Live and Learn

A huge part of American culture is education. My high school geography teacher always told us, “If you take one thing out of this class, let it be this: Education saves the people.” And it is so true.

In the United States we put a lot of emphasis on education. We go to school our whole lives from the age of four or five, some even attend preschool at age 3, and we continue to progress on our journey for knowledge all the way up through high school. Some stop here and go on to work or do whatever they please with their life, but so many of us continue on to college to build a career rather than just a job. This is just what is the norm in the United States, so I doubt you hardly ever sit down to think about it.

But think about it. In some countries, kids never go to school at all. And in others, schools are just developing, meaning the children are getting an education that their parents never got. These countries are not as developed as the US, but if they put more emphasis on education they would be. Success and education are directly related.

What do you think about the importance of getting an education? Do you agree with the level of importance the US puts on education? And if underdeveloped countries adopted our practices do you think it would help in their development and make them more successful?