On "Value of an Education"

Two months ago I came across a thick, crumbling book at my aunt's house. I forget the title, but it was the 1939 version of Wikipedia: a complete dictionary, encyclopedia, science textbook, history textbook, how-to guide, etc. It went on and on and on about everything!

I discovered that the first page was also the most important, the most moving. Please take a moment to read "Value of an Education."

Beautiful, isn't it? In retrospect, the text reflects the American spirit at the trailing end of the Great Depression - America's best days are just around the corner. However, it neglects to mention racial segregation in public schools and the immense poverty that still grasped the nation in 1939. For many American children at the time, this vision of education was only a dream. Even so, this one page offers multiple lessons for 21st-century teachers and administrators.

"Children unable to pay are served just as other children, and without embarrassment," It is inspiring to see that someone living 78 years ago understood this simple concept, one that, until recently, many school districts ignored. I'm happy that we're finally learning from the past.  

"No boy or girl should lose the joy and happiness to be found in school days." This sentence affected me the most. The school where I taught was full of students of who had lost that joy and happiness. Their flame for education had burned out. As teachers, it was our unspoken mission to reignite that flame. When we failed, it was nothing short of a tragedy.

So what is the value of an education? Here's my view. The value of an education is not to strip away people's passion or prejudice (though getting rid of prejudice is a nice goal, too), but to give them the tools necessary to view the world and the people on it without either.

If teachers should read this article, I encourage them to post their favorite quote(s) from "Value of an Education" in their classroom. Use them as a rallying cry to achieve the world that was hoped for, the world that was promised eight decades ago. There is still time to make that world a reality.