I got the zipper in my skirt! Not the best zipper I’ve ever done… just like last time. But it’s in and I’m going to let it be and take a break from sewing to blog a little!\par
\par
Some of you will know that the issue of education for girls is one that is close to my heart – not because I’m really sure of my opinion, but because.. well, it just is. Anyway, one question that always strikes a chord and tends to really irritate some people is “should girls go to college?” This isn’t directed at those who don’t believe in anybody going to college, I’m just assuming that some people should, the only question being: whom? Some will say that girls should not go to college because they are “just” going to be wives and mothers anyway, and don’t need any advanced education to do the things such women are called upon to do (potty training, toilet cleaning, dishes, dinner, etc.). I’ve never known quite what to say to that because it is absolutely true that I have never used a single fact from any of my senior year accounting courses in every day life. But, specialized business degrees aside, my thought the other day was this: If you know that your son was going to do a sort of job for most of his career which only occasionally, or maybe never directly utilized the information and training he received in college – would you still want him to get a degree anyway? Say he was going to be a construction contractor, or own a dog-grooming business or office-products retail store? Or maybe he wanted to be a law-enforcement officer or bookstore manager? All this assuming he was “college material” so to speak – interested\’c3\’82\’c2\~in and capable of that kind of studying.\’c3\’82\’c2\~\’c3\’82\’c2\~\par
\par
I probably would say “yes, I would.” I think that’s because to me a college education represents more than just what you learn in the actual books (which we can all agree is at least 50% drivel) – it’s the experience of being thrown together with a bunch of unbelievers, seeing how they think, the kind of purposelss misery they live in,\’c3\’82\’c2\~and why they are resistant to the Gospel, and it’s the life experience of dealing with bureaucracies who lose your paperwork until\’c3\’82\’c2\~one week before you need to register for classes. It’s the experience of having to study for specific deadlines, or being forced to do difficult projects you don’t want to do and do them on time and well. It’s even experience in scheduling your time to accomplish numerous projects all with different requirements and (hopefully) different deadlines (does that sound familiar to anybody?).\par
\par
And then, too, I think my business degree took a seat in the back seat of my brain and occasionally throws out potentially helpful comments. For instance – when I’m faced with an unpleasant, time-consuming project, I’m tempted to throw up my hands and say “It’s not worth my time!” But then the business major in the back of my head says, “Yes, but really, what is your time worth?” It points out that the value of your time (since I’m not actually getting paid for it) can only be estimated by determining the value of the next best option that I am giving up. For instance, if I didn’t do the Big Unpleasant Task, then what would I be doing? Taking a shower? Reading a book for fun? Watching a dumb movie? Or maybe it really would be something important like taking care of something that my husband needs me to do, or preparing a meal for a special occasion or reading to my children. This isn’t always really helpful because there are literally hundreds of things I could be doing, but at least it gives me a starting point to decide whether or not I’m trying to shirk a job I really should be doing.\par
\par
Well, that was my thought. I think it occurred\’c3\’82\’c2\~to me in the shower\’c3\’82\’c2\~a couple days ago. Which could give you an idea of it’s\’c3\’82\’c2\~relative worth! 
No offense intended to anybody: those\’c3\’82\’c2\~who don’t believe in college at all, those who don’t believe in technical degrees, those who haven’t been to college,\’c3\’82\’c2\~no offense intended to anybody\’c3\’82\’c2\~at all. Just a thought. \’c3\’82\’c2\~Oh, and comments are welcome, even (or perhaps especially) kind negative ones!
