Life is What You Make of It and So Is Education

by Carletta D. Washington, Ed.S.
K-8 Assistant Principal and Curriculum & Instructional Coordinator

I have been blessed to both realize and accept the fact that “life is what I make of it”. I used to blame others from time-to-time. I used to take some things for granted. Then, it dawned on me that “I had the power to live my life the way I wanted. So, I decided that I was going to be happy. Now, I don’t really “sweat the small stuff”. I view situations more along the lines of “a growing experience”. (Secret: If it’s something bad, I try never to go down that road again.).

Well, education is much like this “life lesson”. No matter what school we attend, who sits next to us, what resources are available, or how involved our families are in the educational process, education is what we make of it. We can become discouraged, content with what we have, or—as the saying goes—“When life gives us a lemon, we can make lemonade”. As educators, all we can do is work with what we have: students, resources, experience, etc. and give our best each day as if we are teaching our own children in our own home. As communities, as all we can do is provide for a safer environment, giving the best of our eyes and ears to the growth of our neighborhoods. As parents, all we can do is teach our children what we learned, expose them to culturally rich experiences, and prepare them to live their lives in such a way that they remember to care for us when we grow old. As students, all we can do is remember the struggle our early ancestors faced when ethnic minorities, women, and those without money were not permitted to obtain an education; in remembering this, we can overcome peer pressure, poverty, apathy, and failure. After all, “Life is what you make of it” and “so is education”.