SAT Practice Essay 2

People may say that practicallity is taking over people's desires to "learn for learnings sake", but I believe that it is just the opposite and there is too little emphasis on practical learning. It seems the task of living has just become so easy for some people, that practical learning is not required. The material people are being taught nowasays goes beyond practical, adn is more to ensure practical knowledge will never be required in the future.

When my grandpa was growing up as a kid, he was the oldenst son fo eight children in a traditional Japanese family. This meant he had to quickly leanr practical skills, find a job at a young age, and son no in order to help support the large family. Therefore, he did not graduate from high school, although he wanted to, and instead became a learned, experienced car mechanic. And if you ask me, a very practical job selection. My grandpa didn't learn advanced calculus or anything, but he did learn the skills to help him happily through a very demanding life.

Secondly, in the book I am reading for my english class titled, "The Poisonwood Bible," just the opposite happens. The five main charachters fo the story arrive in the Congo with extensive knowledge of scriptures, advanced schooling, and all the things they think they will need to survive. But none of these help them on their mission, and they find everyday life to be a struggle between life or death. The native Congolese end up helping them out much more with their practical skills and knowledge that they implement everyday. The charachters came prepared with everything they didn't need, and therefore should definitely not be considered practical.

Finally, the definition of the word practical gets altered with each passing day. What was practical yesterday is no longer necessary to know for the future. But knowledge that is practical should never be forgotten. History is practical knowledge that people can look to for help, but is forgotten nearly everyday. If you understand history, then you should know what blunders haave been made in the past and how to avoid them in the future. In school, people are taught techniques and solutions for avoiding and vener making mistakes. But a good lesson leanred from history allows you to acknowledge that a mistake has already been made, insuring that you will not make the same one again.

In conclusion, a practical skill can vever be emphasized too much. There's no reason to learn impractical skills with a disregard to ones that actually help you through your life. I cannot comprehend those who deemphasize or ignor what is useful.