The way I see it

The way I see it, education is sometimes a dividing point between families. Some children feel that if they are “more educated” than their parents, they are “better” than their parents, and therefore creating distance between themselves and their parents. Others can be “more educated” than their parents and still be really close. I believe the difference between the previously mentioned situations is a multitude of things, including background and upbringing. Unfortunately, there are so many more attributes that influence this topic. Sometimes the decision is focused squarely on the student and the choices he or she has made in the past and the near future. Like Rodriguez, some friends of mine have become “more educated” than their parents and have separated from their parents due to that lone fact. I personally think this is wrong. Just because you seem “more educated” than your parents does not actually mean you are “more educated”. To me, there are a lot more factors that contribute to ones education. This is demonstrated by my use of quotations around the words more educated. Someone who knows a lot about Chemistry, through studying for a few years, is just as smart as someone who hasn’t gone to a secondary educational establishment at all, but has kept up with politics or the news. Now of course, someone who doesn’t do anything at all, like sit on the couch all day and watch cartoons is not that person, though they still have the potential to be educated. I digress. Not to offend anyone, but some people are born into better situations that produce a better desire to learn and succeed. Not to say that people of an undesirable upbringing can’t make something of them-selves, just that it would put them at a disadvantage compared to someone of an education friendly situation. In Rodriguez’s case, he grew up in an education friendly environment. Being the “scholarship boy” benefited his educational experience, even though his parents did not go to college. This is similar to friends of mine, but also exact opposite. Some friends of mine have had no desire to go to college, just like their parents, and I respect their decision. Everyone has to make the decision if they want to torture them-selves for upwards of eight or ten years more than they are required. Some make the choice to do the bare minimum. Who’s to say that they are not successful just because they did not go to college? They could be more successful than some people who go to college. It has to do with whether or not they have made the right choices and have the drive that they did not have for school.


Now for the other side of the spectrum, some parents push their children to go to college because they went to college them-selves, whether or not their child wants to go to college or not. This could be good or bad. If the child wants to go, then they will have the positive reinforcement of their parents, leading to a possibly easier educational experience and the strengthening of the bond between the child and their parents. Even in this seemingly all-positive situation there are negatives. Sure the child will have the positive reinforcement for the furthering of their education, but what if the child doesn’t compare to their parents? The child would have the parents always on their case about doing better, even if the child is trying his or her very best already. This could lead to the steady decline of the student’s education. On the other hand, if the child does not want to go to college, this could lead to the eventual down fall of the child’s educational experience, and the distancing of the child from the parents them-selves. Just as before, there are two sides to this story. Maybe the child’s parents are very understanding and loose about regulations for their kids. The child’s parents have a lot of give in their budget to set the child up for life even with the child not going to college. To some, this does not seem fair. I see it as a learning experience for the student. After the child leaves their parents, with all the parents gave them to be “set” for life, the child will get to learn how everything works in real life. This “reality check” is a conveniently placed learning tool. Of course, this does not happen to everyone and is not focused solely on the students with no college experience. Unfortunately in the real world, there are a lot of extra circumstances and influences that affect every day life, as I said at the beginning. These extra circumstances and influences are what cause this topic to have the special cases that have none of these facts effect them.

We as humans always think that we can control others, and if they don’t follow the way we want them to, then we shun them. To me, this idea is absurd. The whole educational experience is different for every individual. Some people learn easier than others, some learn in different ways. Most benefit from further education, while others think it is pointless. All of these factors contribute to the fact that no-one is exactly identical to someone else. So if we aren’t the same, then people shouldn’t think they can control other people’s experiences in the educational system. Rodriguez surely didn’t listen to what others had to say, in regards to negative comments. I am sure being an immigrant student in his day in age was a very unwelcome fact along with the fact that college wasn’t a “popular” thing at that time, at least compared to now. Back then, you only went to college to become researchers and scientists (this is a very basic, bland view of why people went to college back then. Bear with me.) Now a day’s, people go to college for a lot more than the “smart people” jobs. In fact, it has become common place amongst the people.