education that individuals are prepared to take up important roles in the societies in which they live and to contribute meaningfully. It is as a result of the work of some educated citizens like Emma Willard that changed the view of how women were portrayed in society. The power of education brought the much needed change in society. Women became educated and young girls received a decent education. Women can contribute to their societies and even compete in the global markets. This is tremendous achievement for women and a boost for education. Today women such as Hilary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, and Sonia Soto mayor can attest to this vehicle of change. Had not been for this wave of change, slaves and people of color would still be denied an education. Education made it possible to have the first black president in the White House. Barack Obama is a living testimony that education is vital and that it prepares individuals to be dynamic leaders to help bring change in societies. We must thank the pioneers of the Civil rights movement and to all those who had the insight to bring about this much needed change in our society. Our society is better because of that change. One must not forget the education reform that was initiated after the launching of Sputnik. This contributed to the improvement of society because man was able to land on the moon, the internet was invented, and the GPS was created. We now benefit from a world of technological advances and our job is much easier. Education continues to be the vehicle for improving society for doctors keep finding cures for diseases and scientists keep making headways to better the world we live in. It is true that education is that force that makes it possible to survive in society.
The importance of education should not be overlooked by any country for it continues to be the means of change in all societies. Education is the necessary ingredient for social and economic development and that is why it is seen as a vehicle for improving society. Developed and wealthy nations are better off because of the emphasis placed on education and America continues to tread on that path.