Education: A Path to Personal Development

Education: A Path to Personal Development

I got a BA in Education that I wasn't very interested in, nor was I willing to work as a teacher in a school. I surely underestimated the power I had, not knowing that Education was going to be my path to my own personal development, as well as my path to teach others how to delve into the world of personal development. I only started to see that more clearly when I started my PhD program in Foundations of Education. Only then did I realize that this path was meant for me. I used to think that Education as a major is all about teaching in a classroom, but I realized that it is MUCH more than that.

The biggest lesson I have learned throughout my PhD journey is that the main purpose of Education does not revolve around teaching you information, but rather it is a means to teach you HOW to THINK, when done properly of course. Once you master that skill, you have superpowers, literally. You have the power to create options from which you can choose. The power of choice can save your life, as well as change it. You can find your life purpose, and create a well-designed plan to achieve it. You can change your thoughts, your feelings, and your life. You will not remain victim of circumstances. You will learn to stand up for yourself and make a change in your own life, as well as make a difference in someone else's.

So what is so special about Educational Sciences that makes it such a powerful weapon? Let's take a brief look and find out:

Thinking:

As human beings, our entire existence is marked by our ability to think. It is what makes us different from other living beings. Many sciences have been built around thinking of HOW we think; like Philosophy, Psychology, Education, Anthropology and Neurology to name a few. But since education is the main focus of this article, I will keep it simple and to the point.

Educational sciences deal with the human mind. It tackles issues like rationality, reasoning, perception, consciousness, memory, language, intelligence, morals as well as development of these matters over the life span. It studies mental activities you use to process information, make connections, make decisions, and create new ideas. You use your thinking skills when you try to make sense of experiences, solve problems, make decisions, ask questions, make plans, or organize information. The main types of thinking skills are the critical, analytical, creative, divergent, convergent, logical and abstract. Each of which has several skills within it, like for example, critical thinking teaches you the right way to compare and contrast, which is a skill by itself.

Education is also concerned with the concept of thinking, its characteristics, levels, types, skills and strategies. It teaches us how to "teach" thinking skills, and it teaches us how learners "learn", and how they "study", and how we can help learners overcome learning obstacles.

Why is that important in self-development? It’s obvious that we need to learn how to think properly in order to solve problems, overcome obstacles, make decisions, and create plans. This is the very core of self-development, and good education will help put us on the right track.

Life skills:

Educational sciences also tackle crucial life skills, such as self-management, time-management, strategic planning skills, prioritizing, future science, self-directed learning, technological literacy, decision making skills, leadership skills, responsibility, team work, stress management, communication skills, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, adaptation and adjustment skills, etc. You see where I'm going with this?

Socialization:

This term is loaded with meanings that are important in education. Socialization is the process of internalizing the norms and ideologies of society. Socialization encompasses both learning and teaching and is thus "the means by which social and cultural continuity are attained". It is the integration of some parts of Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology that are concerned with social interaction and its effect on the development of human beings. Therefore, it is taught to Educational Sciences students. This is not a place to go deep into the science of Socialization or discuss its theories, systems, or operations, but it is beneficial to the purpose of this article to mention the effect of Socialization Institutions. The main institutions that build and affect humans throughout their life span are:

Family:

Obviously, it is the main and primary institution in which a person's upbringing and parenting occurs. Families of all types and sizes shape us either positively or negatively, or a mix of both. However, mistakes made by our families can be overcome through re-socialization and personal-development.

Peer Groups:

Peers play a very crucial role in forming one's personality and convictions. Whether you have friends or not, in both cases you are shaped and affected by your peers. We've all heard of, and have been through, peer pressure for example.

Educational Institutions:

We spend so many years in schools and universities and the education we get shape us in many ways. The ways we are treated also affect us greatly. Many of us were popular and respected, and many others were bullied and neglected. Either way our personalities are formed and shaped within these crucial years and our lives and decisions are definitely influenced.

Social institutions:

These include the work place, media, places of worship, places of leisure, economic systems, and legal systems.

Finally, no one can deny the effect of these institutions on all of us. With proper education, and the right amount of knowledge, we can use personal development to our advantage and learn how to filter out the negativity these institutions have collectively thrown at us. And teachers have the sacred duty of teaching students of all ages the skills needed for personal growth, healthy socializing, and thriving in life.