Thinking of education may give one the idea of going to school, graduating or even obtaining papers. Being an educator, I look at education as a process inculcating manners, attitudes and knowledge. If these are not applied, the person should be considered uneducated, even unlettered.

An educated child knows the importance of washing hands after visiting the restroom and before taking a meal. From an early age, each person is taught the importance of aeration in rooms and vehicles. While the reasons are obvious, many people will close windows upon boarding a vehicle and close windows whenever they are in the house. Question is: can these be rightly called the educated?

Most people view education as the process of acquiring knowledge. Papers do not define how educated one is but shows how far one has ascended in the ladder of education. The education motto should be “educating the whole person”. You may at first laugh it off but thinking of the two examples at the outset, you can agree with that motto.

Education should mold a person to acquire new attitudes by applying what they learn. Think of an educator as a role model, one whose manners, dressing, courtesy and interactions should be imitated by the learners with whom he or she interacts. Each lesson has more than the subject matter to be taken in by a learner. Education should produce a dynamic person, one who can adapt to various situations, use their reasoning to solve problems and take care of their needs.

Being tidy, well organized and a good communicator are essential skills which should all define education.

If an educator walks in, makes the learners tidy up the classroom, open the windows for fresh air, they learn to do the same on their own if it is repeated often enough to make them see the sense of it. If they see the teacher looking smart and using good language when addressing them, they take it in too. Better yet, when they notice that their teacher is clean and organized and hates students who are disorderly or dirty, they will be molded to become better persons.

Education is not merely acquiring knowledge. One learns how to interact with others, make friends and express themselves.

When it comes to education, money is a key issue. Properly funded education will give students the supplies they need to learn and will also limit class sizes. Studies have show that the more students that are in a class, the less likely the students will learn. Elementary schools that have smaller class sizes will usually have much better test scores. Quality teachers are also more likely to seek higher paying jobs. If a school district can’t afford to lure the best teachers, the students will suffer.

Computers have had a big impact on education. Implementing technology into a school system isn’t cheap. Each computer can cost hundreds of dollars and a school must have enough computers for each and every student to have a chance to use them. Schools that can afford to implement technology are given their students a better educational environment than schools that don’t have money to provide computers for their students.

But how do schools get the money to decrease class size and get the proper supplies for the students? One way is through the federal government. Another way that schools can get money is through taking the issue to local voters. Putting levies on the ballot can raise money so that local schools can build new building, get supplies and pay for more teachers. Sadly, these levies are often voted down by people that say they simply can’t afford to put more money into the local school system.

Do to lack of money, some schools are forced to cut school programs that are beneficial. They may cut sports, the arts and field trips to save money for the basics. These extra activities may not seem important, but to many students they are of great interest and help to keep them involved in the educational process. Cutting programs has been shown to have a negative impact on the student morale.

Funding education for our youth is very important. Unfortunately, budget cuts are affecting schools nationwide. These budget cuts are making it hard for our youth to learn. Our government must find a way to support our educational system with out forcing further cutbacks. If the government doesn’t find a solution, class sizes will continue to increase and test scores will decrease. Also, many students will go without the technology needed to keep pace with the more affluent schools.