Lessons Outside the Institution Intelligence has always been a representation

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Lessons Outside the Institution Intelligence has always been a representation of a person and all that they have achieved throughout their life. The idea of true intelligence, however, has become somewhat tainted in my opinion. The conception of education outside of school has become almost obsolete. The true essence of what an education is, is often overlooked. The value of education, as well as intelligence, should be based upon life experiences, self induced studying, and the ability to adapt and evolve with the changing world.

We all live complex and very interesting lives, whether we choose to accept that or not. Throughout a lifetime, we experience an amazing amount of different situations. These situations, of course, vary from person to person. Things such as the surrounding environment and selected upbringing affect each experience in our lives. Within each experience, there is usually a lesson to be learned. Each person extracts different things from these inferred lessons.

It is also possible that we don't even acknowledge the lesson at that moment. However, it is more than likely that the lesson will be realized at a later time. A lesson is not always valuable at the time at which it was taught; it can have much more bearing on our lives later on when it is more pertinent. It is how a person chooses to utilize these lessons that will determine the educational enhancement that he or she achieves from experiencing these situations. When someone says, "Now let that be a lesson to you", they are saying it to not just scold you, but to actually make you aware of the message being sent.

Walker 2 Education is also based upon our will to learn things on our own. Most of us have no problem sitting in a classroom and taking notes, only to memorize them for an examination. However, it is probable that those classes will not prove useful in the future due to your lack of interest in the topic. I feel that it should be up to the interpretation of the individual to decide what is relevant in the development of their education, and of their mind. If a person realizes that it is probable that they will use trigonometry in their future, it would be in their best interest to study that subject. It is pointless, however, to study such a subject if it will more than likely never be used in life. It is a significant waste of time to toil in useless subjects when there is a useful subject out there that could be studied. The general education requirements, as well as certain elective courses, sometimes have nothing to do with what you want to be when you decide to choose a career. It is plausible to put the responsibility of learning applicable subjects on the shoulders of the inquiring mind itself. It is a mark of true intelligence when someone can hone in on what subjects are truly important to their lives, both personally and professionally.

In an ever-changing world and society, it is feasible to assume that all of us must adapt in certain ways. Many people do not have the capacity to change, especially not in a drastic situation. There are many people who thrive off of change due to the fact that they adapt very easily. This valuable ability is another part of a true education. Change is an unappreciated aspect of education. It takes a mentally strong person to handle the adaptations of the surrounding world. It is very common for a person to be proverbially eaten alive by change itself. In order for a person to survive and strive in a changing situation, they must be able to associate themselves with what is going on around them. It is then up to them to realize what they must do to fit in with their surroundings. This Walker3 may sound like a simple task, but it can be mentally trying because it is difficult to switch over to something new when you are content in the already fixed world that you live in. A truly educated person is able to realize change and come up with a feasible way to adapt to it. This type of advancement in your life simply can't be fully taught in a classroom.

It is often argued that a person's intelligence is determined by a sheet of paper known as a diploma. It is a popular belief that all of the geniuses in the world have at least a four-year degree at a university of higher education. I am not denying their intellect, I am merely saying that people with degrees are not the only people of higher education. It is true that select university educated people are intelligent, but not more intelligent than a person who has lived life more fully and experienced far more intense situations. A four- year degree is not comparable to spending six months in South Africa absorbing their rich culture. Nor is graduating from grad school comparable to backpacking through Europe studying its vast history and art.

Education will always be an aspect of life best obtained through personal experience. This includes learning from your mistakes and rectifying them. This also includes teaching yourself the things that you feel are necessary, as well as adapting to change. It is very hard to take the emphasis off of a structured education in today's society dependent on references and academic accomplishments. It is up to the undiscovered intelligent individuals, who choose to teach themselves, to emerge and prove the true meaning of a well-rounded education. It is also up to those who believe in a structured education to recognize it.