Education and Its Significance

Until the time we get children, we don’t pay a lot of attention to the education system. However, when the child is born and some years pass by, the parent begins to feel puzzled about where their kid should go to study?Where is this great school, where are these amazing teachers?

I was lucky enough to receive education in various countries. And you know what? Exactly this education experience made me who I am today. I, without any false modesty, consider myself an interesting person, and all this thanks to the versatile kinds of education. When I got admitted to InYaz in 1990 and studied there for 3 years, I realized that this was not enough for me. Not because the program was easy — far from it! In fact, the program was extremely complex! One Old English class with our beloved William Shakespeare was just a part of the big challenge! Moreover, I was fortunate to study during the era, when it was impossible to use the internet, laptops, or buy coursework online. Although it might have been possible to buy something, however, the language had to be learned, and there was no way to do it by cheating. And after English came another language!

So, even if the program seemed pretty fulfilling, it was not enough for me. I had realized that I was taught English or Spanish by people, who had never even been to those countries, who had never even communicated with native speakers! The teacher assigned us to do projects about where the Trafalgar Square or Big Ben are located! How could you assign this without ever being there? The grammar teacher spoke English with such a horrible accent that I believe any native speaker wouldn’t understand it. And vice versa. I’m sure.

In short, we all learned the foreign language in theory. We became masters in learning the structure of the language, its origin, literature, but as it turned out, no one really knew how to speak it. I realized this, when in my 4th year of studying I decided to take an academic leave and fled to study in London.

It was the year of 1994. I got accepted to Saint Martins! They took into consideration the 4 courses I had undergone in InYaz, and thus put me in the Master of Arts program right away. It was no longer a bachelor’s degree, but a master’s degree. Stella McCartney studied in my department, only at a different major. I was indifferent to fashion design, but I was delirious about cinema and video. In parallel with my studies, I worked at a production company (for free) that created programs for TV. I loved filming, editing and even tried myself as a presenter. I was never at home during the day, I only went to sleep there. I left at 8 am and came back at 10 pm. Furthermore, I was writing a diploma for InYaz at this time. I explored all the major libraries in London and wrote an excellent work on the topic of non-verbal communication, on the basis of which my director and dean of the faculty defended her professorship. She knew perfectly well that she did not have any time to spare and go to the British library.

The following year I returned to Moscow with the written diploma and excellent British pronunciation, it triggered a wild discontent with my phonetic professor, and she gave me a C-. What an evil lady… I passed the rest of the courses as soon as possible, defended my diploma, and left to London again to finish my studies.

It is important to note that in the first year of my stay in London, I realized that while studying for 4 years in InYaz I had not learned English at all! I spoke English, but in a Russian manner. While working for that production company, I trained my pronunciation to the point that the British cab drivers ultimately took me for their own – to such an extent I learned all the London accents!

Why am I saying this? University education is not always enough to not just get a profession, but to be able to apply the acquired knowledge in practice. Russian universities do not teach this. Students are still forced to obtain some knowledge, but they, like a reflector, fight back and say: “Leave me alone! I need a diploma! They just won’t hire me without a diploma!” And without the ability to apply knowledge in practice, they would still hire them!And then everyone would regret it big time.

The goal of each parent is to raise their child in a way that he understands that education and knowledge are a priority. Undoubtedly, it is desirable that the child becomes a kind individual too. Yet, a kind individual without education is not enough.

Education (not just a diploma, an exam, or a quiz) usually “establishes one’s nature” — I just came up with this phrase in order to explain what I’m trying to say here. It is exactly the education which makes a person a reasonable figure.

The other day my fifteen-year-old son, who is justifiably proud of his school and the education he receives there, said that an uneducated person is less likely to make the right decisions in life. This implies that the chances of an educated person are small enough to go with the boys to drink at the cemetery. One of the more dangerous things than a drunk at a cemetery though is the accidental receipt or earnings of big money by an uneducated person. He simply would not know what to do with them, not because he is not used to it, but precisely because he does not have basic knowledge of how to manage money, except spending it on entertainment, relaxation, and cars. An uneducated person can never save money, since he does not even believe in such practice or does not know that it exists. An uneducated person is given money in order to spend it, while an educated person is given money as a tool for existence and the possibility of providing for his offspring, moreover, for the second or even the third generation. An educated person most likely knows how to turn new money into old money.
As an example, I can cite numerous athletes, who made a lot of money in their careers, but after a short time became bankrupt. There are a lot of cases like this, and I know such people personally. What is their problem?The fact that all their lives they have been trained to play, say basketball, yet they have never been trained how to structure their lives correctly, and despite the available continuous education programs, these people have never been able to appreciate their importance.

Therefore, the task of any parent or educator is to instill Love towards education in a child. A mentor’s lifestyle as an example is also crucial. Becoming a parent, you should not only knock yourself off your feet and search for a good school to place your child there, but also constantly educate yourself in diverse ways.

There have been examples in my lifetime, and these were the times of the
“new Russians”, when extremely dignified people, seeking the best for their children, sent them to schools abroad. Simultaneously, they got to see their kids 3-4 times a year. It was a catastrophic parent mistake! As a result, both children and parents felt lost. And their education progress was suffering.

Children learn best from the example of their “ancestors”. Yes, they can tease and sometimes even be rude, however, nobody canceled a good example of a parent. If a parent decides to send their child away from home, there would be no mercy. There would be reckoning. When you get it back, you would be overwhelmed with it. Most likely, there would be a sense that you have become strangers. Contact is lost, independence is gained, now “go take out the trash yourself”.

I usually do not give advice, but while regarding the topic of this article I can draw one conclusion. Despite the fact that the Russian people are not accustomed to thinking ahead, create a rule for yourself to annually save a certain amount of money for your children’s education. For instance, from the moment a child is born. You can even open a savings account in a bank, put it on a deposit, and replenish it. In 7-10 years, you would be pleased to pay for your offspring’s education. As a matter of fact, the accrued interest rate would also be satisfying. To feel even more content, give the accumulated interest amount to yourself. Reward yourself for intelligence, for courage, for the risk. Yes, you may not go on an extra vacation, but later on, the pleasure of having an intellectual conversation with your child would bring you more satisfaction than a non-missed vacation in Turkey.

Author: Masha Lopatova