Education (Final Draft)

Most people will say the education journey began on the first day of preschool.   The introduction to alphabets, numbers, and colors will start our education journey in preschool.   It becomes an ongoing journey that continues daily from childhood to adulthood.    In my opinion, education is an essential tool required for success.   From experience, what I encounter in middles school, and examples from professional athletes to activists, helps me cultivate my opinion that education is an essential tool.

My first year of attending middle school.  I had one goal that year of making the basketball team.  I  practice all summer to make it on the school basketball team.  I made the basketball team, and top it off, I had a starting position on the team.   During the school years, my grades started to slip a bit.  I was putting my studies to the side and focus on playing basketball.  However, to maintain a position on the team, you had to pass all your assigned classes.  The Coach advises me to improve my grades or risk not being part of the basketball team. I concluded the coach could not cut me; I was one of the best players he had on the team.  As the school year progressed, my class grades did not improve.   Our first big game of the season was approaching.  I was so excited and about playing my first game in front of family and friends.  Two days before the big game,   I was cut from the team and could not participate in any school sports, pending my grades.  I was devastated about this decision.   All my hard work and training for nothing, all because I did not take my classes and education seriously.  What about my talent and skills? Should that play a factor in this decision?

When I got home, and explained to my mother the cruel and vicious thing the coach did and how she had to do something about it.  My mother asks why you remove from the team.  I took a deep breath and explained my grades has slipped since I join the basketball team.   My mother looks at me and recites once again, “I told you to be successful in life, you need education. “You must Learn.”   I stood there in total shock at her not taking my side in this matter.  My mother and father had a long talk about the status of my grades.  What I got the most out of the conversation my father kept saying, “You must learn” no matter how good I was in basketball, it will never trump your education. ”   This event was my first lesson about education and the importance.  No matter how good I thought I was in basketball, everyone was more concerned about getting good grades and completing my education.  The event impacted my perspective on education.  I realized education was an essential tool needed to accomplish my goals if I had passed my grades, the opportunity to play basketball.

After the mishap in middle school, if I had any doubt about education and its importance, some of my favorite professional basketball players became an excellent example that education is essential.  These basketballs player, at one point, ended their college education early and started their careers in the NBA.  After joining the NBA and making millions of dollars, they still felt the need to continue their education.  One person, we can look at Michael Jordan. To most people, he is considered the greatest of all time in basketball. However, Mr. Jordan went back to college to continue his education.  Mr. Jordan obtains his bachelor’s degree in geography.  He never forgot the importance of education.   Another athlete did the same thing; however, he did it in the middle of his career. His name is Shaquille O’ Neal.     Between winning basketball championships, O’ Neal went back to college and earned a doctorate degree in education.   Upon receiving his degree, O’ Neal stated, ” This is for my mother, who always stressed the importance of education.”    I have name people that net worth is in the millions, that did not feel utterly successful until they completed college.  Education became an essential tool for success for them.   I find Jordan and O’ Neal’s decision to go back to college inspiring.  The two basketball players display that education is essential and has influenced me to continue my education journey.  I wonder why when most people speak about their careers, they rarely mention their college degrees.  I think it should be mention more and use as a tool to encourage people to continue their education journey.  Jordan and O’ Neals’s ambition to finish college motivated me to continue striving with my education.

What also keeps me motivated is knowing the struggle my ancestor went through for me to have an education.  History has shown  African American education was deprive of schooling.    During the 1800s, my ancestors were slaves and did not have the right to obtain an education.   I stated that in the beginning, preschool starts the journey; during the  1800s, there were no preschools.  My ancestors had to fight to obtain the right to an education.   Their struggle made a path for African Americans to start an educational journey.    Their fight to have education has produced great Africa American leaders.   W.E.B. DuBois, a sociologist and civil rights activist, to Malcolm X, a Muslim minister and human rights activist to  Martin Luther King, a Baptist minister and civil rights activist,  and Maya Angelou, a poet, memoirist, and civil right activist. I only name a few that use their level of education to become successful with uplifting and educating people.

Education is an essential tool for success.  The inspirational stories of  Michel Jordan, Shaquille O’ O’Neal, W.E.B DuBois, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and Maya Angelou all use education as a  tool for their success.     As I start this new educational journey of college, the lesson I encounter in middle school will be my foundation.  The people I listed will be the inspiration and navigation to complete this journey to obtain a higher education level to contribute to my success.