Rough draft

Nelson Mandela once said, “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. In other words the true goal of education is to help humans gain knowledge, develop critical thinking skills, and empowerment in order to make this world a better place. However based on my experiences I believe that society has adopted a new definition about the true goal of education. Now the sole purpose being ,for social mobility. While I don’t entirely believe that a school education is the only way to achieve a successful life, to some extent I realized this is why I am still in school.

Growing up my parents always emphasized the importance of getting an education. They would often say  “Education is your number one priority. Without it you can’t get ahead in this life.” Both my parents grew up in West Africa and did not have the opportunity to attend  high-school which is why they view education with a sense of urgency.  In fact  this  narrative  about school leading to a successful life is one that I heard  from both of my principals and teachers throughout most of my  public education.  Just like my parents, they would say “you can’t make it in this life without school.” This ideology is echoed throughout the American school system. While there is nothing wrong with wanting to move up the social ladder,  the problem with this notion is that it teaches students to idolizes money and status over logic and reasoning. It makes us better test takers not critical thinkers. 

Furthermore, this notion of social mobility has also played a role in the inequities in America’s public school system. As someone who grew up attending public schools in low income neighborhoods I can attest to this. For instance, when I started junior high I  enrolled in  the notorious Middle School 2.  At the time it didn’t have a good reputation, as a matter of fact it was a school all of my teachers at elementary advised me not to attend. I ended up going there because my older siblings had graduated from there and it wasn’t far from house. Gang violence was prevalent in the school, fights erupted between competing gang members specifically the “Bloods and the Crips” and some of my peers were 17 years old. In addition we didn’t have the newest technology or books. At the time this is  how I thought all schools were. But then I would hear the principal and staff at my school make remarks about schools in wealthier neighborhoods and how students were intelligent and well behaved and how they were given new textbooks. 

In conclusion, education is a way in making sure that we will grow and create a positive influence to the world. In the future I want to be able to change the inequalities going on in public school systems. Its important that we set an example for our future generations especially because our society is changing.