What is the purpose of education? This question has been heavy in my mind for some time. In our culture, it seems, that those who attend college and obtain a degree are viewed as being of higher value or have more self worth than those who choose not to attend college. In fact, most would say that the purpose of education is to train you for your career; and, a related purpose: to help you obtain a job that pays more cold, hard cash.
While I was in undergrad I can recall being told that close to 80% of college graduates "do not even use their degree." In other words, they enter a field that is unrelated to the field they majored. It never occurred to me at the time, but this stat is of little consequence to the true purpose of education, at least at the college level and below (graduate and professional programs have a different aim than undergraduate institutions).
America places a high value on education, and rightfully so. Yet, we do so for often the wrong reasons. As parents, we encourage our children to attend college because we believe they will, essentially, become better people (this, of course, couldn't be further from the truth at many schools, where the dominant worldview destroys rather than enriches a young mind, supplanting hope with skepticism). We believe that by sending our children to college they will get better jobs, higher paying jobs, and, hence, they will be happier. If these are our beliefs, then we have failed as parents.
The ultimate purpose of education is to prepare students to become better servants of Christ. This should be the foremost guiding principle both as parents and educators. I shall develop this point more in my next post.
Soli Deo Gloria
While I was in undergrad I can recall being told that close to 80% of college graduates "do not even use their degree." In other words, they enter a field that is unrelated to the field they majored. It never occurred to me at the time, but this stat is of little consequence to the true purpose of education, at least at the college level and below (graduate and professional programs have a different aim than undergraduate institutions).
America places a high value on education, and rightfully so. Yet, we do so for often the wrong reasons. As parents, we encourage our children to attend college because we believe they will, essentially, become better people (this, of course, couldn't be further from the truth at many schools, where the dominant worldview destroys rather than enriches a young mind, supplanting hope with skepticism). We believe that by sending our children to college they will get better jobs, higher paying jobs, and, hence, they will be happier. If these are our beliefs, then we have failed as parents.
The ultimate purpose of education is to prepare students to become better servants of Christ. This should be the foremost guiding principle both as parents and educators. I shall develop this point more in my next post.
Soli Deo Gloria
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