Imagination and Education: The Vital Pair for Success

Emily - Altadena, California
Entered on January 29, 2009

A child?s heart and a wonderful imagination lead a person on a thriving journey. My inner child?s imagination and my education are preparing me for a successful school career and, in the future, a prosperous life. I believe in imagination and education working hand-in-hand to help a person understand the world better. My belief first occurred to me in my 8th grade history class.

It was the middle of the first quarter, and Mr. Valiulis, my history teacher, was explaining how the Americans had defeated the British in the American Revolution. He was doing this to help us with our essay: Why had the British lost the American Revolution? He stressed the fact that America had gotten a lot of help from foreign countries. Then, he briefly mentioned that not all of the British troops were fighting in America. That morsel interested me, and my imagination began wondering if Britain was fighting a second war. Once I got home, I researched the wars during the same time period and found the one I was looking for, the First Anglo-Maratha War. My education helped me formulate my thesis and, in the end, earned a great grade. I also taught Mr. Valiulis a few facts about the war and how it played a role in America?s victory.

My imagination played a large role in writing my essay. My imagination first kicked in while Mr. Valiulis was lecturing about the war. My imagination and curiosity encouraged me to take a path on my essay that most likely wouldn?t have been explored by my classmates. I learned that my imagination plays a hefty role in writing and working. This experience, in addition, showed me how my education is also very important.

While reading over my essay topic, my education helped me settle on what topics to cover. After hearing Mr. Valiulis?s lecture, my mind chose to go on the path of a second war. I decided on my thesis being: The British had lost the American Revolution because America had gotten a large amount of help from other allies while Britain had been distracted by a second war, the First Anglo-Maratha War. My education in history helped me connect the facts to form a cohesive and understandable essay. At the end of the week, I felt very proud of connecting a few facts Mr. Valiulis hadn?t already.

My belief of imagination and education working hand-in-hand is one very close to me because it explains how my brain functions in school. My experience proved to me how my belief is applicable in the real world. Now with my belief well understood, I have the confidence that I can write and speak in a way that will show my level of comprehension and use my abilities to their full extent.