Reflection on "Access to education"

"Women in Luttrell’s study did not have access to schooling in the past. But I believe what they learned in the daily life gave them the access to education. Their intelligence is attached with common sense. “I think being intelligent means coping with things in life. Even people with high IQs or with college degrees don’t know how to do the simplest, everyday things or cope with everyday problems.” (Luttrell 25). Knowing how to deal with life involves self-development. For example, a woman who gains experience as a mother, overtime may be better at giving births and taking care of children. They develop their skills by reflecting what they did, correcting their mistakes and improving their situations in the future. On the contrary, in case of Jane Tompkins, despite her advanced schooling, her education is cut off from the real life situations. All she learned is just theoretical. She was not well-equipped for life. “It would be more helpful to students if, as a starting point, universities conceived education less as training for a career than an introduction to life.” (Tompkins 223). Tompkins, according to the basic definition, did not really access to education due to her advanced schooling".

In the paragraph above, I explore the relationship between access to schooling and access to education. In my opinion, education should involve self-development. This process can take place not only in class but also through experience. Schooling may both encourage or hinder the process to occur. Therefore, access to real education can't be seen on the surface or gained by public recognition. It involves self-reflection.