|
|||
 |
A Thought on Education for Girls6 comments to A Thought on Education for Girls |
||
|
Copyright © 2012 Home Despot Elly - All Rights Reserved |
|||
Elly; I love reading your thoughts about college for girls. Being a college graduate myself (bachelor of science), I have been appalled at some friends of mine that have said all they want for their girls is to know how to cook and clean house and raise babies. They have no plans on educating daughters beyond the state required high school, as girls supposedly don’t need a career. Arggh. Even if the “education” gained from books is never used again, just the character building (as you have mentioned) is INVALUABLE, and worth every penny of the tuition. I am a much different person for having experienced college. I feel intensely sorry for the daughters whose parents don’t value college education. \par
\par
Then there is the fact, that being a full time mother is usually NOT a life time career. I stayed home from work for many years for my kids, but now that I am back in the work force full time, I would be severely limited in my income potential without the college education. The reality of the world today is that most women will work at some point in their life. We do our daughters a huge disservice in relegating them to low income producing jobs because we don’t think they need a career. This may have been the reality in my grandmothers era, but not today. \par
\par
I also realize that not all people are “College material”. Not all people do well in studying in classrooms. That is okay…because there is a wealth of other ways to learn if one is willing to apply themself. The most important thing is to not limit our daughters lives just because they are daughters!!!\par
\par
Bless you, dear girl. I love your deep thinking and honest questions!
Did you go to University of Idaho?\par
\par
I go back and forth on this. I think S. (being the oldest she’s the first I will have to deal with this with.) may benefit from going somewhere like New Saint Andrews. I do think a woman should be as educated as she can be (and your point that just because you may not use a degree doesn’t make it not worth having is very valid. ) but college is A LOT of money, and it may be for us a matter of practicality to send the boys (if it coincides with their career choice) because they will have to provide for their family. And, as you say a lot of what you have, especially on a secular campus is drivel. So I guess I wonder if college is the most effective way of getting an education, if you don’t have to fulfill the external need of having someone else hand you a degree to justify yourself to future employers. \par
\par
Also I think I would like it if she (S) had more of a mind toward serving in the church as a young woman. Younger woman who don’t have families yet could be such a help to the families in the church. College takes up a lot of time. \par
\par
\par
I don’t really agree with the idea that it is always wrong for a girl to go to college. But I do wonder if it is the very best use of time and money for her. Looking as a mom to want I would want my daughters to value, I question it.\par
\par
I suppose also it would depend on the family, the distance to the school, her maturity, and perhaps if she planned to work with her husband in a field, (like missions) that would have to be looked at.\par
\par
I haven’t really made up my mind either, but I do think about it from time to time. I am sure I will change it a few more times before the time comes.
Thank you, Mrs. Dunton! I appreciate your positive feedback! I wrote the post with some fear… I know that this is a subject close to MANY people’s hearts, on numerous sides of The Issue.
I know I’ve discussed it with Mystie, with Lydia, with Meghan, with my Mom (over and over and over) and everybody always comes at it from a slightly different angle. It’s a big topic, which is why I didn’t go into all of the various aspects of the question, I just wanted to air the one that I thought of in the shower the other day! 
LOL! Kerry wrote in while I was typing my response to Connie!
Thanks Kerry, I was actually really wondering what your stance was on this. 
I can tell your trying to come at raising daughters without attempting a mindless adherence to the status quo… and I appreciate that. I tend to think inside the box too much, myself.
Elly-\par
Big surprise here, but I agree with my mother on this issue… Even though I didn’t follow through and finish my four year degree (family issues on my husband’s side), I got my AA. My experiences at WSU shaped my person much more then the actual time I spendt getting my AA at community college. (Just for the record, I did things backward, I went to community college after I spent two years at WSU). The first week, with registering and dealing with financial aid, and finally really being on your own, so far away from your family were enough to really make you grow up. The higher education really helped in my desicion making process, and I use that every day in my daily interactions, even if I can’t remember how to do my chemistry conversions. I wasn’t able to stay at home yet with this baby, and that’s okay for now. I am able to excel at my job, and I don’t think I would have been able to if I had just settled with my diploma. There are so many women at my work who thought their husbands would always take care of them. Either they are now divorced, or have raised thier kids and are extremely bored, and are entering the work force in their fourties, with nothing but diplomas and GED’s. They would like so much to advance, but it’s going to take them so much longer then it will take me. In a perfect world, women might not need college, but even then, I think the experience of college can’t be replaced. It makes you that much better in everything you do.
Thanks Amy.