Education as Right or Privilege?

Education as Right or Privilege?

Education defines our success as individuals from a young age, and contributes to our abilities to develop various mechanisms that employ us with strength and individuality. Education, publicly and privately, hands out changes for all people to access, education is the nourishment of the very tools necessary for basic foundations of adulthood. It allows traits such as analysis, critiquing, and developing convictions, and this gives us purpose within a society. America, from the beginning of it founding, has stressed the importance of education as part of the escape from the British control. Education was part of the step in liberating individuals towards acceptance of free will, which encouraged opinions and belief systems to be accepted as part of liberating, gaining freedom from the parliament of oppressors. Since the founding fathers left their marks, there have been many alterations to the education system. There have been opposition and support for different liberal points of academia, and those debates have circled around the question of ‘how it will effect our citizens and the future of America‘.

When we ask the question, ‘Is education a right or a privilege?’, we really have to call on the traditions intended by the originators of this country and the education originated in this country. Growing up, I was always taught that I was privileged to be in America, and lucky for all the opportunities available to me, and it was always made clear to me how other countries have so much struggle due to their lack of rights overall, and mostly their lack of right to be educated. This was explain to me at an early age the importance of education, and revealed to me as I have grown.

More importantly though, through these times, changes have effected this country both positively and negatively, and privileges have changed and rights have been restricted. “In recent decades there has been much discussion regarding the rights of Individuals in the educational environment. For example, in the not too distant past, students have been suspended or expelled from schools because they commit such offenses as wearing makeup to school. A newspaper reporter interviewing a high-ranking official in a state department of education was told that when people choose to become teachers, they must give up certain rights. When asked what rights must be forfeited, the school official replied that any rights demanded by the school board,”(Armstrong, p314). Through the changes very the several centuries of education there have been many hardships and alternative agendas forced upon the American population; through famines, depressions, oppressions, and several vicious wars, the American population had adapted the education systems to the government of the times, and have discovered cooping mechanisms through these changes. Throughout all this time, our media, in alignment with the government of the United States of America, have created a huge market of entertainments and other distractions that keep peoples attention, and slowing deteriorate the value of education. However, education on its own, has retained a strong stance through centuries of disruptions. Overall, education has remained a part of the fairness and opportunity that created desire to advance as a society, and is absolutely elemental in the foundations of this countries origination, especially based on fairness, opportunity, and equal rights for all people. .

In my opinion, students should absolutely have a right to education, and it should continue like this through our times and times to come in the future. The education system has always been parts of the greater intentions of the country, and throughout its originations it has withstood several hardships and retained some innocence through decades of trials. And, yet, it is still so evident that America needs to undergo some great changes in order to adjust to these times, in the race to adjust along with the advancements of other countries. Our education system must be re-evaluated, in order to reach an equilibrium to the education opportunities of competing countries. In the text, it elaborates, “The view of schooling as a privilege rather than a right began to unravel in the last half of the 20^th century. Several factors led to this fundamental change. For one thing, it became apparent during the latter part of the century that literacy and education had become critical to individuals’ economic well-being, (Armstrong, p 315). It was continually debated that all citizens should have education entitlement through these times, “increasingly, denying a person an education was seen as denying that individual the right to economic and social advancement. Thus, it was argued that education should be considered as a ‘substantial right’ to which all citizens were entitled,(Armstrong, p 315). Throughout the times, it seems there was a huge amount of effort given to sustain the rights of education within American, and with education defining one of the open ended opportunities available in the country, education has evolved. The country and education system will continue to undergo changes, if we are to grow as a civilization, and cultivate the abilities of every individual no matter gender or race. “Over the past few decades, schooling has been redefined as a right, and the full protection of the Constitution have been extended to students,”(Armstrong, p 316).

As counties, cities, districts, schools, and parents all have an impact on our current education system, the development of the systems has depended on the cooperation between all of the parties involved. In order to retain and better the state of our education systems, we must become more involved and aware of adjustments happening within our communities and states. Parents need to take responsibilities, and be aware of what is being expected of students. Districts and coordinators of lessons need to keep in mind the importance of keeping adult life lessons in curriculum, as part of teaching criteria. By aligning academia to the common sense necessary for survival of the times, we can continue to play a part in educating future Americans for the better. We need to evolve to cherish the roots of the country, and be intelligent enough to understand and avoid the corruptions that have become toxic to the development of our nation. Education has remained a powerful tool for all individuals success. And when education lends learners the ability to cherish and appreciate the success throughout their perseverance, then we can take the next step towards evolving as people and as a nation.

　

Armstrong, D. H. (2009). Teaching today: An Introduction to Education (8th ed.) W. Upper Saddle River , NJ: Pearson. (Armstrong, D., Henson, K., & Savage, T., 2009).