Write a 3 pages paper on education and perception: then and now. Education and Perception: Then and Now Education and Perception: Then and Now Life experience has always been a valuable teacher in terms of how one views the world and their surroundings. This is the same for me and a number of experiences have helped to mold the way that I view life now. My experience in the army meant that I was able to interact with people from different backgrounds compared to those that I was accustomed to dealing with in my home town. Now that I have returned, I have learnt to look at life from a different perspective as I now know that those I used to interact with before did not represent every society in the world and people have different beliefs and lifestyles in the various parts of the world. My major area of focus is a career in education and in particular history and social studies. I plan to teach this subject at middle school level in the hope that the knowledge I impart will be able to positively influence those who take my classes. I plan to study the various major history events that have taken place in the country and all over the world as well as the background factors that played a role in the development and outcome of these events. The reason behind this is that I have come to realize that everything happens for a reason and in order for one to properly understand the events that took place during these historical times, it is essential for one to understand the factors that led to the cause of these events (Hendricks, 2005). It is only by understanding this, that one is able to fully grasp the concepts of the historical events that took place. In the process one is also able to learn about the different cultures and societies that make up the diverse world that we live in (Brooke & Parker, 2012). Understanding other cultures apart from your own allows one to accept the diversities that have filled the world and I believe in the process promotes a new culture of unity and cooperation. This can play a large role in assisting societies to learn from their mistakes and ensure that these mistakes are not repeated by our future generations. My interests have not exactly changed over the course of my education as I am still interested in the various historical events that have taken place in the world over the years. However, my approached can be deemed to have developed over time as I am now more interested in the background information that is involved with these various historical events. This is due to the fact as I mentioned earlier that in order for one to fully understand these events, one cannot concentrate on the happenings themselves but will need to also focus their attention on the various background issues that led to the occurrence of these events (Damer, 2005). My education has enabled to pick up the practice of focusing on the bigger picture through studying the miniature frames that they are made of. This has helped in my life as well as I no longer only look at the consequences and actions of the society, but the reasons behind the actions that led to the results of these consequences. I have also taken a number of classes in English apart from my studies in History. This occurred as a result of my experience in the army where while performing my duties in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan I was able to experience the diverse cultures and languages that are in other parts of the world. This led me to realize the importance of clear communication. I have come to find that if one is to clearly understand the message that an individual attempts to pass on, communication is an essential part of the process (Brooke & Parker, 2012). This means that without clear language skills one is not able to clearly pass on the meaning of the message that they wish to pass on to another. In conclusion, I can say that my previous education has helped me better myself as a person as well as a future educator. I have learnt a number of things in the process as well such as the essential value of properly understanding those that an individual communicates with as well as the importance of acceptance. This is to say that an individual may have been raised in a surrounding where individuals all hold pretty much the same beliefs as well as culture, but this does not mean that these cultures are the only ones that are present in the world thus it is important for one to make a point of understanding the other various societies that are present in the world (Hendricks, 2005). I have also come to the conclusion that if one is to properly understand the various historical events that have taken place over the years, one needs to understands the reasons and underlying factors that played a role in bringing these events to life (Damer, 2005). References Brooke, N and Parker, R. (2012) Critical Thinking. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. Damer, T. E. (2005). Attacking Faulty Reasoning, 6th Edition, Belmont, California: Wadsworth. Hendricks, V. F. (2005). Thought 2 Talk: A Crash Course in Reflection and Expression. New York: Automatic Press / VIP.