As I did my daily Facebook browsing, I noticed a status update that read, “Education, the only thing we are willing to pay for and not receive.” Since that day I have sat and thought about those very words . I came to the conclusion that in many aspects it is true.As a student I sit in class and notice that on many days names go unanswered as the teacher calls the roll. I observe the peculiar looks on my colleague’s faces as new-fangled bodies make their way into class for the first time, during midterms. I listen to chitchat around campus that states that a particular teacher is not up to their satisfaction and their classes seem to have no point to them. So I guess that raises the question, why attend?
Every day as consumers, we purchase something. When we go to the grocery store, would we pay for our groceries, but fail to take them home and depart with them remaining on the counter? I don’t think we would. How about the latest movie release? Would we hustle the money to secure a ticket but fail to attend the premiere showing? Well, why is it that students struggle to obtain financial aid, complain about the long waits in lines to register for classes, yearn for the day of refund disbursement, but will not receive the education that they have invested so much time and money in?
In many situations, students who are in school right now are the first of their families to attend college. In that case, many parents, or students, may not understand the future debt that comes along with education. Although, the money may not be coming physically from the wallets of the respective payer right now, eventually borrowed money has to be paid back.
Education is not only a product for young consumers; it is an opportunity to become an entity beyond the typical statistic that America wants us to fall in.
It is more than something we can pay for and let fall by the wayside without it being a problem. Education is something we must pay for. We must obtain knowledge for every penny invested.
As students, it is up to us to decide how much we receive for the price we pay for education.
Are you present on the roll today?
Travonda Favorite is a junior mass communication major from New Orleans.