Education is one of those things that we can’t live without. It gives us the ability to basically do whatever we want. We can get jobs, earn money, and even vote for our leaders. Without a proper education, we would need to rely on others to support ourselves. I remember when I was on my way to a hockey game when I met a man on the side walk, a hobo, who was begging for money. He said he never got a great education, and this led me to my point. Without others, he would starve, have nowhere to stay, and even have no hope. This led me to believe that without a proper education, we would have no freedom. Without a proper education, we would be nothing.

If it weren’t for education, we would never have the proper knowledge of the real world. We might think that we are encouraged to rob banks, or that it is illegal to be gay. If either of these were true, then there would be major negative repercussions.

I don’t think I would be able to continue happily through my life if I knew that I had no chance for a proper education. That’s like someone walking up and telling you “Sorry, but you won’t accomplish anything productive in your life”. To me, this is the worst pain that someone can feel.

Whenever people ask me “Why do you try so hard in school? It’s a major waste of time”, I just smile at them and reply “It’s because I want to take the best of what I have been given. That includes a great education, and it leads me to more opportunities down the road.” When some people hear me give this as a reason, they realize what I mean and thank me for that. The others, however, are a completely different story. They mock me because of my beliefs, and to insult me by calling me a nerd, or a geek. There is a quote from Bill Gates that I sometimes think about reciting to them. It goes “Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.” Thanks for the encouragement Bill.

One time, my parents told me to milk school for all it was worth, and to treat not as torture, but more as a challenge that leads to a great opportunity. I believe that when I came to this school, I took those words to heart. Education has changed my life for the better, but I only wish that others could see the benefits that I see, and stop treating this like they are being punished.

Some people may say that education is a waste of time, and you should focus more on sports so you can become a star football quarterback, or an amazing hockey Defenseman, so that you never have to worry about education again. In the end, however, it is education that leads us to even these opportunities .If you never got a proper education, then you would never know the proper amount of spiral to get the football where you wanted it, or the amount of energy transfer that occurs in the puck, which results how and where you clear it to.

Education is a foundation for everything in life. Just like in architecture, without a strong foundation, nothing will turn out like you planned it to. Someone who had wanted to be a lawyer could end up flipping burgers at Burger King. If we never got a proper education, we would never reach our full potential.