The Characteristics Of Education: The Purpose Of Education

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The purpose of education is to be a well-rounded individual and to discover one’s passion in life. A cultivated individual who contributes to society must have certain skills and attributes; some important skills are creativity, critical thinking, compassion, and tolerance. Each characteristic contributes to growth and development of a well-respected individual of society. An education provides students with the opportunities to discover their likes and dislikes in a safe and controlled environment as well as preparing them for their perspective careers. Education should develop well rounded and passionate citizens who contribute to society; therefore, schools and universities should expose students to a variety of fields of study.
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In addition, compassion is a necessity to becoming a multifaceted adult of society. Without compassion for each other, we will not be a successful society. Expressing compassion and making connections with other people outside that student’s discipline will help the student become a well-rounded individual. By taking a humanities course, the student is able to recognize other interests he or she has and understand others who are an art or humanities field major. Education should broaden the horizons of their students rather than limit them, as well as, teaching students about balancing their lives on their own. Encouraging students to join teams and clubs, education can improve a student’s social capability and communication skills by learning how to work as a team and work with others in a safe environment; furthermore, preparing them for their prospective jobs and lives as adults. In Bloom’s novel, Closing the American Mind, Bloom critiques the modern educational tendencies, “The danger they have been taught to fear from absolutism is not error but intolerance” (Bloom 1987 25). Even though Bloom believes of the danger of teaching students to fear becoming intolerant of others, education should teach students how to be tolerant of others because students will eventually meet people different from themselves at some moment in their lives and they will need to develop their skills to work and accept others for who they are. In today’s world, there are many events and situations involving intolerant people. Although teaching students to be tolerant is important, the way students are taught about tolerance is wrong. Students have enough to fear about the world; therefore, they should not fear becoming intolerant. And what better way

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