These days, a frequent conversation topic at home is universities and college courses, among other things, because Irene is currently doing her leaving cert, the equivalent to PAU / EVAU / selectividad in Spain (hang in there Irene, you´re almost done!)
(Photo of the library at Harvard University, where I had the fortune to go for a walk when I visited Boston a few years ago.)
También da la casualidad de que han venido unos amigos a Dublín para visitar universidades esta semana, y hemos estado comparando un poco los sistemas educativos de distintos países: España, Irlanda, Reino Unido, Estados Unidos y hasta Francia… Ni que decir tiene que son muy diferentes entre sí.
But in any case, the underpinning idea is the same, at least in theory: acquiring a good education.
A few months ago, I wrote my reflections on the topic of choosing college courses in the post titled Career paths (III), and back in the day I also wrote about lifelong learning (Time to learn) and how to make the most of what we learn (Learning, re-learning, unlearning). Today, I´d like to simply take a step back and acknowledge the value of education, whether it´s through formal training or self-directed:
The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.
Robert M. Hutchins
Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.
Will Durant
The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.
Sydney J. Harris
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
William Butler Yeats
Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.
Edward Everett