Don Vance Green Mr.

Gary Howard English 2010 TR 11:30-12:50 Longer Portfolio Essay Education through the Eyes of Astigmatism Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow. (Anthony J. DAngelo). Education gives the chance for individuals to grow and enlarge their minds. People learn new things every day, and if you push in your life to learn those new things, similar to what DAngelo said, you will never cease to grow. Education is always my top priority, from elementary up to higher education. However, the path has never been easy, or clear. Elementary school was never consistent, due to moving every year; middle school was drastically negative, everyone figuring out who they were; high school resulted in being the nerd, due to the uncool glasses from the stigmatism. Higher education, in the end, has brought all of those experiences together to create a desire for more education. Elementary school started everything down the path of desiring knowledge. Each year always consisted of a new school, new friends, new teachers, and learning new strategies. Although at the time, this seemed to be a disaster. By fourth grade, the desire to get new friends faded, the desire to do well in school disintegrated, and the support from my family seemed to be demolished. However, fifth grade everything turned around for the better. Moving again for a supposed final time, settling into the home, school was already in session. Joining into a class seemed the sam e. Supposedly Im not going to know anyone, and my mind doesnt want to know anyone due to too many moves before. But someone in the class was known. Friendship kindled and desire to fit in,

which he preferred to learn as much education as possible, kick-started up my pursuit for education and led into middle school. Middle school was the first year that didnt consist of changing schools, even for all three years, sixth, seventh, and eighth. Friends came easier in sixth grade; learning how to play the teachers game started to become extremely easy, and everything seemed to be smooth. However, middle school is extremely stressful for young teens. They are starting to develop more of who they are as individuals, but also how they fit in with their social cliques. Due to jumping around in elementary school, middle school for me was a forced start of developing who I was going to be as an individual. Striving to fit in with a social clique created mental problems of which group to join. All the groups, popular kids, jocks, nerds, band geeks, and many more, all had their social norms. However, the knowledge of whether my social norms matched with theirs was unknown, as my who I want to be stigmas were also unknown. Quickly trying to develop my identity, I found groups that were most accepting of an outsider fitting in, but also contained one other similar quality, the desire for knowledge. These groups continued onto high school where the biggest influence affected my push for education. High school, where some would consider the biggest changes in ones life, applies to my life. One math teacher stood out from the crowd and pushed my limits. He showed everything, from how life worked, how to choose when faced with decisions and much more. However, he fully convinced me that education, and knowledge, is truly what creates an individual. When this was taught, it struck a chord in my spine, and everything made sense. My desire for knowledge became my biggest goal to accomplish in my life. I want to learn everything, how things work, why things work the way they do, what makes things tick, etc. The desire to fit in with my peers diminished. No longer caring about these uncool glasses, which were a laughing stock at certain events, allowed

my education in high school to soar. Those glasses helped develop my identity, and confidence came in buckets. Having that one teacher to change my outlook on life, forced me to go to college and pursue more knowledge in my life. College, self-desired education at its finest, provides me the best experiences. Each math class, new knowledge is learned which applies to my degree. English gives the chance to improve writing techniques and strengthen the imagination. All other classes all provide information that is keen for pursuing as much education as possible. Learning in college is unbounding, no end to what you can learn. Classes are found everywhere, on everything, and students have the chance to learn whatever they choose to learn. Being free in college to choose what I want to learn, when, and how, I want to learn, leaves my desire to become a jack of all trades, the pursuit of as much knowledge as possible, to increase constantly. With the desire to learn, job opportunities fly open and employers see the strengths. Having more job opportunities gives life the chance to be all it was meant to be and be full of achievements. Being able to use education to push my life forever forward will help my life and my family. Through the trials of life, the desire for education has always survived. When it dwindled in elementary school, and back to its revival in the end, or in middle school where the push for acceptance is extremely high and yet knowledge still overcame that desire. High schools force to push me into the person I wanted to be, taught me to pursue education in college, giving me the chance to live the life Ive always wanted. A life desiring knowledge where according to Sir Francis Bacon, Knowledge is power.