A-Z Blogging Challenge Day 5: E is for Education

E is for Education!!!

We all know how important an education is today. It's a basic necessity...and high school isn't enough...hell, in a lot of professions, a bachelor's degree isn't enough! And I'm not just talking doctors and lawyers. In New York State, teachers need a masters degree...to teach any grade...even kindergarten!

I think about my dad. He dropped out of school after 9th grade. This was the 60's, so back then I guess it wasn't so abnormal. His dad had died when he was just a baby, so he needed to get a job and help support himself and his mom. He was the youngest, and at that point, I think his two older siblings had already moved out. But back then, it really wasn't that weird. He got a job, moved on to a better one, then by age 17 I think, he was at the job he would have his entire employed life. (He's turning 60 this year and is still there. Not sure if he plans on retiring in two years when he can start collecting Social Security.) It was a decent job- put food on our plates and heat in our house... Back when he got the job, jobs were just jobs...men did what they had to and many worked to live....they didn't have jobs they pursued because they enjoyed them.

But today things are different. People generally seek out jobs they enjoy. And it's super competitive. Most careers require years of schooling and even then, a job isn't guaranteed. Employment goes to those with the most education, the best grades, the most experience.

I myself hold only an associate's degree. For my field, Floriculture Merchandising, that's all that was needed back then (mid-90's). And I think it is still sufficient. Maybe a more in depth business degree would help in addition to the floral design, but what I learned in my two years of college is enough to successfully run a floral business. I did it for several years.

But even today, do all careers really need higher education???

Since my college graduation, I have changed careers and often wonder if a degree in creative writing would help me now. It may have helped earlier in my writing journey, when I was struggling with relearning grammar and learning to plot properly and avoid using adverbs! But would it help me further my writing career?? I don't know.

"I learned it from Sponge Bob."

Okay, so I do let my kids watch TV. I truly think there are a lot of great educational shows out there that are also fun to watch. I know my kids pick up lessons from them, whether it be letters, shapes, colors, etc... But I never expected my daughter to learn something from Sponge Bob.

Now, I am not a fan of Bobby. I remember years ago when it first came out, I was childless at the time. A coworker was telling me about it. I was like, "Seriously, a show about a talking kitchen sponge?" I'd seen it a few times after that and the voice just grated at my ear drums. So when my daughter was born, I swore, no Sponge Bob.

But it's been almost 8 years since her birth, and I don't know, maybe I'm worn down. Maybe I've decided it's more important to hold my ground on more important topics. But she is now allowed to watch it.

Yesterday we were driving in the car and my daughter asked if we can regrow fingers if they get cut off. I think this came from a few days before when I told her she had to wear gloves or she would get frostbite and if it was bad, they'd have to amputate her fingers (I am not above worst case scenario stories if it helps keep her gloves on!) So we said no, that only some animals can regrow limbs, like a lizard's tail. She then tells us that lizards can only regrow their tails if just the tip is cut off, not the whole thing. I then told her that I thought starfish could regrow their arms if one is cut off. She says "Oh, yeah, they can. Patrick (from Sponge Bob) got his arm cut off and he grew a new one."

Okay...so maybe she is learning something from Sponge Bob.

She continued, "And his arm grew a new body!"

Well, it can't be all educational, I guess.

I look back at the silly stuff I watched as a kid- You Can't Do That on Television, Ren and Stimpy, Smurfs...etc. There was nothing educational about those shows and I grew up to be a normal, well-educated member of society.