Skyler Grossett

C. Wyman
English Comp.
4,November, 2015
Effects On Education
During the last couple years of high school, students are shown advertisements
of many different colleges that may or may not fit all of their needs. There are a few
reoccurring ideals that all of the colleges shown have in common, such as money,
location, the type of school and the teaching methods being used in the classroom. The
problem these students face with all of these options is being able to get the best
education for themselves, while remaining in their financial budget. The amount of
information that a student can intake is dependent on their own learning style, which is
critical to obtaining their degree. The question is whether or not the money being put
into an education or the methods students are being taught have a bigger impact on the
education that they receive. While larger universities work for some they aren't well
suited for others. They become lost in the crowd. Its the methods being taught to the
students that are more important and valuable because they use them to succeed.
In theory, money makes an impact on a students education. As much as we wish
it didnt, money determines where a student is going to college, with the exception of
scholarships and pell grants/loans. Even these are not available to everyone. Lucy
Lapovsky, a reporter from Forbes magazine, states, Last year, 57% of students, the
highest share on record, chose not to attend their first choice school. That's more than
half of all high school students that are not attending their dream institution due to

financial issues. Given all of that, being a senior in high school looking at financial aid
award letters, one would catch themselves realizing that the unrealistic amount of
money expected from ones parent's pocket is making them consider other school
choices without even thinking about it.
When paying a high price for an education, one would do this under the
assumption that they are paying for the very best education that they can receive. When
attending a university, students are exposed to a variety of professors that have a wide
range of varying experiences. It is the professors that come to class with a certain
energy that make an environment worth attending. They seek to not just share
information, but to connect with their students. They bring in different methods and
teaching styles that are easier to understand and to relate to. Students who perceive
teachers as creating a caring, well-structured learning environment in which
expectations are high, clear, and fair are more likely to report engagement in school. In
turn, high levels of engagement are associated with higher attendance and test scores
(p 270) says Klem et al. This shows that college professors who consistently engage
their students are rewarded with increased grade averages and better attendance.
Since each person has a unique way of absorbing information, it is important to
have a professor who can approach subject matters from different angles. Whether they
use methods that involve literacy or transformative styles, they can reach a large
audience. Literacy (Barton and Hamilton 246) is learned through reading or writing text.
If a student is an independent worker that absorbs information through reading, then
this method can be very useful. For others, transformative learning( Mezirow 268) is a
great way to learn. Picking up on others ideas, opinions and knowledge. A teacher that

combines these methods well is easier to learn from. Their easy to learn methods help
students grasp the subject.
You would be surprised how big of an impact teachers can make on someone,
they have the opportunity to meet hundreds of children throughout the years, children
who are kind and intelligent and children who struggle physically, and mentally. It takes
a strong person to give so many different kids with different qualities the proper attention
that they need. Maya Angelou once explains, This is the value of the teacher, who
looks at a face and says there's something behind that and I want to reach that person, I
want to influence that person, I want to encourage that person, I want to enrich, I want
to call out that person who is behind that face, behind that color, behind that language,
behind that tradition, behind that culture. I believe you can do it. I know what was done
for me. (Tucker 1) Teachers that show up just to get paid are only thinking about their
own benefit, not the benefit of their students. Others come in with one thing on their
mind, to expand their pupils understanding and knowledge of information.
I have met very few teachers that have all of those values, but the ones that do
were my favorite. Its possible to find great teachers without paying thousands of dollars.
Paying money for the name of school might be easy and a perfect fit for some students,
but not all of them. An education is an education, and a small community college might
be easier for some. Theres less people, it costs less money, and it gives you more of a
chance for one-on-one time. For others, huge universities might be perfect, with their
large lecture halls and a lot of people. That doesnt always make one better than the
other, though. When it all boils down however, it doesnt matter where a student may go,

theyll get an education. Is all of this time, money, and dedication worth a degree one
had to suffer through?
Taking all these points into account, money is definitely a major factor in the
decision on where a student will be attending their four years of college. It has been
said that over half of high school seniors do not go to their first choice college because
of how expensive the tuition is. College tuition is way above where it should be and it is
affecting students options on where they can obtain their education, when it should not
be having such a large influence. More importantly, it is taking students dreams and
holding them financially out of reach.

Work Cited
Barton, David, and Hamilton, Mary. Literacy Practices. Exploring Relationships
Globalization and learning in the 21 Century: Custom ed Vol. 1. Massachusetts:
st

Pearson Learning Solutions, 2013. 246 Print.

Edmundson, Mark.On the Uses of Liberal Education. Exploring Relationships
Globalization and Learning in the 21st Century: Custom ed Vol.1. Massachusetts:
Pearson Learning Solutions, 2013. 282 Print.
Leithwood,Kenneth, Louis, Karen, Anderson, Stephen, Wahlstrom, Kyla, How
Leadership Influences Student Learning. Learning From Leadership Project:
2004, 05 April 2015. Web.
Pianta, Robert, Hamre, Bridget, Allen, Joseph, Teacher-Student Relationships and
Engagement. Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Improving the Capacity of
Classroom Interactions: Handbook of Research on Student Engagement, 5 April
2015 Web. 2012
McGrath, Maggie Money Isn't Everything: When It's Worth Taking On $50,000
Or More In Student Debt, Forbes Magazine, 17 Oct. 2015. Web.