Adult Education: Strengthening Our Society and Creating a Better World
It is assumed by many adults in Western culture that learning is aprocess experienced by children alone. Many adults believe themselves tobe incapable of learning anything, hence the popular cliche, "You can'tteach an old dog new tricks." While this pathetically self-defeatingbelief is less prevalent today than in times past, it is still common foradults to attempt to separate themselves entirely from the educationalprocess. The human brain is constantly interpreting and making sense ofall surroundings, regardless of age or social status. Each person isconstantly adapting to new situations, and always exposed to stimuli fromthe outside environment that creates new neurological pathways within thebrain. From the moment that the first neuron fires within the developingbrain tissue of the unborn child to the final brain wave created in themoment before death, people are in a constant state of learning. However,it is the person who considers himself to be a student that is most awareof this learning process. While education can (and does) occur outside ofan established classroom or school system, one of the most effective waysto encourage adults to embrace learning and education is through a
Also, seeing adults choosing to return to a schoolsetting and continue with their education can be a positive example forchildren. Adult education is important andsignificant for people of all ages, including myself, because a largepercentage of traditional students are in fact adults, nontraditionaleducational programs offer many benefits for adults, and adult education isan important factor in helping improve youth education. Adulteducation benefits not only the adults who participate, but also the otherpeople in their lives, including children. The fact is that most post-high school students are enrolled in"adult" education. Adults in higher education are exposed to avariety of people and situations, and the diversity that can be found inthe classroom can improve the ability of a person to function within thediversity of society. An adult in school, enjoying learning and educationopenly, is far more likely to encourage a child to be serious abouteducation than a politician's faceless "stay in school" campaign. Additionally, returning to school can be a way tokeep adults from becoming isolated from recent findings and moderntechnology that is often aimed at the younger generations that are still inschool. This means that even traditional "college-age" students thatbegin their higher educational studies immediately following high schoolgraduation in the most commonly accepted of ways are often approachingthirty years old before leaving school. A basic associates degree, which is not considered to be veryimpressive in the professional world of careers, takes at least two yearsto earn. Adults who consciously chose to continue their education can have apositive impact on younger students who can learn from them and followtheir example of embracing knowledge. In addition to traditional highereducation, adult education programs in schools, community centers, andother organized schooling environments are important to benefitindividuals, communities, and our society as a whole. While adult education may strike many people as a new concept, andmost people would guess that adult students make up a minority of thestudent population, it is actually extremely common and already widelyembraced. The more educated adultsbecome, the more that education and knowledge can be passed on to theyounger generations. The majority of even undergraduate freshman collegestudents have already reached the age of eighteen and are therefore adultstudents.
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