Day 20: Importance of Education

When I was in High School, a friend of mine told me that her older sister (who was already in college) had said the point of HS is to learn how to learn, so you'll be ready for college. And to learn how to do homework. I think it's also about learning to get along at least a little bit with a lot of people you wouldn't really choose to be in a group with, but have to. That's how work is, right?

Then at my college, some of the professors said that their goal was to teach us how to think critically and how to go about the process of finding information so that we'd be lifelong learners. I think they accomplished that for the most part. I'm not talking about just googling some new thing I heard at work during a shift, but being able to put together several new ideas into a bigger concept and then read up on that concept.

I'm grateful to have had the education I've had because it's allowed me to do that kind of thing. And to understand how to navigate systems and bureaucracies; when I used to volunteer at a low-income housing complex, they had a Moms group that met weekly and the number one thing those women needed help with was understanding how, when, and who to fill out forms with and for to get the services they needed. They weren't illiterate or stupid, but it takes time to learn that kind of stuff. Without knowing how, I wouldn't have been able to register to go to school this fall.

So yep, even though it probably looks on paper as though I never use my education, I feel as though I do, very often. Whew!

Also on this topic, I'm going to brag: NewNurse asked me today if I intend to go on to more schooling because I have a lot of potential (!!!) and she thinks I'd be an excellent administrator of a nursing home someday if I wanted to. Nice!