My Experiences as a Student

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Recommended: Personal growth through learning

The guideposts in my life regarding education stem from two quotes; one from Christopher Morley, “There is only one success-to be able to spend your life in your own way” and one from Epictetus, “Only the educated are free.” The first implies happiness, and fulfillment through independence and the second implies the method to achieve the first. It is through the implications of these two quotes that my internal metrics evaluate my education thus far. I believe that a robust appraisal also requires a full perspective as George Santayana noted as being necessary for understandings; “A string of excited, fugitive, miscellaneous pleasures is not happiness; happiness resides in imaginative reflection and judgment, when the picture of one’s life, or of human life, as it truly has been or is, satisfies the will, and is gladly accepted.” In this instance that requires a review of educational experiences, further definition of my personal metrics as well as several external measures.
Internal measures
It is very likely that my experiences as a young student served to incline me to appreciate the words from Morley and Epictetus. I loved every aspect of elementary school that pertained to the academic side of a public school education. I was fortunate to have several teachers who were wonderful role models for behavior and outlook. I delighted in discovering my strengths and in overcoming challenges. I can count on one hand the number of days when negative experiences outweighed the positive, despite being an extremely shy, awkward child with few friends. As a victim of sexual abuse, the mental exertion was a welcome distraction that kept my mind from steering towards dark places, the hours spent in the school were a haven from extremely we...

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... external measures of my educational experiences has produced evidence of a pattern regarding education. Bel Kaufman expressed this pattern best stating; “Education is not a product: mark, diploma, job, money – in that order; it is a process, a never ending one”. Internally, I identify this process tracing my life experiences. Externally, this processes is identifiable through Hall and Kevles purposes of higher education; knowledge, personal growth and intellectual capacity insomuch as they feed each other in a cycle. For every portion of knowledge I obtain, if internalized, can propel personal growth and contribute to increased curiosity and intellectual capacity, which in turn requires more knowledge. During my time at Metropolitan State University I have built a solid foundation for the future and in doing so, I have evolved and am now able to continue to do so.

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