What is education? What attributes make up an educated person? Generally, children are sent to school in order to learn from the education theyre receiving and are then evaluated through tests and assignments. Whoever maintains a 3.5 GPA or above is considered to be educated and intelligent in the eyes of the school and in the eyes of potential colleges. The Oxford English Dictionary defines education as the culture or development of personal knowledge or understanding, growth of character, moral and social qualities, etc., as contrasted with the imparting of knowledge or skill. The curriculum in schools, however, does not advocate this view of learning. If students arent receiving an education, then what are they receiving? The grades earned and the classes taken are not an admissible matter of education; rather it's a matter of work ethic. .
The sole purpose of education is to provide knowledge and an atmosphere for learning. However, the concept of learning has been transformed into cramming. The curriculum does not teach students; it tests how well they can memorize terms and formulas rather than testing skills that pertain to the student. This standard of learning has convinced society to believe that the key to success is to excel in school to become prestigious and scholarly. Furthermore, those who fail out of school or those who are not as sharp in their studies are usually frowned upon and are viewed as incoherent and futile. This presumption, however, has had far too many exceptions that contradict this beliefto be considered true. Woody Allen is one of the most notable American directors of the 21st century and F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of the most famous authors of all time. It is assumed that these two successful individuals are educated men. Indeed they are, with no help from their education in school. Woody Allen failed out of NYU and Fitzgerald failed out of Princeton; they were not smart enough in the eyes of the educational system.