The value of education defined succinctly, yet effectively by Barack Obama, the former president of United States.
• Through education you can also better yourselves in other ways you learn how to learn how to think critically and find solutions to unexpected challenges.
• Education also teaches you the value of discipline, that the greatest rewards come not from instant gratification but from sustained effort and from hard work.
• Finally, with the right education, both at home and at school, you can learn how to be a better human being.
The full transcript of the speech:
Through education you can also better yourselves in other ways. You learn how to learn, how to think critically and find solutions to unexpected challenges.
I remember we used to ask our teachers why am I going to need algebra. Well you may not have to solve for X to get a good job or to be a good parent, but you will need to think through tough problems, you’ll need to think on your feet, you’ll need to know how to gather facts and evaluate information. So math teachers, you can tell your students that the president says they need Algebra.
Education also teaches you the value of discipline that the greatest rewards come not from instant gratification but from sustained effort and from hard work. This is a lesson that’s especially true today. In a culture that prizes flash over substance, that tells us that the goal in life is to be entertained, that says you can be famous just for being famous, may you get on a reality show don’t know what you’ve done suddenly you’re famous, but that’s not going to lead to lasting sustained achievement.
And finally with the right education both at home and at school you can learn how to be a better human being. For when you read a great story or you learn about an important moment in history it helps you imagine what it would be like to walk in somebody else’s shoes, to know their struggles.
The success of our economy will depend on your skills but the success of our community will depend on your ability to follow the golden rule to treat others as you would like to be treated.
