One characteristic that has set humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom is our thirst for knowledge. Since prehistoric times, humans have sought ways of bettering their lives and explanations for the seemingly incomprehensible vast of unknown. The underlying reason for our earliest ancestors to be categorized as Homo sapiens was their ability to take their acquired knowledge and apply it to life by creating tools. This trait has remained with us-we continue to find the answers to those unsolved mysteries; we want to know, and we have to know. But without the fundamentals, the human race cannot advance to more complex functions; without the basic knowledge, human beings as a whole indeed would be trapped in a dead end. It would be comforting to know that all are guaranteed the right to an education. However, it is not the case throughout the world. Luckily for kids in the US, public education is a basic right for all and it is crucial that it remains so.
Setting strong fundamentals leads the way in creating a solid life. Just as the athlete must have basic skills to go farther in the sport, all people need a basic education in a variety of different disciplines to excel in life. As an athlete, I must run and train everyday just to maintain my physique. This is equivalent to the primary education. I also must do drills to better my form and jumping abilities. This is equivalent to the high school education. If I was out of shape to start with, I could not compete to the best of my abilities and definitely can never expect to win anything. It is the same with education-if one does not even know how to read, how can one expect to get a decent job and a fair shot at life? Everyone possesses special abilities, and education helps to hone these talents-whether it is polishing one's writing style, or exercising another's mathematical and scientific brain.
It would be preposterous to think that one can write Shakespearian masterpieces without the basic concepts of language. One's ability to read and write can lead the way to success. Reading brings enlightenment and new perspectives and ideas people would never have conceived of before. You may argue such statements are mere exaggerations that educators would use to coax children to learn how to read. But remember the slaves: the slaveholders forbade their slaves from learning how to read and write because that would have led to slave rebellions and many runaways. It would have opened up their eyes to all the wonderful things in the world. Frederick Douglass, for example, did not think of escaping until he learned to read and received the knowledge of abolitionists. After he gained his freedom, he was able to educate others on the horrors of slavery, greatly contributing to the abolitionist cause, and imprinting a deep mark in history. Reading is such a powerful tool that slave owners brutally punished and sometimes even whipped to death people who taught slaves how to read.
If education was already so important hundreds of years ago, it should be all the more important today. Public education was first established in ancient Greece thousands of years ago, and other European nations soon started a system of education for the clergy. The first public school in the U.S. was created on January 2, 1643, in the town of Dedham in Massachusetts. That was even before the creation of the United States. These ancient people realized that in order to achieve greatness in life, one must build solid fundamentals, and the best way to ensure that is through a system of public education. With all the knowledge that we have acquired since the first established public schools, it is paramount that we continue the tradition and keep passing down our knowledge from one generation to the next.
Public education ensures everyone a chance to gain knowledge and succeed in life. It echoes the principles of the American dream, because anyone seeking an education can get one, no matter the socio-economic background, so everyone gets a fair shot at prosperity and happiness. In other countries where public education is not guaranteed, the extremely poor can never even dream of rising from poverty. Meanwhile, the rich pay for the most expensive and prestigious private schools, allowing their children to be much more prepared for life, making the rich richer and the poor poorer. This cycle can only be broken if all had a fair chance, which starts with an equal, public education.
In addition, many people meet life-long friends, grow, and develop in school. School is where one can meet new people and be exposed to all sorts of different ideas. Without that exposure, people are much more likely to remain ignorant of the various cultures and discriminate against those who are different. Some kids do decide to drop out of school, but it is always good that they actually have that choice to make. Unfortunately, too many kids in other countries do not even have the chance to refuse the education because they cannot afford schooling in the first place. This restricts the number of people they meet, and their small network of acquaintances certainly prohibits them from accomplishing many things in life.
Public education ensures a fair way for everyone to compete. It allows anyone to live out his or her American dream. An education constructs a firm foundation for each person to build on. Without this crucial base, nothing can find enough support to rest upon, causing a totally dysfunctional system. It is imperative that everyone be given this opportunity, this solid base, because without it, humans could never move farther; new innovations are impossible to make without any knowledge of previous technologies. New theories and laws cannot be established without first knowing and understanding the old ones. Only education can ensure humans' continuous success and survival on this planet.
