Reflective essay on the characteristics of an educated person.
By
Bryan M. Hardaway
October 2016
Philosophies of Education
Arkansas State University
Abstract An educated person is one that uses his experiences and acquired skills to understand the world around him. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the characteristics that a truly educated person possesses. He uses the trades that he learned in the education system to continue the learning process until the end of his life, making him a lifelong learner. During this process, he remains humble about who he is and his curiosity about the world drives him to find truth in all information.
Characteristics of an Educated Person
Introduction …show more content…
Such a person realizes that learning is not static, but something that constantly grows and evolves over a lifetime. The school system is a major contributor to teaching the skills involved in problem solving and cognitive thinking, but the informed person has the ability to use those learned traits to advance his own knowledge through experience for the rest of his days. No man can be considered “educated” until he draws his last breath because learning is truly a lifelong process. He sees the world as a wealth of information and understanding, as if it is his own personal playground. Conversely, the person that is considered “uneducated” is frozen in place, not adding either tools or knowledge to his mind. This would be, indeed, a human …show more content…
He realizes that knowledge is simply a currency that he constantly shares and uses. He is comfortable with who he is as a person, never allowing insecurities of what society may see in him alter his path of enlightenment. Working diligently to understand the world through experience, educated persons clearly understand their own abilities and are supremely aware of their flaws. While maintaining their humility, educated persons remain voraciously curious about the people and the world around them. Every new connection that is made in the mind opens the door to another question, allowing him to completely lose himself in a task, thought, or hobby. This curiosity can be a fountain of youth for the educated, one that renews the spirit inside in a way that can only be done with the discovery of a new innovative idea. There is never a limit to what the educated person can learn or experience, always entertaining himself and never submitting to boredom.